Ms.Michaels shook her head.“Not a thing.I am planning to be as lazy as is humanly possible for a full week, and then, I’ll start thinking about the second half of our year.”She kept pace with Esther as they walked down the hallway.“Will you be spending time with your dad?”
“I will be.We always make it a priority to get together at least once during the holidays.”
“Is he still as busy as ever?”
“He is.”
“And is he still helping keep people’s houses cool in the summer and warm in the winter?”
Esther nodded.“He’s actually the head of maintenance at In Season Heating and Cooling now.”
“Oh, good for him.”
They had reached the front door by this point.
“Well, I guess I should go grab my coat from the office before I head out,” Ms.Michaels said.“Have a good time at the diner.”
She laughed when Esther looked at her in surprise.“Maddie is rather excited that you are joining them.I’m pretty sure EVERYONE knows you’re going to be there.”She gave Esther a pointed look that told her that this bit of information was what had prompted their discussion in the classroom.“Tell your dadhifrom me when you see him.”
“Will do.”And with that Esther pushed through the double doors of the school entry.
“Some more of that peace would be great right about now,” she said to God as she clicked to start her car while walking towards it.She wasn’t sure that she was ready to be known as the teacher dating Madison’s dad by everyone, but it seemed that cat was well and truly out of the proverbial bag.
After tonight, this relationship would be cemented in place, and a thought that had been circling in her mind landed with a thud.From here forward, if this relationship ended badly, there would be three hearts that would be broken.And one of those would be the heart of a precious little girl.
Chapter 9
Fredfinger-tightenedtheboltat the top of the new shock absorber.This was not a job that he expected to be doing tonight, since Thursdays were normally a night off for him.But switching things up with the worship team had given him the opportunity to fill in for a guy who had called in sick.So, now, he was the one with his head and hands under the rear end of a car taking out old parts and putting in shiny new ones.
“Yo, yo, yo, Fredster.Long time, no see.”Parker Shaw poked his head under the car Fred was working on.“I hear you might be available to help a guy out.”
Parker was an interesting character who was full of bravado and who had watched far too many old shows and movies with his Aunt Patty.To him, Fonzie – the guy from Happy Days – and Danny Zuko – the guy from Grease – were people to be emulated.It didn’t matter to him that they were fictional.Real or not, they were his heroes.He even wore his hair in a modernized slicked back hairstyle that he liked to call the Fonzuko.
“What kind of help are you looking for?I won’t be much longer here.”
“Nah, it’s not with a car.Sean said you’re here when you shouldn’t be because your gig at the church is up soon, and I could use a guitarist.”
Fred shook his head and smiled.“Worship team is not a gig, Parker.”The guy was not into church things.He had made that quite clear over the past two years that they had worked together at Drummonds.“And it’s not up until after the new year.It’s just shifted right now.”To avoid Esther.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever.Thing is, I need someone to play with me at the Waterwheel tomorrow.”He handed Fred the torque wrench.
That sounded like fun, but Parker wasn’t known for keeping conversations and jokes clean while at work, so Fred wasn’t sure what he’d be like during a music session.“I don’t do music that strays from my belief system.”
Parker huffed.“My guys do country – not the old stuff.”He shuddered.“The good stuff with a beat instead of a whine.And I know you like that kinda country ‘cause I’ve heard you singing it in here.”
“Perhaps that’s because it’s what’s always playing.”Not that Freddie disliked country music, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to play with Parker and whoever else made up his band.
“Not always,” Parker protested.“When Ginny’s in the office, we get to listen to eighties tunes.”
That was true.Ginny Drummond, wife of the current head of the store, loved all things eighties but most especially the music.
“So, here’s the deal,” Parker said.“If we keep our selection to clean stuff without too much drinking, cheating, and carousing in the lyrics, do you think you could strum a few chords for us?”
“That doesn’t leave too many songs to choose from, does it?”Sean teased as he wiped grease off his hands while waiting for the car he had finished to be backed out of the garage.
“Oh, shut up, Sean,” Parker grumbled.“We’ll have enough songs for a set.In fact, I’d say we’d have enough for two sets.”
Fred stepped out from under the car.He had the other side to do, but it could wait until this conversation was over.“I don’t do bars.”
