Chapter 19
Tuesday morning, day too of being classroom parent, I'm walking toward the school, holding Ava's hand when my phone rings. I want to ignore it completely, but I know Nick is dealing with a lot of drama this week without me around. The library expansion was supposed to have been done and dusted but the engineer lead keeps harassing us. None of the discrepancies have been of my doing, rather one of the councilmen adjusted things on the document to ensure the zoning board would approve of the change from residential to business. Only, that leaves me in a bind because now I have to find some way to reconcile the old plans--done by me and approved by library staff--with the new ones passed by the zoning board.
It's a logistical nightmare and I don't have patience for it, so I'm glad Nick is overseeing things for now. It's confirmed now that a trip will happen and I have to be the one to finalize everything, but Nick may still call me with questions. So I pull my phone out, juggling the coffee I brought for Grace to the other hand, to make sure it's not him, only when I see the call is from another unhappy client, I decide I have to take it, if only to stave off the worst of the hemorrhaging.
"Yeah, Mr. Hinton, what can I do for you?" The project he's calling about can wait; we still have months, but he's a perfectionist and quite persnickety.
"Fletcher, now I've told you a hundred times already, I need to have weekly updates. You were supposed to check in yesterday. I would like you to come in and speak with me today to show me the revised sketches."
I look down at Ava, who walks beside me, and smile. She is singing some sort of nursery rhyme I've never heard but she's happy. Having this one week each year where I ditch work and spend my entire day all day long with her couldn't have come at a better time. On the heels of that nightmare of a work trip where we got no time at all, this is crucial for me to be here.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Hinton, I can't make it in this week. I've scheduled a week of vacation to be with my daughter. I'll have Nick forward the updated blueprints, and you will see we are working hard. But you'll also have to keep in mind that since I'm not working this week, there will be no update for you on Monday again. I apologize if this causes an inconvenience, but it's a necessary evil."
In keeping with professionalism I add, "Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"Well.... phf...." He scoffs and grunts, but I know the only way to handle men like him is to be firm. Ava comes first, and if I run off at every whim of every controlling customer, she'll fall through the cracks.
"Alright, then, you'll hear from me on Monday. Have a great week, Mr. Hinton." I hang up and walk through the door of the school, still tugging Ava along at my side. It's a chilly morning; we're both bundled up. So when I walk into the classroom and see Grace wearing a sleeveless blouse and slacks, I am surprised. She looks incredible, long chestnut hair cascading across her shoulders. So incredible it distracts me from reminding Ava to take her hat off and I have to chase her across the room to take it from her. Grace notices me and wiggles her fingers at Ava. She does not greet me, which is a little disappointing but her focus is the kids, as should be mine.
Hovering near the back of the room I watch as Grace smiles and welcomes each student. She is so compassionate with each one, making sure to ask them things about themselves, like how their evening went, if they slept well. It's the sort of thing that teachers are remembered for. I have a few favorite teachers from my days in school all the way through college, and if Grace had been one of them, she'd have been the most memorable, mainly because she really loves these kids a lot. They can tell it too.
Each one of them has a story to tell or some witty comment about their home life. Jacob, the boy with the zipper issue yesterday, brough Ava a rock. It has smudges of black and blue paint on it, but he's proud that he painted a rock with his mother and wanted to give it to her since she helped him with his coat. I stay aloof, giving her all the credit. When most of the children are in their seats or at least away from the door, she looks up at me and nods.
"You're really good with them," I call out over the chatter and she moves closer to me.
"What's that? I didn't catch what you said." I've never noticed how enchanting her eyes are, how when they turn on me I'm so captivated I want to share my deepest secrets with her.
"I said," I tell her, holding out the coffee, "you're really good with them." She looks down at the paper cup with its thick cardboard heat band and cocks her head.
"What's this?" She takes it gingerly and I smile.
"I got you a hazelnut coffee with cream and sugar..." I feel heat in my cheeks. "It's the way you like it, right?"
Grace nods slowly as she sips the coffee, now probably cooled to the perfect temperature. I got it across town and then had to struggle with Ava's car seat for a few moments before I got her buckled in.
"It's perfect." She looks confused. "How did you know this is how I like it?"
One of the kids runs past us and she calls out for him to calm down. I know the bell will ring in a few minutes, so I'm taking this opportunity to invest in Grace while I can. I know she will probably avoid me all day again, especially when the students head out. Maybe this feels safe for her; she can interact with the kids all around us and not feel threatened by me. I don't want her to feel threatened at all, but given how she reacted after the trip, I know she's reluctant to move forward with a relationship. Or maybe I've not just been forthright about how I feel so she has no clue.
"I spent every morning with you for three weeks."
"Hardly," she scoffs, bristling a little. Her shoulders square and she turns to the classroom.
"Okay, so we bickered a lot, and I'm not a morning person. It doesn't mean I didn't learn how you like your coffee." I nod at the cup and she looks down at it. Then she sips it, as if she needs to give herself time to think.
"It's very good, thank you. It was very thoughtful of you to bring me coffee today. I actually spilled mine in the car, so it's perfect." An awkward silence falls over us despite the loud laughter and talk of the children. I'm not sure what to say so I hold my tongue until something sparks in my mind.
