Chapter Two
Emily
“Good girl, Wendy. Now, let’s try that one again. Let’s do it with the book. This is Ronny the Rabbit. Say it with me.”
“Ronny, the Rabbit. I said it!” Wendy exclaimed.
“You did! I knew you could do it. You see, sometimes it just takes a bit of practice. You’re doing very well. And the more we practice, the better you’re going to get.”
“Thank you, Miss Wessler.”
“And thank you for trying so hard today. Now, you have a few more minutes until your father arrives. Why don’t you carry on with the drawing you started the last time? I have it all ready for you in the corner.”
“Okay!” she said and ran off.
I smiled fondly at Wendy. I was always happy when it was Wednesday and I knew she was coming. She was one of the kids that I enjoyed the most. Not only was she determined to get better, but she was also incredibly cute. She was a tiny little thing with dark brown hair that fell all the way down to her waist. She had bright blue eyes and reminded me so much of what I would expect an angel to look like. The only imperfect part of her was the scar that ran across her cheek and down to her chin. But, in a way, it only served to make her more beautiful in my eyes.
Six months ago, Wendy didn’t have that scar. She’d been on her way home from her best friend’s party when a truck hit her father’s car on the highway. How they managed to survive is something that only a miracle could answer for. The entire back of the car had been squashed, and her father had walked away with only a few bruises. Wendy had knocked her face against the window with force and had cut both her tongue and her mouth, leaving her with a big scar. She had also suffered some head trauma, which had affected her speech. When she’d arrived for her first day with me she was a shy and sad little girl, but only a few months later and she was already gaining more and more confidence. It was at times like this that I loved my job as a speech therapist. It made the difficult moments worthwhile.
Exactly ten minutes later, and precisely on time, her father arrived. Brett Cadman was a sweet man who would clearly do anything for his daughter. For the first few months, I’d enjoyed seeing him, but just last week he’d asked me out on a date, and I’d turned him down. Now, I was dreading seeing him again. Even though I was flattered, I was not very good at awkward situations.
“Daddy!” Wendy exclaimed when she saw him and ran up to hug him.
I watched and laughed as he picked her up and swung her around.
“Your brother is in the car. You can go and see him. But first, say thank you to Miss Wessler.”
“Thank you,” she said and smiled at me.
“It’s my pleasure,” I replied and watched in amusement as she bounced all the way to the car toward her brother.
“She’s in a good mood today,” Brett said.
“She is. We finally had a breakthrough with the letter R. It’s one of the hardest, and the one she was battling with the most. I think after this, we’re going to see her just getting better and better. She’s quite a determined little girl.”
“She certainly is. And I have you to thank. She can’t stop talking about you.”
I chuckled. “Really? Well, I think about her all the time too. Between you and me, she’s my favorite student. And I promise you, I don’t say this to all the other parents.”
“Usually I would think you are lying. But I know my little girl, and I have every faith that you’re telling the truth. She’s the sweetest thing. Thank you for everything you are doing for her. I’m so glad to see her becoming more confident again.”
“Ah, she’s doing it all on her own. She’s going to be fine.”
“Uh, look, I don’t want things to be awkward between us,” he started, and I could feel myself growing more and more uncomfortable. I would’ve preferred if he’d just smiled and walked out with Wendy. We really didn’t have to talk about what had happened.
“Oh, it’s not awkward,” I said in what I knew was my awkward voice.
“And I know I’m only going to make things worse right now, but is there any chance that you’d reconsider the date with me?”
I stared at him in surprise. The last thing that I had expected was for him to ask me out again. I shuffled nervously from left to right.
“Uh, I think you’re great, Brett. I really do. I’m just not interested in meeting anyone right now. And I really do mean that. I just have a lot going on right now. But thank you so much for asking me. That’s really nice of you.”
He laughed. “Oh dear, I’ve just gone and made our next meeting super weird, haven’t I? Well, thanks for your honesty. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask you one more time. And I promise not to ask you again.”
I chuckled, but the sound came out all strange. “Thank you for asking,” I said. It was a weird thing to say, but I didn’t know what else to do.
“And if you ever change your mind, you know where to find me. I promise not to make this awkward the next time I see you. I better go. Wendy and her brother love each other, but they also fight just like regular kids when they’re alone for too long.”
