Chapter Fourteen

Kelsey left Principal Carter’s office and all but skipped back to her classroom Monday afternoon. If the halls had been empty, she may have actually skipped. In less than four months, she’d be done with teaching for good. Finally.

It wasn’t that she didn’t like her students. The majority of them were good kids who behaved and did what she asked. Naturally, some she’d liked more than others, but every teacher felt the same way, even if they wouldn’t admit it. It was more all the stuff that went along with teaching she hated. If she wasn’t correcting lab reports or helping the students prepare for standardized tests, she had parents complaining because their son or daughter wasn’t doing as well as they wanted. Come June, she wouldn’t ever worry about any of those things again. She’d handed Principal Carter her formal written notice today. At first, he’d asked her to reconsider. In the end, he’d understood and thanked her for telling him now, long before the school year ended, giving the district enough time to find her replacement. Tonight, she’d give her two-week notice at Masterson’s too.

She hadn’t planned to leave both jobs after selling the business. Even without the loans hanging over her head, she had expenses. Waitressing part-time was a common option for both graduate and undergraduate students. Drew had asked her to reconsider her plan. Her first instinct had been to shoot down his suggestion. They might be married, but she didn’t need or want him taking care of her. During the plane ride home, he’d laid out his argument in a calm, logical manner. He pointed out all the bonuses she gained by dedicating herself to her studies and not trying to split her time between school and a part-time job. He’d ended the conversation by assuring her once she earned her doctorate and landed a research position at a lab, he’d never ask her to not work again.

“Bye, Mrs. McKenzie,” a student she didn’t recognize called out as he passed by her.

Kelsey smiled. “Have a good practice.” The student was dressed in running shorts and a track jersey with his name on the back, suggesting he was on the team.

All day, middle school students—both those she knew and those she didn’t—had been greeting her in the hallways or stopping by her classroom. During lunch, Lynn, a social studies teacher, had good-naturedly referred to her as the school’s new celebrity. A title she’d happily pass on to someone else. She’d never been one to seek out attention. She preferred to remain in the background. At least for the moment, her marriage to Drew made doing so impossible. Especially tonight at the restaurant, because if the middle school students and faculty knew about her change in marital status, so did the majority of the town.

Was the parking lot more crowded than usual for a Monday night? Kelsey looked at the rows of parked cars. In general, Mondays tended to be slow, and she never brought home as much in tips compared to a Friday or Saturday night. Judging by the number of vehicles around her, tonight might be an exception.

Crossing the lot, she answered the fourth text message she’d received in the last two hours from Carolina. It appeared as if the sale was moving along smoothly, and since the buyer didn’t need a bank loan, it should be finalized at the beginning of next month. She’d broken the news to all the employees before leaving for Hawaii. Although disappointed by the upcoming change, they’d all been supportive of her decision. Tonight, before coming to Masterson’s, she’d stopped by the garage to give Luke an update and asked him to share it with everyone.

Kelsey barely made it inside before Mara threw her arms around her. “Congratulations. How did you keep your engagement a secret from everyone?”

“It happened quickly. I didn’t have time to share.” The specific details of how Drew proposed she’d share with her closest friends, but no one else needed to know.

“I saw the picture of you and Drew on the Star Report’s website. You both looked very happy. Do you have pictures of the wedding?”

Yep, sure, she had the photographer’s complete portfolio in her back pocket. “We haven’t gotten them from the photographer yet.”

Mara picked up several menus as a party of five approached the hostess desk. “Please bring them in when you can. I’m dying to see them.”

Kelsey nodded, unsure if she’d actually bring the photos in, and walked away. Eyes turned her way and conversations stopped as she crossed toward the employee break room.

Oh, boy. This is going to be a fun night. Maybe she should tell Lou tonight was her final shift. Two weeks’ notice was the norm and what he deserved, but he might understand her reason for leaving sooner.

Behind her the door opened, and Annie poked her head inside. “Hey Kelsey. Lou wants to speak with you. He’s in his office.”

In the years she’d worked there, she’d never seen Lou step foot in the employee break room. “Thanks. I’ll be right out.”

Annie didn’t close the door. Instead she said, “By the way, congratulations.” She didn’t stick around for a reply.

Lou wanted to see her? Did he want to offer his felicitations too? So far, she hadn’t been in the building even ten minutes, and she’d been approached by two well-wishers.

The office door was closed, but she spotted Lou seated behind his desk through the glass insert. Before she managed a knock, he waved her inside.

“Hi, Lou.”

The restaurant owner smiled, reminding Kelsey of her paternal grandfather. He’d passed away when she was seven, so she didn’t have a ton of memories of him. Somehow she remembered his smile.

