Laurie's Time (The Fairfield Series) (11 page)

Josie and the other little girls around burst into giggles as they continued their way outside. “Miss Dodd, Miss Dodd!” the girls began to shout. Turning around, Laurie looked to the other side of the playground and saw Rob walking towards her with a huge bouquet of flowers. Blushing, feeling the heat crawl up from her chest to her scalp, Laurie tried to control her class. Clapping her hands, she sent then over to the playground equipment. Rob walked over with a wide grin, not pausing until he was a respectable couple of feet away, looking down at her. Her eyes did not leave his as he approached, as though she had no will when he was near.

“Miss Dodd, you’re lookin’ lovely today,” he greeted holding the flowers out towards her, his grin evolving into a huge smile.

Still blushing, Laurie took the flowers in her hands looking at them with awe. The riot of color burst forth in a dazzling array. Raising her eyes back to his, she replied, “Thank you, Mr. MacDonald. These are beautiful. I’ve never gotten flowers before.”

Rob was shocked and yet secretly pleased. Knowing he was the first to bring her such a simple pleasure, made him want to be the one to always bring a smile to her face. Looking down, he took in her silky braid, flawless skin, pink T-shirt, cute denim skirt, and simple sandals showing off her painted pink toes. Taking her all in, he wished he could tell his dick to behave, but it seemed to have a mind of its own when she was around. Knowing she was working and determined to be a gentleman, he gave her a wink and a quick bow as he turned, walking back to his truck.

“Mr. Fireman,” a voice called from the playground. Rob turned back around, facing a group of little girls all standing around Laurie looking at her flowers.

“Do you like our teacher? She says you should just ask a boy whether or not he likes you.”

Rob threw his head back and laughed, then looked directly into Laurie’s eyes. “Why yes, ma’am, I do like your teacher.” Still laughing, he trotted over to his truck, feeling lighter with each step.

*

“What’s on your mind, Laurie?” Emma asked. Laurie had been calling her almost every day since arriving in Fairfield.

“Can a leopard change his spots?”

Emma laughed, and she couldn’t help but laugh along with her. “I sound stupid, don’t I?” She continued, “It’s just that I feel like I have been all over the place since meeting Rob. I thought he was gorgeous and interested, then saw him as a player and wanted nothing to do with him. Then he seemed to want to just be friends. Then we had a friend date, and everything changed that night. Now, I have no idea.”

“Laurie, what does your heart say? Honey, you have to trust your judgment,” Emma answered.

“My heart says he’s funny, handsome, caring, strong, protective, wonderful, and seems to really like me. In the past couple of weeks, he has taken me out, made me feel that he is only interested in me, and been a perfect gentleman. But my head keeps thinking that he’s been a player for so long, can he just change? What if I get hurt?”

Emma sighed, choosing her words carefully. “Laurie, you can’t control what he did before he met you. You have to decide what kind of man he is now. And sweetie, you cannot judge every man by your father.”

“My father? I never even think of my father. I never knew him, so how could I judge any man against him?”

Emma could hear Laurie’s anger searing through her words. “Laurie, you’ve always said that you never think of him, but do you realize that every time you have gotten close to someone, you always pull back. You’ve never had sex because you are afraid of being someone’s one-night stand. You’ve never made that step into an adult relationship, fearing hurt and eventually being left behind. Stop living in your mom’s time or your dad’s time. If you don’t take a chance, you’ll never find your time.”

Emma’s words poured over Laurie slowly, dripping into the corners of her mind. The corners where she did not like to look. Those words from anyone else would have brought immediate denial, but from Emma? She knew Laurie’s every thought, feeling, heartbeat.

Sighing heavily, she knew Emma was right. She did hold herself back. Doing so kept her from being hurt. It also kept her from finding love.

Hanging up the phone with new resolve, she decided it was time to give Rob a chance.

*

“Miss Dodd, Miss Dodd!” The kids, jazzed up on Halloween candy, were the most unruly she had ever seen. Another teacher popped her head into the classroom to let Laurie know that they were going to the cafeteria about fifteen minutes later than usual.

“Why?” she asked in frustration. “These kids are about ready to chomp on each other if they can’t get to lunch and eat something besides candy,” she moaned. “And quite frankly, I’m hungry too!”

“I hear you,” the other teacher agreed. “Rumor is, something is wrong with the ovens in the kitchen. My kids have headed on down to the music room.

