CHAPTER 9
Ben waited for Sara outside the school.
He didn’t know why. His truck was parked by the curb, perfectly capable of taking him home where he could lock himself in his house and pretend this entire afternoon hadn’t happened.
Instead he stood on the sidewalk like an idiot, watching as the school gradually emptied. He was still standing there when Flora appeared at his elbow with her usual uncanny ability to materialize out of thin air.
“She’s a good one,” she said. “You’re not going to mess this up, are you, Benjamin?”
“Don’t call me that,” he muttered, but couldn’t quite summon his usual annoyance.
Flora’s eyes sparkled. “There he is. The boy he used to be, before he decided being a miserable bastard was a better career choice.”
“I’m not miserable.”
“No,” she agreed, surprisingly. “You’re lonely.”
He didn’t answer.
“Just remember you don’t have to be,” she added, and then she was gone again.
The departures continued—parents collecting children, car doors slamming—and the school grew silent. When Sara finally emerged, her coat buttoned and bag slung over her shoulder, she stopped short at the sight of him.
“You’re still here.”
“Apparently.”
“Why?”
Good question. Excellent question. One he had absolutely no answer for.
“I’m walking you home.”
Her eyebrows rose. “I’ve been walking myself home since I started working here.”
“And now I’m walking you home.”
“Ben—”
“Don’t argue.”
“I’m not arguing. I’m expressing mild confusion about your sudden caveman tendencies.”
He tucked her hand in his arm and started walking. She stopped arguing.
The February afternoon was crisp and grey, the snow from the previous week melting into slush at the edges of the sidewalks. Fairhaven Falls was quiet at this hour—most people home fromwork, the shops closing early on weekdays. Their footsteps echoed in the empty streets.
“The kids loved you,” she said eventually.
“They loved the candy.”
“They loved you. Maisie asked if you could come every day.”
Something twinged in his chest, but he ignored it. “I own a tavern. I don’t have time to visit kindergarten classes every day.”
“I know. I just thought you’d want to know you made an impression.”
He had made an impression. That was the problem. He’d walked into that gym expecting to hate every second, expecting the small grabbing hands and high-pitched voices to grate against his every nerve. Instead he’d found himself… charmed. Not to mention completely undone by a gap-toothed girl who’d offered him a hug.