“The very person I’ve been waiting to see all day.” He came around the desk and hugged her. “Congratulations, my girl. I hope you and Drew are as happy as Barbie and me.”

She’d long ago accepted he referred to everyone as either my girl or my boy, no matter his or her age. Even his own children, who in some cases had grandchildren of their own were called my girl or my boy.

Releasing her, he gestured toward a seat before taking his own again.

“Thank you.” The count was now at three well-wishers in less than fifteen minutes. How many more could she get tonight?

“Considering who you married, I wanted to let you know I understand if you decide to leave us.”

“I was going to give you my two weeks’ notice tonight.”

Lou waved a wrinkled hand in her direction. “No need for that. You’ve been an excellent employee, and I hate losing you. But I understand. We all do.”

“Are you sure?” Lou and Junior were great bosses. She didn’t want to leave them scrambling to find people to cover her shifts.

“Positive. Work your shift tonight and don’t worry about this place again.”

If Lou didn’t expect any kind of notice, who was she to argue?

***

Drew ended his call. Jack had a closing date. Since Jack didn’t need a mortgage to buy Bancroft Automotive, the entire process was moving along even faster than Drew had hoped. At the beginning of next month, the sale would be complete, and Kelsey could pay off her loans. Soon she’d be back at school and again working toward her goals.

Ian would have been happy. Mr. and Mrs. Bancroft, too.

Downstairs, the doorbell rang. With Kelsey working anyway, he’d invited his parents over. He hadn’t seen them in weeks, and spending a night with them sounded more appealing than spending it alone. Before Kelsey, an occasional night of solitude hadn’t bothered him. Now, it drove him batty.

“Married. I still can’t believe you got married without us there,” Mom said. “You’re supposed to have your family around on such an important day.”

She’d given him a similar line when he called from Hawaii.

“I adore Kelsey, but what were the two of you thinking?” she asked.

“Mom, the moment seemed right.” Drew glanced at his dad for help. The shrug he received told him not to expect any from that corner.

“It seemed right not to have us there?” she asked, sounding hurt.

“Jill, he didn’t mean it that way,” Dad said, while his eyes let Drew know he better make this right.

“I wanted you both there. Cody and John too. Doing it the way we did seemed better for Kelsey. I was afraid something similar to what John and Val are planning would be too hard for her, since her parents and Ian wouldn’t be there.”

Mom’s hand flew to her mouth. “I didn’t stop to consider that. You’re 100 percent correct. A church packed with our family members would’ve been very difficult for her.”

Crisis averted.

“You did have pictures done at least?” Mom asked. “I saw a few on the Internet along with an article by a reporter from the Star Report, but I’d love to see some of the ceremony.”

“Even better. We had it recorded. When we get the video and photos back, we’ll show you.”

“Perfect. I knew I raised a smart son. But until then, tell us a little about the ceremony,” Mom said, all smiles now.

He spent several minutes sharing details of the ceremony itself, as well as the setting. Mom had also fallen in love with Hawaii on her first trip there. Frequently, she joked she wanted to move there when she and Dad retired. While Dad loved to visit as well, he was less enthusiastic about moving there on a permanent basis. He understood Dad’s reservations. It was a long way from North Salem and the family. Modern technology made the trip possible in a day, but it wasn’t one you would want to make every week. If they did move in the future, it would mean not seeing their sons or grandson.

“I know it’s none of my business, but I’m going to ask anyway.”

When Mom started a speech in such a manner, it meant he probably wasn’t going to like what followed.

“Can I expect a third grandchild soon?”

Mom did love being a grandmother. She’d walked around on a cloud for a good six months following Joey’s birth. Drew started to form an answer, but stopped. Third grandchild. At last count, Mom and Dad only had one.

“Who’s expecting, Val or Khloe?”

Mom cringed. “Oh. Your brother didn’t tell you?”

“I haven’t talked to either of them since I got back.” They’d only returned yesterday afternoon. Except for Mom this morning and Jack a little while ago, he hadn’t spoken to anyone.

“Khloe’s pregnant. She’s due in October. They told us the same day you got married.”

Later he’d call Cody and congratulate him. He knew they’d been trying for a long time. They must be ecstatic Khloe was pregnant. “We haven’t talked about it. But I don’t think it’ll be soon. Kelsey is going back to school in the fall to finish her degree.”

He’d prefer children sooner rather than later, but Kelsey’s dream came first. Once she achieved it, they could start a family.

“I didn’t realize she wanted to go back,” Dad said. “When she started at the middle school, I assumed she’d changed her mind and decided to be a teacher.”

