“What in the world happened in here?” Dr. Christensen was a petite woman with gray hair cropped short. She came near the two that stood at her presence.
“It was Mr. Dixon. He came in here, angry with me for speaking with you. He kept coming closer, and he banged on my desk, got in my face. I-I guess Mr. Healy was coming to have lunch with me, and he intervened.”
Her silver-blue eyes sharp on them both, Dr. Christensen weighed her options. “Stay here, let me speak to him. I’ll be right back.”
They watched her leave, and once the door closed behind her, Luna turned into Davis and held on. She couldn’t tell if her fear of Luther had been rational or not, but it didn’t matter. Even if he never intended to lay a hand on her, he intimidated her.
“It’s going to be okay, Luna.”
“Probably.” She didn’t cry. She felt tears clogging her throat, but they didn’t reach her eyes.
The door opened once more, and the principal returned. Luna stepped away from Davis and straightened her spine.
“He isn’t on campus as far as we can tell. I’ve sent a few teachers to look in the parking lot for his vehicle. Are you all right, Ms. Moss?”
Luna nodded, saw the way Dr. Christensen looked over the desk. Test papers were scattered now, her half-eaten lunch sat there wilting, and her chair rested at an odd angle near the wall. When her boss pinned her gaze on Davis, Luna felt the first real flutter of nerves.
“Why don’t you take the rest of the day, Ms. Moss? I’ll find a para to fill in and tell the kids you’re not feeling well.”
Luna released the breath she hadn’t realized she held. “Thank you, Dr. Christensen. I apologize for the mess this has caused.”
“Well, messes can be cleaned up, can’t they? I’ll see you tomorrow morning.” She left the room, closing the door behind her once again.
“That wasn’t so bad,” Davis commented as Luna moved to her desk.
“We’ll see what the fallout is tomorrow, I suppose. Then I can determine if that was bad.” She packed her lunch away, stacked the papers and placed them in a folder in her filing cabinet. Mechanically, methodically, she put her things away and picked up her sweater. She promised herself she wasn’t going to fall apart. She was made of tougher stuff than that.
“Can I drive you home, or do you want to grab something to eat?” Davis asked as she walked past him.
She stopped, held out her hand. “I’d like to get out of here first, then decide if I’m going to hold it together enough to go out in public.”
He slid his warm, smooth hand in hers, and she felt herself settle that much more. His thumb rubbed over the back of her hand as they walked down the halls she loved. She sincerely hoped she hadn’t ruined everything with her stupidity. How much could one person be expected to pay for one mistake?
There was no car idling at the circle of driveway in front of the school. Luna had become accustomed to the low sound of the purring engine, the dark tint and the almost sexy lines of the vehicle.
“Where’s the car?”
Davis swung their hands. “I drove.”
Luna stopped, felt the tug on her arm as he continued without her, and resumed a pace meant to catch up with him. “You drove what?”
“The car. I didn’t go out and buy something new, I just gave Sorensen the day off. Believe it or not, he isn’t at my beck and call 24/7.”
“I thought he was. Literally, I thought that was his job.”
He pulled a key fob from his pants pocket, hit the button that had the car unlocking with a beep. To Luna, it appeared to be further down the aisle. “No. I drive myself all the time, you just don’t happen to be around when that happens.”
They approached the car, and she heard the engine running. “You didn’t even turn it off.”
He opened the passenger door and she entered the warm interior. The days were just beginning to be cold enough for a sweater or jacket, and she appreciated the heat all the more on her chilled bones.
“Why would I?”
Why would he? It was the type of car that ran with the doors locked, that started without a key in the ignition, that could probably cook and do the laundry too, if one had a mind to ask it to do so.
Once he sat behind the wheel, she looked over at him. “Can you take me home?”
“Of course.”
