Love Again

Gossip tended to spread like lice in Middletown. He knew people still stared at him. "Poor Steve," he used to hear them whisper. He was so tired of being treated like he was broken.

Grace leaned forward and whispered, "Sorry, I didn't have time to make dinner. Anyway, I needed to tell you that I'm okay with you dating again. In case you were worried about that. If you find the chance to love again, you should. Okay?"

Steve looked out the window for a long time, watching the tourists walking back and forth. "Thank you, Sis," he let out a long sigh. "What about you? How are you doing, Sis?"

Grace shrugged. "Same as always, I guess. I have my ups and downs." She splayed her hands onto the table. "There is this girl at church. She's cute. I think you two would..."

"You're impossible! Leave it alone, Grace! Just let it be." Steve worked his jaw back and forth. "I'm not going to date her. I have no intention of dating again. Ever. Got it?"

He snatched his baseball hat off the table and jammed it onto his head. "Let's go home. Teachers have a meeting at school early tomorrow."

Summer was almost gone.

A car full of teens flashed their headlights at him and pulled alongside the gravel on the road. They blasted the horn, all waving, as the car came to a stop.

"Mr. McAllister!" One of the girls hung out the back window. "I have you for the second period."

He smiled and waved. "Only couple of days until classes start. What are you guys up to tonight?"

"Oh, you know. Same old." The girl rolled her eyes.

"You guys be smart tonight." Steve made his way back to his truck.

"Of course, Mr. McAllister!" A couple of the teens laughed. The car peeled away and sped down the street.

* * * * *

Steve jolted awake sometime around three in the morning to find a wet place on his pillow and the awful metallic taste of grief in his mouth.

He'd dreamed about Peggy again.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed, and for a long time, he did nothing but sit with his shoulders hunched and his face buried in his hands. Finally, he pulled open the drawer in his bedside table and took out a Smith & Wesson .38.

The revolver felt warm and heavy in his hands. At that time, he seriously considered taking his own life. But he couldn't pull the trigger. He couldn't do that to his sister.

He shoved the gun back in the drawer and withdrew the framed photograph he also kept there. His wife smiled back at him, she had loved him and been everything a man could want.

Steve caressed the frame with his thumbs, and in his chest, his heart seeped.

Everyone had told him his grief would be easier to bear after the first year, but they'd lied. It had been over two years now since his wife had gone, and the pain had not faded. He had no feelings left. No feelings at all.

Until yesterday.

A vision of Diana's face swam before his eyes.

* * * * *

CHAPTER 6

Diana glanced at the missed calls on her phone, three from her mom, but no voice mail. She probably wanted to see how she liked Middletown.

The phone vibrated again.

"Morning, Mom. You caught me trying to get ready for my first day of work." Diana looked at the two outfits she'd laid out on her bed trying to decide which one to wear.

"I wish you would reconsider leaving Denver."

Diana closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Not this again. Please. I don't want to have this conversation right now."

"You were so happy here. The plan had always been for you to stay close by. I can't imagine you living somewhere else."

"Plans change, Mom." Diana yanked a hair tie from her wrist and worked it around in her hand.

"They don't have to."

Diana sank into the wicker chair beside her bed. "They did. Anyway, I like it here."

Mom sighed. "I always took you for more of a fighter, Diana. Someone who would stand her ground. Stay and tackle things."

"You know, sometimes leaving is fighting. Standing up for myself meant getting away, don't you see that? It would have been easier to stay there, living with you and my father, letting you guys take care of everything for me, and carrying on with my life. Leaving was harder, Mom. Much harder." She started to pull her hair into a bun.

"If you ask me, I think you're making too big of a deal about everything."

"Too big of a deal?" Diana hated the tremble in her voice.

"Calling off a wedding that cost your father and me so much money without trying to fix your problems with Scott, first? That's overreacting at its best."

Except that she'd been able to get most of the money back. All but the security fees.

"I don't think sleeping with some bimbo a month before our wedding is a problem that we could have just fixed, mother!" Just saying the words made the back of Diana's eyes throb again.

"Don't cry." No more tears because of Scott. He didn't deserve them.

Her mom sighed. "I don't know what to tell you, honey. From time to time, men make mistakes..."

