Page 20 of Sunsets & Slow Dances

“Matty, this is your new teacher, Miss Carson.”

Carson.I blinked when I heard Nadia’s last name. When I opened my eyes, I couldn’t believe what I saw. It was Nadia. Everything around me disappeared, and time stood perfectly still. I forgot where I was, who I was, and what I was doing. My mind went blank.

I stood there, my feet cemented in place, staring into eyes I’d seen thousands—tens of thousands of times before. Eyes that I had to actively try not to see every time I closed my eyes. Eyesthat showed up in my dreams. Eyes that I got lost in. Eyes that healed me. Eyes that saved me.

They were the same eyes I’d seen on the pier twenty years ago. The same eyes I’d looked into the final time we’d broken up ten years ago. The same eyes I could easily drown in now. They held a power over me still. They were magnetic. Round and framed with thick, dark lashes, the bluest eyes I’d ever seen—an iridescent turquoise in the center surrounded by a navy ring—that held me captive.

“Mr. Knight. Mr. Knight.”

Principal Lewis’s voice barely registered as my heartbeat thudded wildly in my chest. In all the scenarios I’d imagined, Nadia being Matty’s teacher had never been one. The last thing I’d heard was that she’d left school early and moved home to Firefly. I didn’t think she’d finished her degree.

“Mr. Knight, is everything okay?” Principal Lewis asked.

“Yes.” I blinked. “Sorry, I just…zoned out.”

I glanced over at the principal, and then my eyes darted back to Nadia, as if to make sure she was still there. It was like my brain thought she was going to disappear if I looked away from her for even a moment.

She lifted her arm stiffly, in the awkward, cute way she always did when she was nervous or uncomfortable. “Hi.”

Hearing her voice allowed me to exhale a breath I hadn’t known I’d been holding. When I did, I felt myself get a little dizzy. Which meant I must have been staring at her silently for much longer than would be appropriate.

“Hi.” I replied back, not sure if I should disclose that we knew each other.

Was that some sort of conflict of interest?

No.What the fuck? Of course it wasn’t. This wasn’t a court case, or a police investigation, or a surgeon operating onsomeone. This was a small town. Nadia had to know most of these kids’ parents.

“Okay, well. We should probably let Miss Carson get back to her lesson.”

“Right. Yeah.” I looked down and saw that Matty was sitting at a desk with three other students and wondered how long I’d been standing there like a zombie. “See you after school.”

Matty’s lips were in a flat line, and his eyes were twice their normal size. He was being brave, which I was proud of, but it still broke my heart walking away from him. As I left the classroom, I couldn’t help but look over my shoulder once more. When I did, I saw Nadia crouched down beside Matty speaking to him. She was explaining where his desk was and where he could put his backpack.

Two things struck me. One, she looked exactly the same and totally different at the same time. It was inexplicable. She still had all the same features, but they’d somehow become even sexier, even cuter, even more beautiful. Her lips were fuller. Her eyes were larger. Her cheekbones were a little more defined. Her cute button nose somehow fit her face even better. She’d become a woman, and it looked good on her.

The other emotion I felt was more complex to describe. As I watched her speaking to my son, there was a tightness in my chest that was difficult to explain. It was like I was seeing a glimpse into an alternate timeline where Matty would have been ours.

After saying goodbye to Principal Lewis, I walked down the steps of the school and even in the fresh air found it difficult to catch my breath. I got into my truck and sat in silence, staring at the steering wheel. The Band-Aid had been ripped off. I’d seen her, and I had a few answers.

Nadia Carson was in town.

She was a teacher.

And she had no ring on her finger.

Which shouldn’t matter to me, but it did.

.

7

NADIA

Ten,nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, and one.

The shrill ring of the bell filled the room and the halls. I’d been counting down the seconds to the end of the school day. Now that it was here, I was seriously regretting my decision not to go home and change at lunch.

I was on pick-up line duty today, so there was a very good chance I would be seeing Callum again, and I was wearing blue jeans, a white shirt, and an oversized, sage, chunky cardigan. I was dressed like ateacher—a real teacher, not the sexy Halloween version. Why did I have to be wearingthisthe first time we saw each other after all these years?

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