Page 36 of Sweet Surrender

She continued to her car and turned back to him before getting in.

“So, do you really want to move forward?” she asked.

He got a strange expression on his face, and then shook his head.

“Putting the boys in the same class,” he said. “Yeah, it’s a good idea. You were right.”

“They’re better together,” she said simply. “I think you’re doing the right thing.”

“What exactly do I do?” he asked.

“I would send an email to Principal Chittenden,” she told him. “Just something simple to let her know you’d like the boys to be put in the same class. Then call the school to follow up. They’ll probably invite you to come in for a meeting.”

“A meeting?” he asked, looking alarmed.

“Most likely just with the principal,” Becca told him. “They have to have a paper trail that they talked to you about this and that you agreed to move forward in spite of their usual reasons for the policy.”

“Makes sense,” he said, nodding slowly.

“Thank you for trusting me,” she said, feeling grateful all over again that this big, quiet man had opened his heart to a newidea to help his boys. “And thank you for today. This has been… incredible…”

“Incredible,” he echoed, his dark eyes meeting hers.

Some kind of magic seemed to shimmer in the air between them, and the warmth that had been growing in her heart all night flickered and tugged, as if trying to bring her closer to him.

His eyes moved to her lips, and she suddenly wondered if he would kiss her.

Is this the feeling I’ve been waiting to feel?

“Hey, there,” a deep voice called out through the night.

She looked away from Zane and saw another strapping man, probably one of his brothers, waving to them, along with a young woman, a teenaged girl, and a little boy.

“Hey, Tag,” Zane called to him, taking a huge step backward as he did.

The group headed their way, smiles on almost everyone’s faces.

“Why is she here?” the little boy asked. “She’s a teacher. You’re a teacher.”

“I am a teacher,” she told him with a smile. “My name is Miss Hawthorne. What’s your name?”

“I’m Chance Lawrence,” he said brightly. “And that’s my dad, and that’s my mom, and that’s my sister, Olivia.”

“It’s very nice to meet all of you,” Becca said.

“It’s great to meet you too,” his mom said. “I’m Charlotte, and I work at the ice cream shop in town.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful,” Becca said. “Is that the shop where the ice cream from the farm is sold?”

“The very one,” Charlotte said with a smile. “Stop by anytime for a free scoop.”

“Wow, thanks,” Becca said.

Tag and Zane seemed to be talking about something farm-related, so she turned to say hello to Olivia.

But the teen was looking back and forth between Becca and her uncle, as if something were occurring to her. And Becca wondered just how close the two of them had been standing when this family arrived.

“I’m here as part of the class project,” Becca explained quickly, feeling her cheeks heat. “I’m helping the kids put together a report about Sugarville Grove.”

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