‘You are actually the loveliest man in the world.’ She took the mug and held it under her nose, breathing deeply. ‘Did you have a wild week too?’
‘Not as wild as Lissa’s.’ He ran his fingers through his short hair. It was light brown with a few flecks of grey creeping in. ‘The boys are older, and I didn’t have them all week, only when their mum was working, so it wasn’t quite as intense. We just went bowling and for some walks, that kind of thing. Kaleb, my eldest, is into running, and I like that too, so we did a bit of that.’
‘No sand-eaters then?’ Clara teased, and Lissa let out a snort laugh.
‘Thankfully, no.’ Sam’s smile widened, making little dimples appear beneath his neatly trimmed beard. ‘And what about you?’ His eyes were very bright blue and piercing, but somehow looked warm, and invited confidence. ‘Did you get up to anything exciting over the break? And how’s Skye?’
Clara’s chest swelled at the mention of her toy poodle – her fur baby and her pride and joy – but another part of her recoiled at the thought of sharing what she’d actually been through. ‘Skye’s brilliant, thank you. We did some nice walks too. It’s time I properly explored the area.’ She’d only moved closer toGlenbriar last year and was renting a newly refurbished cottage on the local Glenvorneth estate a couple of miles outside of the town. ‘Loch Briar is so pretty. And I found some walks from my cottage along an old bridle path into the woods. It’s really beautiful.’
Sam nodded. ‘Yeah, it’s a lovely place. I was lucky to get my house in Clachnabronnachan.’
Lissa chuckled. ‘Well done, you, for pronouncing it right. And you’re English.’
‘A man of many talents,’ Clara said.
‘I admit I was a little put off by the name,’ he said. ‘I dread being asked to spell it on the phone, but I’m glad I got something. Properties here are hard to get. I’d love this to be my forever home, but—’
The staffroom door opened, bringing a loud voice that stopped Sam mid-sentence. Clara turned around, half expecting to seehim. But it wasn’t.
‘Morning all.’ The voice of Gil Warden, the headteacher, rang out. ‘We’re about to start loading people into the lecture hall. I wonder if some of you could come out and stand by the entrance to direct them.’
‘Sounds like a job for us.’ Lissa clapped both Sam and Clara on the arm.
‘Definitely.’ Clara glugged down her coffee and headed for the door. Lissa took over from Gil, telling people where she thought they should go. Gil looked half amused, half pissed off, as he folded his arms and raised an eyebrow. Thankfully he had a reputation for being a reasonably laid-back head, though he could be strict when he had to.
Clara was allocated the door next to the lecture theatre, where she basically had to holler and wave to people as they got to the bottom of the corridor, so they would turn up this way. The door was wedged open, and she looked inside. Her heart stopped.Up on the stage, laughing and joking, was Kerr Halley.Him. Clara’s insides flipped as they always did when she saw him. Would a day ever come when they didn’t? Kerr was so incredibly handsome he was almost unreal. Beside the other people on the stage, he looked tall, and his arms were muscly beneath his short-sleeved shirt – not overly ripped, just strong.
She took a deep breath and looked away. She had to stop. Kerr was dating someone now. As well as having heavenly looks, he was a nice guy, so it was hardly surprising. Just a pity he’d never seen her as someone he’d like to date. Though after her recent news, maybe it was just as well – for his sake.
She waited at the door, showing people in, and every now and then catching Kerr’s laugh or his voice as he chatted with Eddie Caldwell, the head of the history department. After what felt like an age, Gil came down the corridor followed by Lissa, Sam, and some of the others.
‘Thanks,’ Gil said. ‘If you go on in and get seats, I’ll do the introductions. Adele’s doing the housekeeping.’
There weren’t a lot of seats left together, but Sam waved to fellow English teacher Isaac, who had a couple of empty seats next to him. Clara followed Sam, and Lissa grabbed an end seat a couple of rows in front. Clara gave a little wave to Isaac as she sat down, but her eyes were drawn instantly to the stage. Kerr had taken a seat next to Eddie. There were a couple of other teachers plus a few other people she didn’t recognise but knew they were part of community initiatives.
‘Good morning.’ Gil’s voice broke through on the microphone. ‘Welcome to our in-service day at Glenbriar High School. It’s nice to see so many of you from our feeder schools. I’m Gil Warden, the headteacher, and this is Adele Robson, deputy head, who’ll talk us through the housekeeping.’
Adele took the other microphone and went over the fire exits and agenda.
‘She’s so glamorous,’ Clara whispered to Sam.
He leaned in to hear her and gave a little nod. He had on nice aftershave, and thankfully, it wasn’t too overpowering.
Gil thanked Adele, then carried on. ‘So, today we have a number of workshops about community links, both in the primary and secondary schools. We have some members of our staff team who have been working on community projects who’ll be talking about that and hopefully inspiring you. Eddie Caldwell, head of history, has been working with local historians on various projects around Glenbriar. Mirren Elphinstone, music teacher…’
Clara looked at Mirren. She was young, with long blonde hair, and was looking at Kerr like he was the tastiest piece of cheese on the plate. Clara knew that look well – she was pretty sure she had it often enough, but Mirren had a boyfriend.
And Kerr had a girlfriend – something that made Clara’s insides wilt.
‘And Kerr Halley, a tech teacher,’ Gil was saying, ‘who has been involved in an initiative over the past year to bring a MUGA – a multi-use games area – to the town. Finlay McBride, our P.E. head, was involved in that project too, and has also been working closely with the junior rugby team. Plus, we have some reps from the community who have kindly agreed to join us today.’ Gil listed their names, and Clara’s eyes fell on the striking brunette next to Kerr. ‘And Georgie Porter, a former tennis pro…’
‘Georgie Porter,’ Clara whispered, recognition dawning. She’d been so fixated on Kerr she hadn’t even noticed her. ‘Isn’t she…?’
‘Kerr’s girlfriend, yeah,’ Sam replied under his breath.
Clara’s insides squirmed. Of course, Kerr had met her doing the MUGA project. Georgie was stunning – well groomed, tall and athletic in build. And when Kerr smiled at her after her introduction, Clara almost wept. What wouldn’t she give forsomeone to look at her like that? The burn in his hazel eyes was incredible.
This was going to be a long day. Everyone had been allocated to groups and were to go around various classrooms looking at displays and info about the initiatives. After the intros were finished, people got to their feet looking for others in their group.
