Chapter 11
The final bell rang for the day. “Adiós, clase,” Mike said.
“Adiós, Señor Elders,” the students replied as they grabbed their bags and left the room.
He watched them go and stood by the door while the halls emptied out. Once the majority of students were gone, Mike gathered up the stacks of homework and quizzes to grade. It would make for a long evening, depending on how long he was at the Raleighs, but he liked to get his grading done the day of rather than waiting. After locking his classroom, Mike headed for the teachers’ parking lot. He frowned when he saw Gladys Rosenthal coming towards the building.
“Well, hello, Mike,” she said.
“Mrs. Rosenthal. I thought PTA meetings were on Thursdays.”
“Gladys,” she corrected. “And we’re having an extra one to discuss the success of our Homecoming activities. Shouldn’t you be at the meeting?”
He shrugged. “I wasn’t told about it and I’ve already made other plans.”
“With your girlfriend?” Gladys practically spat the last word.
“Well, it’s…” Mike chose his words carefully. Katie might have acted like they were still together at the dance, but he knew it wasn’t quite reality. At least not at the moment. “A surprise for her.”
She stepped closer with a flutter of eyelashes. “If it’s a surprise, she won’t know she’s missing anything. You should stay and then perhaps we could enjoy a nice dinner together.”
“Not possible, Mrs. Rosenthal. Have a good evening.”
Gladys narrowed her blue eyes. She opened her mouth to retort, and then changed her mind. Without another word, she turned on her heel and continued into the building.
Mike heaved a sigh as he walked to his truck. He wished for a moment there were some magical way for him to divert Mrs. Rosenthal’s attentions elsewhere. While he wished her all the best, he knew there would never be a place for her in his heart. Katie had already taken every spare inch and then some. He turned the radio on as he drove to Romantic Blooms. Uncle Earl had suggested a bribe and the idea certainly had merit. Cheryl always knew how to put together the perfect bouquet and her friendship with Katie would ensure that this one would be extra special.
~*~
Katie glanced at the clock. Still about twenty minutes to close, but it had been a surprisingly slow day. She stood up and stretched before grabbing her cleaning caddy from inside the desk. She washed the shop windows, dusted the shelves and countertops, and was about to start on the light fixtures when the bell over the door rang. “Welcome to Sweet Retreat.” She turned and was surprised by whom she saw. “Oh, Mrs. Rosenthal. How nice to see you again. Please, feel free to look around. If you need anything, just ask.”
“Thank you,” Gladys said. “I hope I’m not here too late, but your sign does say open until six.”
“And we are. I just don’t like to sit around when I could be doing something,” Katie replied with a smile.
Gladys nodded and made a show of looking at the merchandise while observing Katie. While she had youth on her side, Gladys couldn’t pick out any other feature that would make Katie preferable to herself. They were both pretty, intelligent, and hard-working, if Katie’s insistence to always be doing something was accurate. She picked up a candle and sniffed, a heavenly blend of flowers tickling her nose. “I’m still surprised Mr. Elders has never mentioned you during our meetings,” Gladys said, looking at the label of the candle. “It seems most men can’t help talking about the women they’re proudest of.”
“Well, as I said at the dance, Mike has always been very professional in the appropriate settings,” Katie replied with a shrug.
“That’s just it, dear. He speaks often of some of the teachers he works with, male and female.”
Katie narrowed her eyes. “If he’s at school that makes sense. It’s a professional setting. What are you saying?”
Gladys lifted her gaze to Katie’s. “Dear, I know what it means to be high school sweethearts. You promise you’ll always be there for each other and for a while you do. But eventually, both of you will grow up. You’ll move on. Perhaps Mike already has.”
“Funny,” Katie said, though she saw no humor in the conversation, “my aunt and uncle were high school sweethearts and they’ve been married for just over forty-five years.”
“Yes, but you and Mike aren’t married,” Gladys pointed out. “And they would be the exception rather than the rule.”
Katie glanced again at the clock. “Wouldn’t you know it? It’s six now. If you’re not going to purchase anything, I’m going to have to ask you to leave. I have paperwork to finish before I go home.”
Scowling, Gladys handed her the candle. “I’ll get this one. My daughter’s birthday is coming up and I think she’ll love the fragrance.” As Katie took the candle over to the counter and began the sale, she continued, “Weren’t you living here while Mike was in Portland?”
“Long distance is tough, but it works,” Katie said quietly.
“Not in my experience,” Gladys retorted. “Being apart for that long leads to wandering. Especially when someone is as handsome as Mike is. How sure are you that he didn’t find someone else?”
“Mrs. Rosenthal,” Katie began, desperately trying to force the quaver from her voice, “I’m not sure why you feel the need to meddle in Mike’s affairs, but he’s not interested in you. He never has been and never will be. Obviously you’ve been burned by someone and for that I’m sorry, but it doesn’t give you the right to ruin other people’s lives out of some petty need for vindication. Mike and I may have a complicated relationship, but it’s our relationship and you have no part in it.” She forced a smile to her face as she handed a small paper bag with the candle and receipt to Gladys. “I hope your daughter has a happy birthday. Good day.”
Gladys stopped at the door. “Consider what I said, dear. Men are never as honest as you’d like to think they are.”
“Or maybe you just haven’t met the right kind of man.” Katie held her head high until Gladys was driving away, before allowing her doubts and fears to trickle down her face in torrents of tears. What if Gladys was right and Mike had moved on? She couldn’t have blamed him if he did. But if that was true, why did her heart feel as though it was being ripped from her chest? Her vision too blurred to get any work done, Katie promised to come early the next day to take care of what was left. She got in her car, turned her volume full blast, and drove home.