Page 7 of Unbreakable Love

“But, Daddy?—”

“Stay here, Josie.” I turned on my heels and headed out of the classroom. Next door, Faye Parker’s classroom door was open, with her lights on. She was standing at her desk, straightening a stack of papers.

She jumped as I entered and then laughed. “Oh. Gavin. Hi. You meet Penny yet?”

Penny. Of course she had an adorable name to go with the eyes and the smile and all that hair and cuteness.

“I need to switch Josie’s classes. Can you take her?”

“Why?” She jolted, jerking her head back, and frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t want her teaching Josie.”

Alarm flared in Faye’s features. Around my older brothers Cameron and Caleb’s ages, I’d known Faye and her ex-husband practically my whole life. They’d spent more than one summer night drinking beer out of kegs and making out in my parents’ backyard. At least before the divorce.

“What happened? Did she say something? I’ve talked with her a few times and she’s been sweet, really excited for this opportunity, and she seems like a great teacher with excellent training. A solid awareness of skills and has incredible potential. She’ll be so good with the kids.”

She was sweet. Probably tasted like strawberries and springtime. Probably not the thing to be thinking about regarding my child’s teacher.

“Can you move Josie into this class or not? I’m asking as a favor to a friend.”

Her eyes narrowed and a knock came from the door, making us both jump.

“Everything okay in here?” Principal Reece glanced between the two of us.

“It’s great,” Faye chirped. “Everything’s fine. Are we ready for everything to start?”

“We are…” the principal drawled. “If you’re ready?”

Her eyes stalled on me; an eyebrow arched. Old enough to be my mom, there was a scolding in that arched brow, making me feel like I’d forgotten to clean up the tack room like I was supposed to and then lied to my mom about it.

“All’s good,” I muttered.

It wasn’t. Nothing about this was good. I knew what I was asking, and I doubted it would happen. Was surer of it when the principal turned her back to us and Faye came to my side.

“If something happened, I’ll see what I can do, but I can’t just demand a change of classrooms for Josie. I can promise to keep an eye out and if something doesn’t feel right, we can discuss it again.”

“Never mind. Forget I asked.” I stomped back into Miss Pesco’s classroom and pulled up a chair to sit down next to Josie. Heads swiveled in my direction. Some curious, some friendly. A few filled with pity and judgment.

I knew what the town thought of me. The embarrassment that came from not only being fifteen and a sophomore in high school when I accidentally knocked up my girlfriend after fumbling around in a dark barn but then being abandoned for better things. Many judged. A whole lot pitied me.

Fortunately, a whole lot more jumped in to help.

None of that help was available to me now.

I was going to have to deal with pretty little Penny Pesco all by myself.

“Sleep well, pipsqueak.” I leaned over Josie and kissed her cheek.

“Night, Dad.” She snuggled deeper under her pile of blankets, Squishmallows and stuffed animals, and held her favorite, well-loved, and worn bunny up to my face. “Don’t forget about Jumpers.”

I kissed Jumpers’ nose and since this routine was the same every night, I kissed the remaining stuffed animals she had surrounding her. She had so many that sometimes I couldn’t find her in the morning when I went to wake her.

“Night night. Love you to the moon, Josie.”

I stood and was at her door, flipping off her overhead light switch, leaving on only her daisy flower lamp on her nightstand as she yawned.

“Miss Pesco is really pretty, isn’t she?”

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