"Don't say it."

"Like my father?" The back of Diana's eyes burned the second the words left her mouth. She shouldn't have said that. She had promised her mom she wouldn't bring it up again.

Diana waited. "Are you still here?"

"Yes, I am here, Diana."

Damn! She was upset. Diana could hear it in her voice.

"Certain mistakes take too great a toll on others, and I think the offender's lesson should be the loss of what they didn't value enough. Then they really learn something."

"I'm not trying to butt into your life." Diana's mom voice took on a flat tone. "But you need to think through all your options with a rational mind. All those childhood books and movies, well, they lied, sweetheart. There is no blue prince. There are just flawed people who try to make their relationship work because they promised so."

Diana's stomach churned. "Good thing I discovered what kind of backstabbing lowlife Scott was before we get to the part with the promises."

Her mother sighed at the other end of the line, "Even with his unfortunate mistake, Scott is still a good catch. That boy is going to be something big someday, and I don't want you to regret anything down the road. Believe me, I know all the feelings you have right now and how difficult it is." She stopped but started again when Diana didn't jump in to fill the silence. "What sort of men are you bound to meet in who-knows-where?"

"I'm not looking for a man." Prepared for a verbal assault, Diana gripped the armrest of the chair.

"At your age, you should."

Diana rested her forehead in her free hand. "I'm sorry about all the money you guys lost."

"I know, honey. It's just a shame what a waste it all turned out to be. Scott is a nice boy."

"Nice boys don't lie and cheat. I have to get ready for a meeting, Mom. Have a nice day."

"Men make mistakes," her mother had said.

Mistakes and bad choices were two very different things.

Diana shoved the conversation to the back of her mind.

She pulled on jeans and a loose-knit shirt. From the paperwork she'd received, it looked like the meeting was going to last most of the day, but maybe she'd be able to stay late and start putting together her classroom. If so, that would be dusty work that included a lot of time organizing books on the floor. Jeans wouldn't impress her coworkers, but they were the best option.

She decided to walk to work as long as the weather stayed nice. Doing so didn't leave her a lot of time for breakfast this morning, but it would help her save money to put into her dream-house account. Grabbing her bags, Diana rushed out to the kitchen.

Laura was whirling around, grabbing muffins and restarting the coffee machine. She wore her hair clipped back.

She smiled at Diana. "Sorry about the mess. Breakfast is the busiest time around here. Every room is booked with people trying to take in the last of the summer. Sit down and I'll get you something."

Diana laughed. "I forgot the whole breakfast part of a bed-and-breakfast. Thank you, for the offer but I don't want to be late on my first day."

* * * * *

CHAPTER 7

Diana joined the line of teachers near the end of the gym. A woman with short black hair, who looked about her age turned around and offered a smile. "Hi, I'm Amelia. You must be the new English teacher."

"Am I the only new person this year?"

"Yes, and it's been the talk among the teachers for the past week."

They arrived at the temporary desk set up near the front of the large room. Portable chairs arranged in four rows occupied most of the space in the gym. Diana and Amelia each gathered a training manual and a teacher binder.

"Want to sit with me?" Amelia asked Diana.

"Definitely. I don't like feeling like the only one here no one knows."

"You'll be fine." Amelia opened her binder. "I hope you slept well because these teacher-institute days are boring, but you probably know that from your last position."

The principal strolled up to the microphone near the front of the gym. He was dressed in fairly old-fashioned clothes and was wearing small round glasses on the tip of his nose.

"Good morning and welcome. We'll start reviewing safety protocol in five minutes, so if you want to grab a bagel or coffee, please do so now."

Amelia pointed her finger to a gorgeous woman seated in the back row.

"Steer clear of Georgina Eastland. She is the gym teacher, but she applied for your position. To say she was angry about getting passed over for the job would be an understatement."

Diana pressed her hand over her stomach when it grumbled.

"I think I'm going to go grab a bagel. Do you want anything?"

Amelia yawned. "A cup of coffee would be great. Black. No sugar."

When Diana made it to the back of the room she found a couple of bagels. Next, she made her way to the coffee machine.

"If everyone could please take your seats I would like to begin." Principal Livingston's voice boomed over the loudspeaker.

