“You didn’t make the teacher deal with it?”
“No. Shit like that? I protect most teachers from ever hearing about those kinds of calls. They’ve got enough stress. This way,it was dealt with and done. Telling the teacher would have just stressed them out and possibly made it worse.”
She smiled and gave a soft laugh, which caused him to look at her quizzically.
“What’s so funny?” he asked.
“Absolutely nothing,” she told him. “I was just marveling at how lucky this school is to have you, Lucas Vaughn. I wonder how many people realize that. You truly care about everyone in the building—students, staff, faculty—as well as the building and the programs. It’s in everything you do.”
“I do care. I have to admit though… some days it doesn’t feel like people see me or the things I do in that light.”
She put a hand on his arm. “They’re starting to. I hear things. Your predecessor was not well-liked, which I’m guessing isn’t a secret to you. You are liked and respected. You may not see it, but I do.”
“You’re new to us. How would you know?”
“I’m new. An outsider, so it’s easier. My job is all about observing people. Since my first day? You wouldn’t believe the change in people. Your presence in the hallways and your reactions to the kids? Your awareness of some of the simplest things going on in their lives? That matters. You make them feel seen.
“You’re smart about it too. You’ve chosen to focus mostly on the freshmen and sophomores. The future leaders in the school. Whether it was intentional or not, you chose to focus on where you could make the most impact the fastest, and it has not gone unnoticed. The juniors and seniors are more set in their ways, but subconsciously, they’re picking up on the culture you want and are trying to outdo the underclassmen. They’re stepping up.
“And that’s transferred to the teachers because they see you trying and how the students are responding to you.”
Had the moment not been so serious, she would have laughed at the stunned expression on his face. It was yet another reason she liked him. He truly didn’t realize that anyone was paying attention to him.
Time seemed to stretch between them as they gazed into one another’s eyes.
As they stood there, suspended in the moment, the sun seemed to halt in the sky, creating a gorgeous Texas sunset. In the distance, the clouds were a vibrant yellow where the rays still managed to peek over the horizon. Pools of orange melded at the outlying edge, bleeding into pink halos, creating a flame-like effect, which then bled into an ever-increasing dark-blue ocean as it stretched toward them on the deck.
The only sound was the grease hitting the grill base, and she could smell the charring of the beef, overlaid with the subtle hints of his cologne—something citrus with hints of spice. It should have been awkward, but it wasn’t. Not even close.
She hadn’t felt this comfortable with someone in a long time.
Something between them changed in that moment. The normal flutter she felt when he looked at her so intently in the past transformed into something more like a twining of energy, both his and hers, growing in size and intensity.
By then, the stunned surprise had shifted to something else… something more personal to her. His pupils had widened a bit. Was it the fading light causing it? Or was he feeling those same tendrils pulling them closer together?
Moments later, she knew it was the latter because he took a step toward her, and his head began to lower toward hers.
The sound of the sliding patio door stopped him from completing the moment.
TWO STEPS FORWARD, ONE STEP BACK
LUCAS
He’d beencock-blocked by his own son. Half his brain was wailing in frustration, while the other half was thankful as fuck. Kissing her tonight, no matter how much he wanted to, was probably a mistake.
But goddamn… how he wanted to.
Dinner, after some initial awkwardness, was relaxed and fun. Ezra regaled them with an incident in chemistry class where the teacher, who had a reputation for doing crazy things, set off a minor explosion during a test, just to shake the kids up.
All throughout dinner, he snuck glances at Elyxandre. She’d removed her weapons, locking them in the gun safe in her vehicle, and she also removed her vest for dinner. It gave him a much better glimpse of the woman beneath. Not only her body, but it seemed like when she shed the vest and tools of the trade, she also shed some of her aloofness. Perhaps that’s why Ezra had felt comfortable enough to ask her the questions he had.
He’d heard them through the window upstairs as he was changing. He shook his head and groaned when he heard Ezraspeak up, but then he found himself standing near the window, out of sight in case they looked up, so he could hear them better.
When he heard her deflections and then her explanations about professionalism in the workplace, his heart sank a little. Earlier, while helping the freshmen with their float, he’d actually contemplated asking her out to dinner while not in their work roles, but it felt like now it wouldn’t be well received. Her replies made it sound as if she wouldn’t entertain the idea.
And yet…
The moments they just shared while alone on the deck? They were proof that she was also feeling the pull. She’d wanted his kiss before they were interrupted. So where did that leave them now? Given their working situation, a relationship certainly did make things more challenging, but it didn’t mean it was impossible.