Forcing a smile on her face, she turned back to her class to give them an activity to last until lunch. Several minutes later a loud blast roared through the building, shaking the entire room like an earthquake. Ceiling tiles fell, books tumbled from shelves, chairs knocked over, and the lights overhead went out. The children, in a panic, began to scream, and she frantically tried to calm them. The fire alarm sounded, and Laurie rushed to get the children lined up to go outside. As she opened the door, the smoke billowing down the hall had her shutting the door quickly.

Oh god. The stairs are blocked. Shit, shit, shit!

Grabbing the phone in the room to check for directions, she found there was no dial tone. Running to the door one more time to ascertain the condition of the hall, she could tell the smoke was right outside the door. Slamming the door again, she turned to the windows.

The windows. It has to be the windows!

*

The school’s fire alarms were tied in directly to the fire station just down the road. As soon as the alarm sounded, the men jumped into action not knowing initially where the fire was located. The dispatcher came over the speaker announcing the location of the fire being at Fairfield Elementary School, and the firemen quickly and efficiently rolled out.

Rob’s heart pounded with fear upon hearing their location. Never had he headed out to a fire located where he knew someone. Mac glanced over at his son, knowing full well the emotions that were overwhelming him. A fireman who cannot concentrate on his job could put others at risk and Mac was too good a chief to allow that to happen.

“Son, you gotta stay focused. Can you do this?”

Rob’s eyes cut over to his dad’s. Giving him a curt nod, he forced his heartbeat to slow, going over the elementary school’s fire plans in his mind.
Oh Jesus, keep her safe.

*

Laurie could already hear the sirens of fire trucks pulling next to the school, and running over to the windows, she could see that most of the teachers and students were getting out of the building. If the classroom next to hers was already emptied, that only left her classroom trapped on this end of the building where the fire was closest.

Pulling open the small window, she leaned her head out and began to yell. Torn between trying to calm the children and making enough noise that someone would see them warred inside. She could see Ms. Darby, running around the corner with a crew of firemen. Looking up, they motioned for one of the fire trucks to pull closer to the building. Turning back around, she squatted down momentarily to reassure the students. Gathering them quickly around her, she spoke calmly.

“Okay, guys, we are getting ready for an adventure, but we have to be careful; we have to stay calm and quiet so you can hear my instructions. Okay?”

The children, frightened and most crying, nodded in understanding. Right then, she heard a man’s voice calling to her. “Laurie.”

Rob. He came.
His voice washed over her, sliding deep inside, soothing her fear, calming her nerves. Whirling around, her eyes immediately found his.

“What do I need to do?” she asked running over to the window, seeing him standing on a ladder coming from the fire truck below. She could see fire hoses spraying off to her right where the flames were coming from the kitchen.

“Laurie, look at me. Babe. Look. At. Me,” he ordered. Her eyes, large in fear, cut back over to his. “Stay with me, Laurie. Got me?”

Focusing, she nodded. “Okay. What do I do?”

“Line the children up and start helping them through the window. It’s a small window, but these kids will fit through. Let me know if there are any injuries or special needs. We’ve got plenty of help as soon as we get them through the window.”

She turned and clapped her hands to get the children’s attention. Twenty-four little faces looked up, fearful but sure in the knowledge that she would take care of them. She picked up the first child closest to her and held her to the window. Helping the child to sit on the windowsill, holding them tightly, she supported them until Rob took the little girl and handed her to the next man in the chain. The window was small, but the children fit through easily, and the firemen worked quickly and efficiently. Eyes stinging and arms aching, she continued helping the children out of the window into the waiting arms of the heroes.

“Rob, this is Sammie. He is partially deaf but has a hearing aid.”

Rob’s calm voice continued to encourage and sooth, as though he knew exactly what she needed each moment. Glancing down to the ground, she could see her children being cared for by a community of firemen, volunteers, teachers, parents, and rescue workers.

“Rob, this is my very
special
friend, Carla.”

He noticed the little girl, with down’s syndrome looking terrified. He held her gently and carefully, talking to her calmly as he passed her to the next fireman.

Rob turned back to Laurie. His eyes were constantly on her, measuring her emotions and physical strain.
Do the job. Do the job,
he kept telling himself. In all of his years as a fireman, he had never been so personally involved in a rescue. Heart pounding, he continually handed down each child to the next man on the team.

“That’s it. That’s all,” she announced, unsure what to do next.