Diana snatched her plate and Amelia's cup of coffee and whirled around to rush back to her table. Instead, she smacked into the man standing behind her.

Steve. Of course.

Coffee splattered across his shirt and ran down her arms.

Steve yelped and all the papers he'd been holding fluttered to the ground.

The entire room went quiet. All the teachers turned in their seats and stared at them. Some of them smirked and whispered to each other. That would be the first impression Diana made to all her coworkers.

Diana rapid-fire blinked. "I didn't know you worked here."

"So you pour coffee on me?" Steve asked.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Diana grabbed a wad of napkins and dabbed at his soaked shirt.

Steve caught her hand and held it. "Hey, I'm kidding. Accidents happen."

"Still. Your shirt is ruined. Coffee doesn't come out easy."

"It's fine. "I didn't like this shirt anyway."

Diana tugged her hand away from his and took a step backward. She glanced over his shoulder and he followed her gaze.

"You know, if we don't sit down they'll never stop staring."

"Right. Would you be willing to do me a favor?" Diana whispered. "Don't tell anyone about the other day."

"Of course not," Steve whispered back.

Diana scurried to her seat beside Amelia. Steve leaned against the back wall of the gym.

Principal Livingston cleared his throat over the microphone.

"I see you've met our new English teacher, Miss Diana Snow. She'll be teaching freshman English and will also teach some of the senior-level classes in our advanced placement track." Livingston pointed to Diana with his hand. "Diana comes to us from the big city of Denver, and I'm confident she'll be an asset to our school."

Diana's cheeks turned a candy-apple red as everyone clapped.

Steve watched the back of Diana's head and felt sorry for her. She had made a "memorable" first impression on her first day at work.

* * * * *

CHAPTER 8

After the meeting, Diana sat on the floor of her classroom with classic novels fanned out in a circle around her. She ran her fingers over a book that held a collection of poems by Robert Frost as she tried to decide which one to read to start the first day of classes.

"Hi there." A voice in her doorway startled her. A man wearing tight shorts and a whistle around his neck leaned against her door jamb. Everything about him screamed gym teacher. "I'm Irv, I didn't get to introduce myself this morning."

"Nice to meet you," Diana smiled but kept her hands on the pile of books. Maybe he'd get the hint that she wanted to put together her room and not chat.

Irv sauntered into the room and propped his foot on the closest chair. "Livingston said you're from Denver. Do you live close to City Park? You know, the one with the old pavilion."

Diana didn't lift her gaze from the books. "No. Actually, I'm from the suburbs. It's easier to say Denver though because everyone knows where that is."

Irv leaned down, his hands on his knees. "I have a picture of myself in the pavilion on my desk in my office. You should come to see it. Afterward, we could grab something to eat if you want."

Diana glanced down at her hands. "I...um..."

Amelia's loud cough as she entered Diana's classroom saved her from answering. "Leave her alone, Irv. She just got into town."

Irv glared at Amelia as he left the room. He gave Diana one last smile. "If you still want to see that picture or go to dinner, you know where the gym is. I'll be testing out the weight room for the next hour or so."

Amelia doubled over in laughter. "Promise me you won't fall for 'Irv, the Pig'. Anyone but him, okay?"

"Is he always like that?" Diana fought a smile as she loaded books into her canvas bags to take home.

"Oh, sometimes he's much worse."

"I'll keep my radar up." She winked at Amelia.

"Good, because there are a lot of cute, single guys in town. I wouldn't want you to judge all of Middletown's bachelors based on Irv."

"As far as I'm concerned, they can all be like him." Diana slung the canvas bags over her shoulder. The strap cut into her arm right away. Too many books, but she couldn't think of one she didn't want to take home to help plan lessons.

"I promise they're not."

"It doesn't matter. Believe me, dating is not even on my list." Diana crossed to the windows she'd opened earlier to let in the late-summer breeze. She closed and locked each of them.

"Is there someone back home?"

The familiar ache pushed its way into Diana's heart. "No."

"Well, if you reconsider, I'll be your wingman... girl... you know what I'm saying."

"How about you tell me what's important about working here instead. You know, the unwritten rules." She walked into the hallway with Amelia and closed her classroom door.

