Catching Whitney (4 page)

“Laughing at your own hilariousness again, Whitney?”

I cringe. One, because I have a bad habit of audibly laughing at my own inner monologue. And two, because the voice coming from the doorway belongs to Andy. The resulting awkwardness is why I will never date a co-worker again. It’s just too weird. Oddly enough, though, I don’t feel heartbroken like I did when summer started. Andy had dumped me for someone else, and while it stung at the time, now it just seems like any other mundane event in the course of life. I guess it still seems a little sad, but for the most part, I’m pretty happy with the way things are. I have a great career, some great friends, and my time is my own to command.

I look at Andy and smile. “Yep. You know me. It’s like a one-woman comedy show up here.” I tap my temple with my index finger for emphasis and then stand, stacking my papers and turning to face the chalkboard. I grab the chalk and write my name in large letters across the top of the board. “Something I can do for you, Andy?”

He shuffles his feet and looks down at his shoelaces. “Not really. Just wanted to say hello and see how you’ve been.”

Ah, he wants to see if I’ve been miserable without him. He’s so predictable. I used to think he was the man I’d spend the rest of my life with. Now I see him for what he truly is - selfish. I can thank Aidan for that. He was only a one-night stand, but I learned so much about what to expect from a real man in that short amount of time. Thinking of Aidan brings a full, joyful smile to my face. Has it really been two months since our encounter? Time goes by so fast.

“I’m really good, Andy. Best I’ve been in years. How about you? Is all well? How is Cinny?” As I ask this question, I realize I sort of mean it. I hope he will eventually find someone to make him happy.

Andy looks slightly embarrassed that I brought her up. “She’s good. I’m good.” That’s all he says as he’s gives me an odd look.

“Glad to hear it,” I reply. I continue to write on the board, and he just stands there. When I realize he’s not leaving, I put down the chalk and dust my hands off. “Anything else you need? If not, I need to get back to prepping my class for tomorrow.”

He stares at me for a moment longer. “Are you dating anyone?”

Ah, there he goes again
. If he’s having regrets, he’s two months late and about a billion dollars short. It would take a time machine and an insane amount of money to entice me to consider dating him again. I allow one of those rapid-fire random thoughts to travel from my brain and exit my mouth. “Don’t you need to inspect your balls or something?”

His jaw drops open for a moment, then he snaps it shut. “You’re talking about the balls in the gym.”

“Of course I am, what other balls could I possibly be referring to?” I flash him an innocent smile. “You’re the gym teacher. Your equipment has been handled by a lot of people.” Okay, so maybe I’m still a little bitter about him cheating on me, but I’ll get there. Probably not before I get a few jabs in, but then I’m not quite the nice girl I used to be. The old me would have just smiled, bit my tongue, and let everything slide. The new me can’t allow that. A punch to the gut here and there is to be expected.

He mutters, “Have a good year, Whitney,” then he spins on his heels and walks away. Too bad Lindsey isn’t here; she’d have enjoyed that quite a bit. I’ll have to fill her in later.

I continue to work on my classroom, assuring everything is perfect for tomorrow’s start of the school year. Once I’m satisfied, I turn off the lights and shut the door behind me. As I walk to my car, I once again find my thoughts drifting to Aidan. If I’m completely honest with myself, I’ll admit that he’s on my mind a lot. I relive our night together more than I probably should. Strange, considering I don’t even know his last name. There is a very tiny part of me that wishes to find someone like him. Someone I can gorge on pancakes with, and should we live long enough after all those pancakes - someone I can grow old with. But my life is fine as it is. I’m convinced I can be happy without an Aidan kind of guy by my side. I’m pretty sure he’s one in a million anyway.

I walk into my classroom bright and early the next morning. My thermos is full of coffee, and I’ve got a ham, egg, and cheese biscuit in a sack under my arm. I still have about twenty minutes before my students start filing in, so I sit down at my desk and enjoy my breakfast in the quiet. Sadly, breakfast is a short affair. I swear those biscuit sandwich things get smaller every time I buy one—it takes me all of five bites to polish it off. I guess I’ll be ready for lunch early today.

I clean up the wrapper and sip my coffee as I listen for the sound of dozens of small feet entering the building. It doesn’t take long before I hear the familiar sound of children chatting excitedly. The first, little, dark-haired child slips in the door and smiles at me shyly. I welcome her to my class and show her to her desk. It’s not long before my class is almost full. I smile as I see the children greeting each other and talking about their summer adventures. I’m just about ready to start roll call when the school secretary, Mrs. Perkins, walks in with a small boy following close behind.

“Good morning, Miss Dawson! I’d like to introduce you to Caleb Walsh. He’s new to our town and due to unforeseen circumstances was unable to attend our open house a couple of weeks ago.” She turns to the little guy and puts a hand on his back. “Caleb, this is Miss Dawson. She’s your new teacher, and I know you are going to have a lot of fun in her class this year.”

I smile at him warmly. He’s a little smaller than most kids his age. His sandy blond hair is a little long and has enough curl that the ends wisp out in various directions. His eyes are a bright blue and for a moment I feel a spark of recognition. He reminds me of someone, but I can’t put my finger on it. “Hello, Caleb! I’m so glad you’re in my class this year! Let me show you to your desk and we can get started on some fun stuff, okay?”

