Page 19 of Unbreakable Love

Thank goodness Faye and Dolly had clued me in about Caleb reuniting with a woman he was now married to who’d had his child after a one-night stand, or I’d be totally lost.

“Let me guess.” I tapped my chin. “The puppy is a golden retriever?”

Her eyes bugged out. “How’d you guess?”

“Just lucky. Did you get to play with her this weekend?”

“Yes, I did. A whole bunch on Sunday morning because I had a sleepover with my grandma. Grandma Kelley painted my nails. See?”

She shoved her little hand at me and sure enough, hot pink fingernail polish covered her nails. I was surprised they weren’t also purple, but the bright pink fit the girl’s spirit.

“That’s very pretty.”

“I know! So is my grandma. And your dress is pretty, too!”

I chuckled as other kids entered the room. My dress was pretty. A camel-colored corduroy, it fell down to my calves, showing off my knee-high boots. The dress was long-sleeved and was comfortable enough to teach in but also thick enough to keep me warm. If I had a choice between jeans and a dress? It was a dress every day hands down for me.

As the other kids filtered in and shared with me pieces of their weekend, I took notes of their personalities. Some came in like Josie, excited to be there and talk. Others were mopey and quiet. Not unexpected on a Monday morning. Most were somewhere on the scale in between, but even then, I paid attention. I’d grown up knowing how to fake being good and how to blend in so I never garnered too much attention. It was those kids I looked for, the ones who could be hurting the most and hiding it. Plus, it was good for me to get to know all my students as soon as possible so I could see the help they needed that went beyond what I was learning in all their files.

By the time lunch came around, followed by the kids’ special classes, I was ready for the break, despite how easy the morning had gone. Grabbing my lunch, I made sure I locked my door behind me and headed down the stairs to the teachers’ lounge. Right off the front office, I wasn’t surprised when other teachers were already there, some standing around the microwave, waiting to heat up their food.

I’d learned that the third through fifth graders had their arts classes at the same times in the afternoons, while the kindergarten through second graders had their times in the morning. Today, the third graders were in art and music, while the older two grades were having library time and a technology class.

I slid into an open seat and the teacher next to me immediately greeted me.

“Easton Pierce,” he said, nodding toward me. “I teach fifth grade. You must be Penelope.”

“I am.” I greeted him back with a smile. Dressed in pressed khaki pants and an equally pressed white and blue striped dress shirt, Easton had a bright blue bow tie at his throat and perfectly coiffed hair that swept to the side. His black ring on his left hand told me he was married. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You too. Things going okay so far?”

“It’s only been a couple of days, but the kids seem great.”

“She’s killing it,” Faye announced, sliding into a chair across the table from us. “The kids already love her.”

A blush hit my cheeks and I mumbled a thanks to her before biting into my turkey and cheese sandwich.

“Don’t thank me,” Faye said. “You are killing it. In the classroom and at Tom’s.”

She flashed a wink and Easton raised his brows. “Already corrupting her, Faye?”

“Obviously. She has to be initiated into town properly and who better to show her the ropes?”

Easton shook his head and turned to me. “Careful with this one. Her initiations tend to end up with you dancing on the tables and slipping and sliding into muddy creeks.”

“It was one time!” She chucked a carrot at Easton.

He easily caught it and bit off a chunk.

“There’s a story there,” I said, glancing at both of them.

“Faye decided to initiate my wife into her crew when we moved to town last year.”

“It wasn’t my fault your wife decided to order shots,” Faye cut in.

“No, that was all Sabrina’s. But it was your fault that you goaded her to dance on the table and then take a trip to go swimming in the creek.” Easton winked at me. “We never found one of her favorite sandals.”

Both of them laughed while I was grateful I didn’t drink. The last thing I needed was to end up table dancing and lose my job. “Your wife sounds fun.”

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