Page 102 of A Forgotten Heart
When she’d written to her mother about Nick, she’d been so worried about how her parents would react to her choice. She’d been nearly sick on the train trip at the end of the Christmas holidays to introduce Nick.
To say they’d been coolly distant was an understatement. But it hadn’t rattled Nick at all. No, he’d been calm, confidant, and charming. And the best part—not once had he left her side.
By the end of the weekend, somehow, he’d won them over. Even had them laughing. Of course.
Calvin had also been through some changes in the last few months.
She placed the last slate down and swiped her hands together as she moved to her desk.
In April, Merritt had been elected as the first woman on the school board and became instrumental in the changes the school desperately needed.
One being that the town’s population growth required a second classroom.
And a second teacher.
Starting tomorrow, the school would have two teachers. Mr. and Mrs. McGraw.
Elsie suspected Merritt had helped sway the board’s vote to allow her to remain teacher, provided she worked alongside her husband.
It was the perfect solution. She’d teach the younger kids and he the older ones. Last night, he’d confessed he was nervous for the first day in the classroom, but she knew he’d be brilliant.
She picked up a stack of readers and carried them to the bookshelf. She arranged them carefully, easiest to hardest.
It had taken most of the summer to build the second classroom next to the first. The construction had finished a few days ago, and they’d spent every hour cleaning and furnishing the two rooms, preparing everything for the kids.
She breathed in deeply, the aroma of the fresh lumber mixing in with the late-summer breeze from the window.
She should probably check and see how her husband was faring.
On her way out of the room, she picked up the broom and dustpan to take with her. She moved through the newly extended cloakroom and then to the new classroom.
At the threshold, her feet planted to the floorboards. Nick stood at the chalkboard, a piece of chalk poised in his hand, not moving.
He held so still that she didn’t want to breathe and disturb him.
The past few days, he’d been hustling around with excitement to start his new position, unable to even sit. So much so that now, the stillness concerned her.
She’d thought Nick was happy. He hadn’t stopped smiling. But why was he just standing there at the board?
She moved to go to him, but he raised the chalk to the board. It scraped against the blackboard as he wroteMr. McGrawin perfect penmanship.
Oh.
Writing his name signaled more than helping new students remember his name. It was him taking possession of his classroom.
Elsie bit her lip as tears pricked the backs of her eyes. This was where he should’ve been all along, and seeing him finally step into his position made her love for him swell inside her.
After everything they’d been through, seeing his name on the board was even more significant.
To keep from startling him, she set the dustpan and broom down as softly as possible.
He heard anyway and glanced over his shoulder. She moved toward him.
A lopsided smile lifted his mouth as he reached for the eraser. “I’m being silly.”
“No.” Elsie put her hand on his arm to stop him from erasing it. “Leave it. You deserve to savor it. Enjoy it in whatever way you’d like.”
A smoldering look came into his eyes as he snagged her toward him. “Whatever way I like, huh. I’d like to enjoy a kiss from my wife.”
