Page 61 of Maizy the Bear Charmer

When he got to the truck several minutes later, it was to find Maizy sitting in the passenger seat fiddling with her phone. He unloaded everything and then got in. “Are you all right?”

“Mrs. Dumphrey caught up to me in the parking lot. I couldn’t very well climb in the truck and slam the door in her face, even though that’s what I wanted to do.”

“What did she say?” he asked, already having a feeling he knew.

“Hurtful things that weren’t true. I asked her if I was entitled to a life away from school. She said yes, as long as what I was doing didn’t ‘constitute’ immoral or indecent behavior.” She turned to him and he could see the pain in her eyes. “I messed things up good, didn’t I? She probably wouldn’t have seen me if I’d stayed in the truck like you asked. I’m sorry she spoke down to you.”

“Didn’t bother me. What bothers me is seeing her hold her power over you like that. She shouldn’t be allowed to treat you that way. What did she say?”

She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. It wasn’t true.” She released her seat belt and scooted over to him and he hugged her. He felt bad for her and for messing things up. None of this would’ve happened if he’d gone to the grocery store first.

Cody knew the minute they walked in the door that something was wrong. He and Heath both looked concerned as Maizy explained what had happened. Maizy seemed to go on autopilot, setting out the ingredients to make the crust and the filling as she talked. Heath caught Spencer’s eye and then looked at her, showing his nonverbal concern for her.

“Maybe I was expecting a miracle. It’s asking too much that they would accept my private choice as just that. I think I was naively hoping that all the pieces would somehow fall into place, and that it would work out for us.”

Spencer leaned against the counter and listened to her, his own concern growing as she kept talking.

“If Mrs. Dumphrey gets it into her head to mention this to the board then I’ll be scrutinized by all of them. It’ll be what they’re all thinking about anytime they see me. I know that sounds paranoid but you don’t know what she’s like at the board meetings. I went to one when I was going through my interview process. She’s controlling and manipulative, and very opinionated. What she says carries a lot of weight because she’s taught for so many years. Many of us had her as a teacher growing up and she’s meaner now.”

Cody stole a piece of the sweet dough as she cut it into strips and managed to make her smile and then he said, “So we should just pack it up and call it quits? Throw in the towel before we even know how things would work for us?”

She looked at him in surprise and a little shock. “No. I mean, that’s not what I want. Is that what you want, Cody?”

“No,” he murmured easily and shook his head. “What are you really scared of?”

“That something terrible will happen like me getting fired and I’ll lose you in the process before I even really know what it’s like to be with you. Losing on both sides. I’ve been teaching there for six years. I’m a good teacher and I should be allowed to continue teaching. I guess I want it all. I want what I see my brother and my friends enjoying and I’m afraid to find out that I can’t have it.”

Cody skirted the counter and stood behind her. He squeezed her upper arms and kissed the top of her head. “Baby, stop.”

She looked down at the flour on her hands and the rolled out dough. “What am I doing? I was supposed to make the filling first.”

He slid his hands down her arms and stilled her shaky hands as she gathered the scraps together. “Stop.”

“I messed it all up, putting the cart before the horse.”

“Stop. Do you know how happy I am that you’re here? How happy we all are?”

She looked from him to Heath and then back at Cody. “It’s not like me to be this scatterbrained. I can’t believe I screwed up your dessert. I wanted to do something nice for you—”

Cody turned her and crushed his lips against hers. She moaned and squirmed against him, panting through her nose a couple of times before she went limp in his arms. Her hands fisted the material of his shirt, leaving white, floury marks at the shoulders, and she clung to him as a rosy blush grew in her cheeks. When he finally released her she was breathless and her eyes had that sexy, dazed quality Spencer liked so much.

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