“Celine LeBlanc, this,” Callie said, holding out an arm, “is Stella Stone. She teaches first grade.”
Dressed in paint-splattered cutoffs and a cheery yellow T-shirt that hung off one shoulder, the younger woman held out her hand.
“I am so excited to meet you,” she squealed. “And I’m here to work. We want you ready for the first day.”
“This is Ashley Wilton.”
The other woman put the box down and scooped me into a hug. She looked to be in her early fifties and had a gray streak in her dark hair that looked natural but surprisingly fashionable.
“Callie has told us so much about you.” She stepped back after the awkward embrace and grinned. “Fourth grade. I brought muffins and my toolbox. We’re going to fix all these wobbly chairs for you.” With a wave, she gestured to the bakery box. “I figured since you just got into town and don’t have much time to get your classroom set up, you could use emotional support carbs.”
I opened my mouth to thank them and to insist they didn’t need to go out of their way, but before I could speak, my stomach rumbled. I hadn’t eaten breakfast, and everyone was now aware, so I decided not to fight it.
“Maple walnut,” Stella said. “The specialty at Bean There, Done That. You will not be disappointed.”
Ashley opened the box, and as I stepped closer, my mouth watered. Okay, yes, those looked incredible. They were also the size of my head, but I had a lot of work to get done, so I could use the calories.
I handed one to Callie, who bit into it with an exaggerated sigh of relief, then snagged one for myself.
When the flavor registered, my eyes rolled to the back of my head. Damn, this muffin was heaven.
Ashley got right to work, inspecting every tiny table and chair and making adjustments. Stella jumped right into cleaning out the large storage closet and sorting the materials.
“We’ve got a supply closet down the hall you can raid,” Callie said. “I’ll let you check out the new shipment of crayons first.”
Setup went a lot faster with help. I showed them the signs I’d made and explained how I wanted the cork boards decorated and the zones set up, and the three of them got to work without questioning my choices or adding their own opinions.
Pretty quickly, I found myself having fun. The girls gave me necessary information about the school and the students and explained the upcoming Harvest Festival. I soaked in as many details as I could.
They mentioned the local waterfall but didn’t go into the legend that supposedly went with it. And they laughed about how everyone had thought a set of trash cans had been vandalized, only to find out they’d been raided by a bear.
This was the second time a citizen of Maplewood had mentioned bears. Internally, I grimaced. “Do we need to worry about bears a lot?”
Callie turned and smiled. “Worry, no? But you need to be aware.”
“Bear aware.” Stella giggled. “Sorry. It’s an inside joke. Our mayor does this whole ‘be bear aware’ program every year and it’s kind of hilarious.”
I frowned, not following.
“Our mayor,” Callie said. “He’s very…”
“Hot,” Stella blurted, her face flushing.
“But unintentionally hilarious,” Ashley finished. “He’s very earnest and serious. A total boy scout, and it’s a treat, watching him demonstrate how to scare off a bear. You’ll see. Are you coming to the town meeting next week?”
I pressed my lips together. “Town meeting?”
“Yup. First Tuesday of the month,” she responded. “It’s kind of a requirement here.”
“I don’t have a sitter,” I said, turned off by the idea that people were forced to participate. I was not one for civic engagement. In fact, my plan when I made the decision to move here was to lie low.
Not that it was working at all so far.
“Kids are welcome,” Callie said. “Trust me. It’s educational.”
With a forced smile, I nodded. I’d figure out how to avoid it later.
“Anyway, his name is Gabe,” she went on waggling her brows, “or Mayor McHottie, as Stella likes to call him.”
