“I do love teaching second grade, but…" Paige suppressed a squeal as she grinned. "I'm open to change."
“It’ll be so nice to have you home for good.” Mom clasped her hands. “You don't have to live here with me and your dad, of course. I'm sure you'd rather have your own space, but it will be so good to have you back in Providence."
"I want to move home, Mom. For now, anyway. It’ll probably take me a while to find a place of my own, what with the housing shortage around here.”
“It’ll be so nice when Debbie and Austin Reed get those new apartments built.” Mom’s face grew thoughtful as she studied Paige’s face. "You seem so happy lately. Being at home and rebuilding old friendships has been good for you." She put her hand on Paige’s knee. “I’m so glad you didn’t let what happened with Phillip keep you down.”
"I am happy.” Paige was dying to tell her mom the reason she was so happy. The fact that she couldn't tell her mother, whom she’d always been close to, about the best thing to ever happen to her put a damper on her day.
She was so tired of keeping secrets.
Her mom's grin widened. "Isn't it wonderful how the Lord guides us to the path we're meant to be on?" She gave Paige a quick hug then pointed a finger at her as she walked to the door. "Call Principal Jones while I tell your dad."
“But it’s Sunday.”
Mom waved a hand as she tapped on her phone. “I just sent you his number. His Sabbath will be more peaceful if he knows he has a teacher to fill Jenny’s position.”
Paige's own smile lingered. Yes, it was great how the Lord had guided her and remodeled her life. Now if only she and Gabe could announce their engagement, before it blew up in their faces.
CHAPTER 25
"Luke, take over here." Gabe stopped Sam's sideways motion when Paige walked through the door. His heart beat a little faster at the sight of her. "I'll help Paige today."
He'd been eagerly waiting for her arrival for the last hour, full of anxious energy that made it impossible to sit still.
Luke's shrug looked nonchalant, but the question on his face as he took Gabe’s place spoke volumes.
The younger man’s confusion was understandable since Gabe usually avoided working with Paige until the end of each PT session. He'd thought keeping his distance from her would curb his attraction, but it had only made him jealous every time Paige laughed at one of Luke's corny jokes.
"Hey, Paige, you're late," Nikki said from the middle table where she stretched her IT band.
"I know. I had to push my appointment back because I had a job interview this morning."
Gabe grinned as he prepped her heat packs. When he talked to her on the phone last night, she'd told him she might have an opportunity for a teaching job at the local elementary. He couldn't wait to hear how her interview went.
Things were falling into place.
"Really?” Gladys asked. “Where?"
"At the elementary school."
"Here in Providence? Are you planning on moving home for good?" Surprise lifted Gladys’ pencil-drawn brows.
"That's the plan." Paige grinned, brightening the room and his day.
He approached her with heat packs in his hands, a smile of his own on his face until Nikki beat him to the question he was dying to ask Paige.
"So how did the interview go?" Nikki forgot she was supposed to be stretching.
He locked gazes with Paige as he tucked a heat pack around her hip. "I'd like to know too." There were so many things he wanted to say to Paige without an audience.
He rehearsed all day yesterday what he planned to say to Dr. Stoker tomorrow, but he was still unsure how to approach Dr. Young. With him, the conversation would be about more than Gabe dating a patient. It would be asking for his daughter's hand.
"It went great!" Paige's cheerful voice pulled him from his thoughts. "By law, they have to post the job for a certain period of time, but you're essentially looking at the new fourth-grade teacher at Providence Elementary."
A chorus of "that's great" and "congratulations" swept through the room. Gabe wanted to wrap her in a hug, but he refrained, giving her a high five instead. It was another confirmation they were on the path they were supposed to be on.
He wanted to perch on the edge of Paige's table and simply talk to her, but the ladies had other plans. First, Gladys shared tips for teaching fourth graders, then Nikki changed the subject to the latest chick flick to hit the box office. Despite moving around the room as they did their exercises, they kept a string of conversations going for the next hour.
