“Correct. You can’t control them. The point is to make sure you work together. Regular check-ins with your team should keep everyone on track. If there is someone falling behind, you guys have ample time to update me.”
Zachary and a few others shook their heads. I knew they wouldn’t be happy, but this would be a good life lesson for them. All too often, people focus on themselves instead of their community, and I wanted them to learn that working together could be beneficial. Most business leaders used their network to progress, so the project would be a steppingstone for them to work together.
“Right now, you don’t see the benefit of this. Once we get through this, I’ll explain my reasoning for this project. It will be beneficial for everyone in the long run, I promise. You have a week to choose a book. I’ll post the groups in our virtual forum.I’ll also post the bimonthly book selections in the virtual forum,” I explained.
Before anyone else could protest, the bell rang. School was officially out for the day. I’d never seen my students bolt from my class so fast. I held in my laughter as they left the room. It was time for me to gather my things and grab Reign from the courtyard. I grabbed my bag and turned out the lights as I left the classroom. When I made it down to the courtyard, I saw Micah standing with Violet and Reign.
“Hey, guys,” I greeted them. The girls were giddy with excitement as they spoke a mile a minute.
“The girls were just telling me about their day,” Micah said, interrupting their rambling.
“I guess I’m right on time. Reign, are you ready to go?” I asked.
She nodded her head my way with a sad look on her face. “I wanna play with Violet,” she whined.
I looked over at Micah.
“I wanna play with Reign,” Violet whined.
“Tonight is a school night. How about we see if you guys can have a play date this weekend?” I offered.
“Yay!” they said in unison.
“I’ll call you this evening to see about scheduling that play date,” Micah replied. He winked at me as Reign and I left the courtyard.
Later that evening, I got Reign into bed and headed to the barn. It had been a few days since I rode Lucky. I spent my weekend grading papers, so I didn’t have time. I wanted to work on making sure I made time for myself. If I didn’t take time, I wouldn’t be any good to anyone else. When I reached Lucky’s stall, he lifted his muzzle toward my outstretched hand, and I smiled at the gesture. It was a sign he was becoming used to me.
I took one of the bristle brushes out of the basket to brush his coat. When I was a child, brushing the horses was all I could do. My mother would tell me I was too small to ride, but that didn’t stop me from hanging around the barn until I could ride. I learned early on that caring for the horse was just as important as riding. It was too late for me to ride Lucky this evening. I never rode in the dark, so the least I could do was spend time with him.
The sound of a car driving on the gravel interrupted my time with Lucky. I checked my watch, and it was after eight. We didn’t have visitors at night. I put the brush down and made sure I locked the stall before I left Lucky, and as I exited the barn, Micah stepped out of his car.
“I thought you were going to call?” I asked.
“After seeing you earlier, I decided I wanted to see you instead. I should have called first. Do you want me to go?” he questioned.
“Not at all. I would invite you in, but everyone is asleep,” I replied.
“That’s fine. I want you to take a ride with me,” he said with a smirk on his face.
“Let me grab my keys and lock up. I’ll be right back,” I said.
Micah leaned against his truck while I ran inside. I locked the barn up, then went inside to grab my keys. After double checking the door, I walked out of the house. When I reached the passenger side of his truck, he opened the door for me.
“Where are we going?” I asked once we were both in the car.
“Somewhere that I like to go from time to time.”
I wasn’t sure what to say to that. Instead, I remained quiet and let Micah drive. Twenty minutes later, we pulled into a secluded patch of land. He pulled over onto a patch of grass in the open field.
“Come on. I want to show you something,” he uttered as he got out of the car.
While I got out of the car, I noticed Micah went to the back of the truck. I followed him and watched as he let the lift down on the truck. Micah unwrapped a blanket and took two pillows out of a bag before he took my hand and helped me onto the back of the truck.
“Come lie down with me. I like to look up at the stars when I need a break from life,” he beckoned.
I hesitated out of habit, but I lay down beside him. It had been a long time since I was so close to a man other than Jude. The stars were bright in the open field. Breathtaking was the only way to describe the sight above us.
“I heard about the run in you had with Iris. Why didn’t you mention it to me?” he questioned.
