Page 6 of Stone

“What is it that you think you had under control? From what I’m hearing, you demanded something, and he turned you down and quit. Here, you had one of the best teachers around, and you ticked him off enough that he’s packing up to leave here. My daughter is nearly ten years old and said that he was the best teacher ever born. That’s saying a lot if you ask me.”

“No one asked you. And no, I’m not going to take him back if that’s what you’re all here for. He’s been a pain in my backside since I started working here. It’s Griffin this and Griffin that. Durn it all to heck and back, the world does not revolve around the Griffin family and their money.” No one said a word. “Well, you quitting or not?”

“I’m finished.” Edwin said that he was, as well. Looking at his brother, he could see a bit of his wolf there, like he was more pissed off than he was.

“You don’t work here. Why should this school care that—”

“No more funding from us. No backpack drives. No stadium repairs. Nothing.” Roland just snorted. “You’ll not think that in a few hours once the board finds out what it is you’ve done. Come on, Stone, it’s time we headed home.”

“There you go again, thinking that you’re all that simply because you have money. This school has done just fine without your family, and we’ll go on being just fine from now on.” No one mentioned that the school was only here because of their funding. There were only enough buses because of them. There was a great deal riding on them being around, not including the teachers being paid well beyond what other teachers were making. “Get out of here before I have you arrested for trespassing. That means all of you, too.”

“Did you hear that? He just trespassed us. All of us.” Joan said that she’d heard and would escort them off the property. “I’ll be seeing our attorney about the rent that is due as well.”

They owned the land that the school had been built on. All of them. Stone thought about what would happen if the board went along with the trespassing of them on the land, not to mention finding out about the family stopping all forms of money coming to the schools. Not even the band and school teams were going to be able to go very long without their funding. Stone wanted to be in on that meeting more than anything now that he’d thought about it.

“I believe your construction company is working on the new field, aren’t they?” Edwin said they were about half finished with the work. “Seems to me that they’re trespassing, too, since you hired them. I’ll go with you to make sure that they get their things loaded up—it only just occurred to me, too, that your family was going to pay for the gardens that the kiddies plant about now. I’ll stop that work too.”

“This is going to be bad, isn’t it?” Joan laughed and said it might be the best thing that has ever happened to Roland. “You think that they’ll fire him?”

“He’ll be lucky that the parents don’t run him out of town tarred and feathered. A great many people depend on those drives you guys set up for the kids. Not to mention the fields and uniforms. Yes, sir, he’s going to be one lucky man if they don’t burn his house down for this.” Joan laughed and said that she would be called as a witness to the things that went on today, and she could not wait. “I think I might enjoy this more than my wife having my firstborn. Please don’t tell her that. But boy-oh-boy, this is going to be epic.”

Edwin and Joan were headed to the ball fields, and he and Storm with Rain headed to the house. He needed to get a home set up now that he was off for the rest of spring and into summer. Stone wouldn’t have believed it, but he was actually looking forward to having some extra time to fiddle around the place he owned or get himself a home instead of a condo where he owned the area. Maybe he’d find himself a lover or two and never come out of his bedroom again. It was worth some thought.

By the time he was in his condo, he’d passed seven homes that were for sale. It was time that he got out of living like he was. Hearing the neighbors fighting. The kids screaming in their yards and his. He didn’t mind the kids so much as the fighting. One night, the police had had to be called, and he’d been keeping his head low since then. That was when he remembered that he and his brothers were going to an auction on Saturday. He was going to get a jump on things and make sure that he knew as much about it as he could. The house wasn’t for sale, but the land surrounding it—about fifty acres were. He might build if he didn’t find himself something to live in before then.

Calling someone who would know about the land, he got in touch with his dad. He’d know everything there was to know and also who might be putting up their homes for sale, too. He wasn’t a gossip or anything but he did listen very well. Stone loved his parents very much.

Dad told him of four homes that he knew would suit his needs. While he had no idea what his needs were at the moment, he trusted his dad. Once he’d made arrangements about getting things squared away, at the last minute, Dad was called away to an emergency school board meeting. Mom was going too, so he decided to go to the homes on his own.

