(Two Months Later)

Dr. Dodson had been an absolute nightmare when I asked for the month off to go with Lynx. I had to jump through all the Family Medical Leave Act hurdles, dotting every “i” and crossing every “t.” But, in the end I got five weeks leave, unpaid of course. I was glad to have gotten that extra money for the job.

Our month in France was a success in every respect. The treatment process was, of course, miserable for Lynx. Unfortunately, all cancer treatments suck at the time they’re given. People only agree to do them because death is the alternative. He was in pain a lot and uncomfortable and poked and prodded relentlessly. But when all was said and done, Lynx was cancer free. We were able to come home, and even though Lynx was not yet ready to go back to work — he still needed to build up his immune system — he was in a good place.

The school year was basically over, as it was the last week of May, and I’d just heard that Dr. Dodson had received a transfer for the next school year. She’d be at another school in a different section of town. I was pretty happy, but I wasn’t willing to count her transfer as a win, yet. I knew I could end up with someone worse than her. However, the possibility of someone better had put me in a good mood. My mother always said thinking positive brought positive, so that was the plan for the summer.

Given that she had bigger fish to fry, Dodson hadn’t even opposed me teaching the girls’ summer science program. This one was one the previous principal had created, and she’d told me I would be teaching it before she got swept away by Bill Gates. However, Dodson was the principal, and could have pulled me. Personnel decisions were up to the principal, even with approved programs.

It was Friday afternoon, and things were winding down for the day. This was my final free period, and I’d just helped some kids with questions and closed my door, so I could put grades in the computer. That’s when I heard a knock on the door and grunted in frustration. I forced cheer into my voice, looked up from the computer, and said, “Come in.”

The door opened and Ryan poked his head in. I couldn’t help but smile. He’d only stayed the month while Lynx and I were gone. After having agreed to let him house sit, I’d panicked, wondering how I could have done such a thing. I spent the days before we left, removing anything embarrassing from the apartment, taking it over to Mrs. Argon’s for safe keeping. I’d left one family photo album out on a shelf, but all the embarrassing photos mom had kept in boxes were safely out of his reach.

He’d moved out, the day before Lynx and I came back, having found a new apartment, not totally far away, as well as a job. And not one at Harper Shipping. He told me he’d called literally everyone he’d ever talked to in college, and found about three people who were hiring in their marketing departments. He found a job working for a small firm downtown.

“How’s my favorite teacher?” he asked, still with only his head sticking through the crack.

“Shhhh,” I said. “I’m at work.” I motioned for him to come inside the room.

He came in fully and I noticed there was another figure trailing behind him. A man who looked like a slightly older version of him. Richard Harper. He always looked so stately and regal, and he’d aged so well. He shut the door after he entered. I sat up straighter at my desk.

“They’ll let anyone in here,” Ryan joked as he and his father approached my desk.

I stood up and forced a smile. It was odd for him to bring a man who hated me to my workplace. But I assumed the elder Harper would be on his best behavior, so I figured I would, too. “It’s good to see you again, Mr. Harper,” I said.

“It’s kind of you to lie so enthusiastically,” he said.

I raised an eyebrow, then looked at Ryan. What was this about? He eyed me back, a look that said to give his father a chance. I turned back to Richard.

“I came because I owe you an apology,” Richard said to me. “Having seen your impeccable politeness whenever you have been around my family, I figured if I wanted to apologize without you dressing me down as I deserve, that I should choose a public place.”

I wasn’t sure what to say to that. It was a good strategy, but he was mistaken for it’s need. He was Ryan’s father, and so long as he didn’t choose to make a spectacle, I would not make a spectacle, public place or not.

“I would like to apologize for the things I said last time I saw you,” he said. “It was wrong of me to take out my frustration over my relationship with my children on you. I loved Lily very much, but we didn’t spend as much time together as I would have liked. I always thought we’d have later, and when that was taken away, I lashed out.”

“I understand,” I said. “I’m sure it’s an unbearable loss.”

“But not one that was your fault, and I shouldn’t have suggested it. Equally so, I shouldn’t have suggested you were bad for my son. Also, having not had things go as I’d hoped with him, I took my frustration out on you. But, you have been a good influence on him.”