"Gotcha." Amelia shoved a stick of gum into her mouth. "The parents here are very busy. They leave their homes at five in the morning and get home when it's dark. Most of them run shops in town and things like that to cater to the tourists so they expect us to keep their kids occupied. After school activities are a big deal around here."

Diana nodded. The image of Steve playing basketball came to her mind.

"What club are you in charge of?"

"Moi?" Amelia laid her hand over her heart. "I run show choir." She sang the last part.

"Can't help you there. I know dogs that howl better than I sing." Diana said with a laugh.

"Well, try to think of something."

"I played volleyball all during college. I could probably coach."

Amelia shook her head. "You won't believe it, but Georgina is the head volleyball coach and I'm guessing you don't want to be her assistant."

Diana shrugged. "I don't even know her. For all I know she's nice and we could be friends."

Amelia snorted. "Keep dreaming. See you tomorrow." She waved, headed out to the bike rack, and dumped her belongings into the basket attached to her bike.

Diana balanced her teaching binder in one hand and her canvas sack full of books in the other.

She would work up a sweat on the trek home. At least she'd worn comfortable shoes. If she finished all her work early, she'd reward herself with a trip down to the lake.

* * * * *

CHAPTER 9

Principal Livingston came running down the front steps after Diana, waving his arms like a bird learning to fly. "Miss Snow!" The principal wiped his forehead with a big hanky. "I keep forgetting I'm not as young as I used to be."

"Mr. Livingston." Diana smiled at her boss. "I didn't get to thank you yet for hiring me."

"There's no need. You were the best qualified for the job. Now, if you have a second, would you mind coming back with me to my office? It'll only take a moment."

"Is something wrong?" Diana tensed.

"Not at all. I just need to go over something with you. Right this way."

Diana followed the principal down a hallway of red lockers and through the door labeled Administration. What could he want? Maybe there were still some papers to sign.

"Go ahead and take a seat in my office." Livingston held open the door.

Diana took a deep breath and turned the corner, but then stopped dead in her tracks. Steve sat in one of the two chairs situated in front of the principal's desk. What was he doing there? He had changed out of the shirt she'd spilled coffee on.

His eyes narrowed a fraction in her direction. He looked downright stern. Like a man about to give a kid detention for daring to text during class.

A surge of ice ran through Diana's veins as a realization hit her. Had Steve told Livingston about her breakdown yesterday?

Why had she even trusted that he wouldn't tell? She knew better. If the past couple of years had taught her one thing it was that men lied. Her father and her ex-fiancé were proof of that.

Suppose he told Principal Livingston he saw her sobbing over her breakup, what would that mean? She couldn't lose her job for that sort of thing. Maybe get ordered to see the school counselor, but not lose her position.

Principal Livingston dropped down into his swivel chair. "Go ahead and sit down, Diana. Steve doesn't bite all that often." He chuckled over his own joke.

Diana set her bags on the ground and pressed her hands together. "I can explain."

Steve scratched his chin. "I sure hope so, because I'd like to know what I did to get called to the principal's office so early in the year."

"Wait." She glanced back and forth between the two men, her gaze finally landing on Steve. "You don't know why we're here?"

"No. Do you?"

"Then you didn't...?" He didn't tell. Her hands relaxed at her sides. She crossed the room and took the chair beside Steve.

Livingston rested his forearms on his desk. He looked from Steve to Diana, then back to Steve. "Aside from my position at the school, I'm also the head of the board at a nonprofit organization. So I'm speaking to you both from that capacity and not as your boss. In the past month..."

Steve cleared his throat. "Sorry to interrupt, but if this is about Equal Opportunity, why is Diana here?"

Livingston let out a long breath. "Because I thought about asking her to be a volunteer."

"No way." Steve's knuckles went white. "It's too dangerous, especially for a newcomer."

Diana held her breath to keep from saying something she shouldn't. Why did men think they could lay down some law that all the women in their lives had to follow?

Principal Livingston leaned forward in his chair. "Unfortunately, the board holds power for all decisions, Steve. Especially when it comes to accepting volunteers."

"I get a say. Equal Opportunity wouldn't exist if it wasn't for MYwife." Steve popped to his feet.

Wife? Diana tried to keep up with their conversation. Steve was married? She glanced at his hand. No ring.