“Hey.” He turned and looked at the woman that he’d bumped into when she came out of the store. “Watch where you’re going, please? You could have killed—you must be a Griffin family member. I’ve never seen a family that looks so much alike as you guys do.”

He bent over to help her pick up her groceries and knocked heads with her. Telling her he was sorry again. This time, he reached for the things that were spread out all over the sidewalk instead ofwhat was right in front of her. The bag was ripped, so he offered to carry things to her car.

“I don’t have a car. Of course not, right? I’m going to have to make a couple of trips.” Just as she was speaking, Odell Armstrong came out of the store with several bags that were cloth, the ones that he sold for people and helped them put things in the bag. “How much do I owe you, sir? I’ll gladly pay for them.”

“No trouble, miss. None at all.” He shook hands with him and said that he’d seen it happen and wondered if they were both all right. “I know that Stone here has a hard head that’s why I’m asking. How are you, son? Heard about the kerfuffle at the school. Sure going to miss having you around.”

He told him how his dad had been called to an emergency board meeting. Telling the man that he’d decided to look for a house. He told him to wait right there he had some information that he might need.

Chapter 3

“Are you sure you don’t mind going with me? I have a bit of trouble with women.” She asked him if he was a plaything for them. “Plaything? I don’t know that I’d go that far, but women especially expect me to marry them on the spot simply because I’m a single guy with money. One of the main reasons that I don’t date much. Too much drama.”

“And you’re good-looking. That probably doesn’t help you, either. You have that boyish charm to you as well.” The man, she knew his name was Stone, asked her if she thought he was good-looking. “Yes. And while I think you know it, you’re not arrogant about it. I work in a grocery store back home and I see that type all the time. They think that just because they’re good-looking, they’re also charming. Which most men aren’t.”

“Thank you. I think.” He pulled into the drive of the house that they were sent to look at. “Odell said that it’s not even on the market yet but I can see it being snatched up quickly for the way it looks on the outside. Do you suppose that he believes that and hopes that selling it to me will be something that he doesn’t have to mess with later?”

“I don’t know. It seems to have a lot of…well, charm again, and most people want modern with cable and shit ready. Also, I’m betting this place has one of those really nice eat-in kitchens with a dining room that’s formal. Most people, at least I think so, want a kitchen to entertain in.” He asked her why she’d think that. “The wrap-around porch. Also, the rocking chairs and swing. They don’t look to me like they’re only there for curb appeal but they get used by the owners of this place. Like the couple would sit out there instead of watching whatever crap that’s on their phones.”

The realtor had been called away, which was fine by them, and using the key that Odell had given them, they walked into the house and she was blown away by the front entrance. It was like she had thought. Made for inviting people into your home—not a house but a home, and all would be welcome.

There was a double-wide staircase with the most beautiful railing that was on both sides. She could see a bride at the top of it, waiting for her life to get started with someone who would own the place. As they were going through the house, still furnished because Odell’s mother had passed away a month ago, and he was just now getting around to wanting to sell the home. She wandered around the place with Stone and kept her mouth closed. That had been her plan anyway.

“You know, I’d like your opinion about the place. You don’t have to bite your lips in not saying anything.” She told him that she’d buy this house if she had the money. “What about it that appeals to you so much that you’d buy it without looking at the rest of the place?”

“Are you making fun of me?” He said he’d never do that and that he really wanted her opinion. “All right. I can see from here that the dining room is one for entertaining not just getting together with people that you don’t know well. I’m betting that the books on the shelves in the library are well worn and all of them have been read. I noticed too that there are books of different genres too.”

“I noticed that as well. I love the big windows in this room. I’m betting that when spring is in full swing, it’ll be beautiful. All year round, I think.” The two of them were standing in the middle of the library, looking around, when he pointed out the chandelier. “Can you imagine holly hanging from here in the winter or even mistletoe? The trees, because I think this house screams for a Christmas tree in every room, would be a perfectly beautiful addition to this room, standing near the fireplace. And that is funny to me because since I moved out of the house, I’ve not put up one decoration for any holiday.”

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