Kelsey’s reasons for teaching were her own. He wouldn’t share them even with his parents. “No. It’s always been her plan to finish. Between losing Ian and then her parents, she just needed a break.” It wasn’t a complete lie, merely a twist on the truth. It seemed he was getting good at twisting the truth these days.

“Well, when the time comes, you’ll both be great parents,” Mom said, patting his knee. “Since we’re here, let’s discuss a party for you two. You and Kelsey need some type of celebration with friends and family.”

They’d discussed having a party briefly, but hadn’t gone into details. Waiting until late June seemed like a good idea. By then the business would be sold, her house hopefully would be entering the rebuild stage, and the school year would be over. With all those things taken care of, Kelsey should have more time to dedicate to planning a large celebration.

“We will. I’m thinking sometime in late June.”

“You need something sooner. Besides, John’s wedding is June, remember.”

The small detail had slipped his mind. “Kelsey is juggling enough at the moment. We’ll get around to planning something eventually.”

Mom’s smile spread from ear to ear. “Let me handle it. I didn’t get to help at all with the wedding. I’d be more than happy to plan a party for you and Kelsey.”

Whether it was a New Year’s Eve party or birthday party, Mom loved to plan and organize. “Okay. If you want, but don’t go nuts and invite the whole town.”

“Promise, family and close friends only.”

***

She should’ve put a tally mark down every time someone congratulated her tonight. After the twentieth time, she’d lost count, but she guessed the number had to be somewhere around sixty at least. People she’d seen around town but didn’t know congratulated her. Thankfully, it was over, or at least over for the night. As was her waitressing career.

The kitchen lights were on, but the room was empty except for the blueberry bread on the counter. Drew had invited his parents over for a visit. Mrs. McKenzie enjoyed baking. She must have brought the bread over.

Soon she had to figure out what to call Drew’s mom. They were married. Mrs. McKenzie no longer seemed appropriate, considering it was her name too. Jill somehow seemed too informal. Mom didn’t feel right either. Maybe couples had children for this very reason. Then they could refer to their spouse’s mother as Nana or Grandma and avoid all the awkwardness.

Kelsey cut a slice of bread before going in search of Drew. She’d figure out the name problem another night.

Explosions led her into the entertainment room. Up on the large screen, a fireball engulfed a car as two others swerved around the mess and continued the chase.

“How are your parents?” She settled on the leather sofa next to him and crossed her legs in front of her.

Drew kissed her and snagged a corner of her snack. “Disappointed you weren’t here, but good.” He popped the bread in his mouth and swallowed. “How was work? Did you give your notice?”

“Didn’t get a chance. Lou called me in and suggested I make tonight my last shift.”

“Please tell me you didn’t argue with him.”

“Nope. I am officially retired from Masterson’s. And in June I’m done with teaching middle school. I gave the principal my notice this afternoon, like we talked about.” Euphoria bubbled up inside her. Her life was back on track. “This is really happening. I’m going back to finish what I started.”

“And I can’t wait to see you walk across the stage, sweetheart.”

Six months ago, she’d been slogging through life while she watched her best friends’ dreams come true. Finally, she had hers. “I’m not sure I’ll go to graduation. I skipped it when I earned my masters, but I appreciate the sentiment.”

“Mom offered to plan a small party for us to celebrate. I gave her the green light. If you want to do it instead, I can call and tell her no. She’s quick, but she couldn’t have done anything yet.”

Party planning wasn’t high on her list of expertise. If Mrs. McKenzie wanted to handle it, she’d pass along the torch. “Nope, I’m fine with her doing it. She’ll probably do a better job anyway.” Kelsey finished the blueberry bread. “What do I call her?”

“Call who?”

“Your mom. I can’t call her Mrs. McKenzie for the next forty years.”

“Whatever you want. Khloe calls her Jill, or sometimes Gram if Joey is in the room. Val calls her Mom. You decide.”

He wasn’t much help. “Maybe we should have a baby, so I can just call her Gram too.”

Drew kissed her neck and pulled her closer. “Sounds like an excellent plan to me. She was asking tonight when she could expect more grandchildren.”

Eventually she wanted children. With her goals finally so close though, she didn’t want to derail them again. She’d prefer to wait at least a year. “She might be disappointed for a while. Drew, I’d like to wait until after graduation.”

“Cody and Khloe are having a baby in October, that should hold her over.” He kissed her again, this time slipping his hand under her Masterson’s polo shirt. “In the meantime, we can spend our time practicing so when we’re ready we’ll be experts.”

His finger moved across her skin, and liquid heat exploded in her stomach. “Yeah, I think we need a lot of practice. Let’s go upstairs and get working on it.”