He shyly nods his little head, and I can’t help but think he’s the most adorable thing ever. If I had a son, this is how I’d picture him. Suddenly that void I’ve been pretending doesn’t exist rears its ugly head.
Children.
Even if I never get married, I’ve always wanted children. But I’m a modern woman. I have options. I push the depressing thoughts from my head and show him to his seat.

I take roll call and then start the day off by asking about summer vacations. A sassy little handful named Kara raises her hand quickly, so I call on her first. She describes going to visit her grandma in Canada, and taking a cruise to some exotic locations, although she can’t remember all the names of the islands. A couple more children are eager to share, so I give them their turns. Sarah describes her stay-cation and all the fun stuff they did locally. Garrett tells the class how his family drove to Arizona and broke down in the desert; his dad had to hitchhike to get help. I silently thank God that his story ends well. I notice Caleb is watching the other children intently, so I ask him if he had an exciting summer. He shakes his head no.

“Are you sure there wasn’t even one little tiny exciting thing you did?”

Caleb thinks a moment. “Well, we did move here. My dad got a new job that lets him stay home more, so that’s good. I like Rebecca, but I like spending time with my dad more. So that’s kind of exciting.”

“It’s always great when Moms and Dads can spend more time with us, and you are right - a move and a new job can be very exciting!” I say with enthusiasm.

Kara speaks up, “No it’s not! Moving is a pain. And my mom and dad work all the time, and I don’t see them much, but I have lots of fun anyway.”

I see a small flicker of light die in Caleb’s eyes. I frown. “Now, Kara, everyone has things they treasure. Caleb treasures the extra time with his dad, so that makes it a wonderful thing for him. Just like you think spending time with your grandma and grandpa in Canada is special. Do you understand?”

Kara nods her head but gives Caleb a small glare. She seems to have taken a dislike to Caleb, and I mentally note that I will have to keep an eye on this situation. Jealousy is an ugly trait, and I’m guessing poor Kara would trade places with Caleb if she could. I sigh inwardly. If only some parents could see how much their children crave attention over things.

I listen to a few more summer vacation stories, then announce the basic rules of my classroom. I hand out worksheets for our first subject, then take my place at the chalkboard so we can learn some new vocabulary words. As I write the words on the board, I get the odd sensation that this year is going to be an interesting one.

It’s now three weeks into the school year, and all seems to be going pretty smooth. Class has gone relatively well, and the children seem to be enjoying our lessons most of the time. I haven’t heard as many groans this week as I did last week, so that’s progress. My only concern so far has been for little Caleb Walsh. While I don’t know him super well yet, I’m pretty good at reading children, which is probably just another reason I’m more comfortable around them than adults. Caleb is becoming withdrawn and seems to be losing the excited interest he exhibited the first few days of the school year.

I glance at his now empty desk and frown. I should set up a conference with his parents. I look through my student records until I find the email address I’m looking for. I see that Caleb’s contact form shows only a Mr. Walsh. I type out a quick email explaining I’d like a moment of Mr. Walsh’s time to discuss Caleb’s progress and hit send.

Spreading the student assignments out on my desk, I start grading. I’ve only been working on them for about fifteen minutes when I hear a familiar chime from my laptop. I turn toward the screen to see I have an email on my school account. Opening the app, I find an email from Mr. Walsh.
Wow. That was fast.

Miss Dawson,

I just saw your email asking to speak with me about my son, Caleb. I hope he’s not in any trouble. I’d like to take care of this matter as soon as possible, as I admit your message has me concerned. I tried calling the office, but no one answered. I’m not far from the school now. If you are still there, I’d like to drop by before I head home.

Respectfully
,

Mr. Walsh

It’s obvious that he’s worried about his son and wants to know what is going on. I decide to respond quickly and let him know that will be fine. I would like to go home soon, but maybe we can get this first meeting out of the way and set up a meeting for a later date if necessary.

Mr. Walsh,

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. I assure you it’s nothing to worry about. Caleb is an exceptional young man. I simply have a few observational concerns I’d like to run by you. I am in my classroom grading papers at this time and should be here for the next thirty minutes or so if you’d still like to drop by my classroom.

Respectfully,

Miss Dawson

I hit send, then turn my attention back to grading spelling tests. I finish those and start on math worksheets when I hear a knock on the door.

“Are you Miss Dawson? I’m....”

He stops mid-sentence, and I look up at the man standing in the open doorway. His mouth is hanging open, and I’m pretty sure mine is too.

“Whitney?”

I blink.
Hard
. I have to be seeing things. I struggle to stand up.

“Aidan?”

Aidan crosses his arms and gives me an odd look. “Your last name is Dawson?”

I nod my head. I’m happy to see him, but also nervous. After all, I did sneak out of his hotel room without so much as a “Thanks for the whoopty.” He’s just as hot as he was then, maybe even more so, if that’s possible. I start to feel self-conscious. My hair is pulled back in a headband, and I’m sure the exhaustion from the day is showing on my face. Not my best look at all. But there he stands in blue jeans, tennis shoes, and a black t-shirt - he looks amazing. It’s not fair.

He continues to stare at me. I clear my throat. “What are you doing here?”

“Caleb is my son.”