I smiled at him and waved goodbye as he walked out. Then, the moment I saw his car drive off, I breathed a sigh of relief and leaned against the wall. I quickly stood up straight when Terra walked in, but she’d already seen me.
“What’s going on? You look relieved about something.”
“Ah, nothing. Just glad that session is over.”
“Who was it?”
“Uh, Wendy.”
“You’re glad your session with Wendy is over? But you love working with her.”
“Yes, I do. But . . . .”
I didn’t get a chance to finish because Terra started laughing. “Emily, I heard you!”
“What? What do you mean?”
“I heard the whole conversation. I cannot believe you turned that poor guy down again. What’s so wrong with him? He’s cute; I met him.”
“Then why don’t you date him?”
“Because I happen to have a date tonight with someone else.”
I looked up and saw that she was beaming in delight. She had a cherub-like face, and whenever she smiled, it seemed to take over her entire face. “You do? Who? Do I know him?”
“Oh, that guy I was telling you about last week. The one I met at the coffee shop.”
“The one that spilled coffee all over your white shirt?”
“The very one. You see, sometimes you really do literally bump into the man of your dreams.”
“He’s the man of your dreams?”
She laughed. “I hope so. Time will tell, I guess. I definitely thought he was very good looking, and easy to talk to. But we’ll see after tonight. But seriously, why did you say no to Peter? He honestly seems like a very nice man. And his daughter is adorable.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s not really my type. Not that I know what my type is. But it’s not him. He’s too clean cut or something. Not that I want someone who is a total mess or anything.”
She giggled. “Sounds to me like you have no idea what you want.”
“Yeah, that’s about right.”
“You should go on a date, though. Even if it’s not with Peter. I mean, I do actually think that you should give poor Peter a try. I mean, the man asked you out twice for goodness’ sake. But if you don’t want to go out with him then at least go out with someone else. There are plenty of men out there who would kill to date a girl like you. You’ve got that whole princess thing going for you. Long blonde hair, blue eyes.”
“Tattoos.”
Terra chuckled. “Okay, well this can be like some new age fairytale or something. A fairytale with an edge. But seriously, you should get out a bit. It’s good for you. You work too hard.”
I sighed. “Look, it’s not like I don’t want to. I’m not avoiding going out. I just don’t want to go out with any guy just for the sake of it either. I’d like to at least think there might be a chance, and I just don’t feel that with Peter. In fact, right now there are just no good men in town.”
“Oh, come on! There’s got to be someone.”
“Uh, have you looked around lately? We live in a small farming community. It’s not like new people come in here all the time. The fact that you bumped into some guy at the local coffee shop is miracle enough.”
“If a miracle can happen for me it can surely happen for you too. I’m positive.”
I smiled at Terra. She was always so positive about everything in life. It was one of the reasons why I enjoyed hanging out with her so much. She always turned a bad situation into a good one. “I don’t know if it’s possible, Terra. But I should hope so. For now, though, I’ve got a good job, and that’s more than most people have. I’m honestly not bothered about it. When it happens, it will happen.”
“Good attitude. Although, you should at least try a bit harder. You never know where something might lead. Anyway, you’ll see. The perfect guy is out there for you. I’m positive.”
I sighed. “Until then, I’m going to work on the perfect pasta. I’ll be honest, I forgot lunch today, and I’m really looking forward to dinner tonight. I’m making that mac and cheese again tonight.”
Talking about food with Terra was the perfect way to change the subject. Especially when it came to the famous mac and cheese dish I’d made for the two of us recently. She’d declared it the best meal she’d ever had in her life.
“And you’re not inviting me over?” she said in shock.
“You may have a date with a man; I have a date with an overload of cheese.” Personally, I thought that my date sounded better, but I decided not to tell her that.
“If my date goes badly I’m coming over!” she declared. “All I’m going to think about is that pasta dish now. You’ve ruined me!”
I stopped off at the shop to get the necessary ingredients and then I made my way home. When I arrived, I saw my neighbor Brady, working out in his yard. Brady was a good-looking guy with shaggy brown hair, a small beard, and very beautiful hazel eyes. The two of us were friends, but I’d known from the very beginning that there could be nothing between us. Just like Peter, he wasn’t my type. He spotted me and waved, and I waved back. Then I went aside and started cooking.