I couldn’t help smirking at that. Stealing diamonds. That didn’t seem like a good influence. But the other stuff, maybe. He’d just needed a nudge in the right direction. “You’ve raised two remarkable children, Mr. Harper,” I said. “I’m glad to have known them both.”

He smiled at me. “You’re more gracious than I deserve.”

“Apologizing takes a certain moral fiber, and is always appreciated.” I looked up at the clock. “I’ve still got about half an hour before I can go home. Did you guys want to maybe go get ice cream at that place down the street? I can join you when I finish.”

“Actually,” Ryan said. “This is a business stop.”

“Business?” I raised a hand and pointed my finger at Ryan, and then his father. “You or you?”

“Both of us,” the elder Harper said. “Lily’s foundation, the one we turned over her trust fund to create, assists girls in lower income communities.”

I nodded.

“Well, Ryan thought your summer program sounded really promising. So, he suggested we look at it this year, with the possibility of funding it in future summers.”

My mouth popped open. “That would be great,” I said.

“I think it’s the kind of thing Lily would’ve liked,” Ryan said.

Mr. Harper nodded, reached out and shook my hand. “I’m glad to help,” he said, and then glanced up at the clock. “I’m supposed to meet the superintendent and the new principal in the office in a couple of minutes, so I need to be going.”

I held his hand a second longer, and then let go, as I leaned in and asked, “New principal?”

“Oh, yes,” he said, lowering his voice. “The announcement isn’t official yet, but they’ve hired a replacement for the current principal. She’s coming from a smaller market, but very enthusiastic. I was told about it because of the foundation’s donations. We donated heavily last school season, and the superintendent likes to keep me in the loop. But keep that information under your hat.”

“Of course,” I agreed heartily. My concerns that the new principal would be worse ratcheted down several notches. From a smaller market and enthusiastic. That sounded like a good combination to me.

Ryan’s father turned to leave, but Ryan didn’t head off with him. I waited for his father to go out the door and then turned to him. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

He smiled. “Many reasons,” he said, as he stepped closer to my desk, his face a triumph. “First, I wanted to see your face when he came in.”

I shook my head. “You’re such a sight guy.”

He winked at me. “All guys are into seeing,” he assured me, leaning closer. “I would be so into it if you wore that purple thing you bought in France. The one with all those straps.”

I looked toward the door, which his father had left open. “Not here,” I whispered. Though it was nice to know my last-minute purchase before Lynx and I left France, was worth it.

“Fine,” he pouted. “The second reason is because my father said he wanted to tell you himself.”

Ah. “I see,” I said. “So, things are better between you two?”

He nodded. “Yes,” he admitted. “I think he took to heart what I said to him down on the waterfront. And it helped that I found a job myself. That I’m working. And that I’ve agreed not to do anything dangerous.”

I smiled. “Yes, please don’t do anything dangerous.”

“Nah,” he said. “I’ve got the smartest, sexiest, most daring girlfriend, and she’d absolutely kill me if I did anything dangerous.”

I laughed. “Yeah, you’re right about that.”

He looked up at the clock. “How about you skip outta here early?”

I shook my head. I had to finish inputting the quiz grades. “How about you wait at the ice cream place and I’ll make it worth your while tonight. The purple thing I picked up in France, high heels, and I’ll even put on lipstick.”

“I hate lipstick,” he said.

“Then I won’t put on lipstick.”

“Deal,” he said, leaning forward to kiss my cheek. “I love you.”

I smiled back. “I love you, too.” I waved goodbye and he turned and walked out.

I sat back down in my chair, leaned back and grinned. Life was good.

THE END

Hey there, reader. You got to the end of my book. Yay! I hope that means you enjoyed it. Whether or not you did, I would just like to thank you for giving me your valuable time to try and entertain you. I am truly blessed to have such a fulfilling job, but I only have that job because of people like you; people kind enough to give my books a chance and spend their hard-earned money buying them. For that I am eternally grateful.

If you would like to find out more about my other books then please visit my website for full details. You can find it at: www.rosettabloom.com.

Also feel free to contact me on Facebook, Twitter, or email (all details on the website), as I would love to hear from you.

If you enjoyed this book and would like to help, then you could think about leaving a review on , , or anywhere else that readers visit. The most important part of how well a book sells is how many positive reviews it has, so if you leave me one then you are directly helping me to continue on this journey as a fulltime writer.  Thanks in advance to anyone who does. It means a lot.