Subject: Re: Meeting
* * *
Hello, Sawyer. Would you be able to drop by after school hours tomorrow, Jan 4? Around 3:30?
Hadleigh Beckett
* * *
“There. Done. Polite and straightforward.” I roll my head around, stretching out my neck as she eyes me carefully. “I’m worried I’m not ready to deal with someone else, Zoey. I’m still kind of a baby teacher myself.”
“They wouldn’t have given you a student teacher unless they were confident you could handle it. Since when are you anything but confident?”
I roll my eyes at her. “You know half of that is for show. I’m a good actress. I have insecurities just like anyone else, and this is one of them. How do I teach someone else when I’m still learning the job myself?”
“You’ll be fine. You always are. Shake it off, girl. Shake it off.”
Just as she finishes her comment—thus putting Taylor Swift in my head—my phone pings with an incoming e-mail. Zoey’s gaze shoots to mine. “Is that him already?”
I look down at my phone and give an unladylike snort. “Yep. Well, he’s responsive, if nothing else. Maybe this bodes well.” I blow out a quick breath and open up the new e-mail.
* * *
From: Sawyer Rivers
/> To: Hadleigh Beckett
Date: Monday, January 3, 2:28 PM
Subject: Re: Re: Meeting
* * *
Ms. Beckett,
Thanks for your response. Could you tell me where I should park?
Sawyer Rivers
* * *
My brow wrinkles in thought. “Maybe he’s just older than I first assumed. It’ll probably be some retiree working on starting his second career.”
“Could be, for sure. You know, Cal Jennings from the math department did that. He had a whole other career in the Army before he retired and went back to school to get his teaching license.”
I shrug, giving up on guessing. “I suppose I’ll find out tomorrow afternoon, huh?”
“Yep. This time tomorrow you’ll know exactly who you’re dealing with.” She narrows her gaze at me and pats my knee. “Breathe, Had. It’ll be fine.”
I nod. “Right. It’ll all be fine. Tomorrow I’ll know who this Sawyer person is.” As I shoot off another quick response, I wonder what I can do to prepare myself. The answer is nothing, really. Ugh. A bubble bath to calm me down, maybe? Take a nap with my kitten? I’m typically a very go, go, go personality; it’s great for getting things done but not so good for calming my nerves. I tuck my phone back in my purse and give Zoey my attention again.
Chapter 2
Sawyer
From: Hadleigh Beckett
To: Sawyer Rivers