Page 2 of Passing Notes
She’d made the switch to “Dad” soon after her last day of elementary school and it had broken my heart a little bit. Time was slipping away almost too fast to bear; each year, they became more independent and needed me less.
I ruffled her hair as I passed her to grab my keys and messenger bag from the table. “Let me know if you change your mind on the way.”
Both kids would be attending Green Valley Middle School this year. The high school was just down the street. I liked the idea of being close to them all day. School should be the safest place for a kid, but unfortunately, that was not the world we lived in anymore.
The drive to school went quickly despite the morning traffic. After all my years teaching, I had perfected my timing. One minute off schedule would get us stuck in the rush of school buses, parents driving their kids to school, and people on their way to work.
After dropping them off with wishes for a great first day—and another refusal from Sasha to have me walk her in—I drove the few hundred feet down the street to the high school, swung into the teachers’ parking lot, and found a spot. I had exactly five minutes to sit in the air-conditioned cab of my truck and attempt to find my focus for the day. I ran my hands into my hair and rested my forehead on the steering wheel. The temptation to take a nap was almost overwhelming.
Just one minute.
I closed my eyes and let out a breath. A headache was beginning to form at my temples, and the press of the steering wheel combined with the cold air blasting in my face eased it.
This would be my last year of taking on extra work—except for coaching football; I loved that. It reminded me of high school, when I used to play. Something about the evening air, the teamwork, and the competition kept me going. It gave me a sense of nostalgia and reminded me of a time when I felt like I had something to live for—aside from my kids—that was solely for myself. I wanted to keep that feeling; it gave me hope that I’d find something just for me again someday.
Knuckles tapping on my window jarred me awake. I jerked upright, blinking rapidly against the glare of the sun shining through my windshield.
Shit.
“I’m awake. I’m up.”
Frantically, I checked the clock on my dashboard. I’d been out for four minutes. That wasn’t so bad. I’d still be on time for first period.
I lowered the window to find one of my students, Gracie Hill, standing there. She was part of the student paper—which I was the faculty advisor for—and she would be a senior this year. She also sometimes babysat for Ethan and Sasha, and if I recalled correctly, would be in my English 4 class this year. She watched me with her eyebrows up. A sideways smirk crossed her face and I winced. “It’s only the first day, Mr. Easton. Burnt out already?”
I shook my head. “I’m okay. I, uh...” My voice trailed off when I caught sight of who stood glaring at me behind her, arms crossed over her chest, one hip leaning on the driver’s side door of a hot little BMW parked a few empty spaces away.
My jaw dropped. Black leggings hugged every inch of her delectable curves, and her cropped hoodie told me she was still a fan of Smash Girl comics. Pale blond waves crowned her head in a messy bun as big cornflower-blue eyes flashed fire into mine. Her eyebrows dropped low into a V and she turned away with a sneer.
It was her.
Clara Hill.
The woman who had wrecked me for all others at the age of eighteen.
My first love, my first everything. She had broken my heart into pieces and ran off with most of them when she left Green Valley after we graduated. She was the biggest secret I had ever kept, and the only true regret I had in my life.
Damn, there were so many things I would have done differently back then if I had known better.
My heart thudded and my senses spun at her nearness. I was instantly wide-awake as the shock of seeing her after all these years hit me full force. She was beautiful. Even more so now that I understood what I had lost when she left me.
Of course I knew Gracie was her little sister. In a town as small as Green Valley, everyone knew at least a little bit of everyone’s family history. Who was related to who, marriages, divorces, scandals...
Gossip spread through a small town like ours faster than a hot knife through butter. But even so, it was surprisingly easy to keep a secret when given the proper motivation. And Clara and me? Our history was buried so far deep in the past no one would ever find out about us, not unless we wanted them to. However, Gracie was clever enough to pick up a clue if Clara unleashed even half of that anger she was currently aiming my way.
I stroked a fingertip down the bridge of my nose, struggling to find something to say to Gracie as memories crashed into my brain and stole my train of thought.
Why was she so angry when she was the one who ended everything?
“Uh . . .”
Gracie turned to her sister, then back to me with a pitying laugh. “Have you met Clara before? You had to have gone to school with her, right? Don’t worry, you’re not the first man I’ve seen turn into an idiot around her. Anyway?—”
“Oh, no, I—” I slammed my eyes shut with a cringe. Busted. “I’m just tired. I had a late night. Um, insomnia kicked my butt. Thanks for waking me up. Go on to class, Gracie. I’m on my way.”
“You’re welcome. Just so you know, I’ll be running late for a while. I have a sprained ankle. I’ll be in this boot with crutches for the next couple of weeks or so. Clara will be dropping me off and picking me up until it’s better.” She held up one of her crutches as evidence.
“No problem. I won’t mark you tardy. Make sure the front office knows so they can spread the word.”