gone to bat for Taylor.
“Maybe so,” Matt acknowledged. “But most people wouldn’t have done anything at all.”
Nobody but family had ever stepped up for him, stepped in like she had. Not even his wife. It took compassion to take on somebody else’s problems. It took guts.
“Maybe you know the wrong people,” Allison said.
Matt grinned in acknowledgment. He’d used almost the same words to her two days ago. “Maybe. Anyway, thanks. I owe you.”
“You stopped to help me.” A brief smile. “I stopped to help you. I’d say we’re even.”
With another woman he would have shrugged and let it go. But something about Allison Carter got under his skin, tugged at his gut.
“I didn’t know we were keeping score,” he drawled.
He watched her quick color with satisfaction. Why should he be the only one getting hot and bothered?
But her voice was cool as she said, “Now isn’t the time for this discussion. You need to get Taylor home.”
The kid was waiting up ahead by the heavy wooden double doors.
He nodded. “Fine. What are you doing tomorrow night?”
“Tomorrow?”
“Saturday. Come out with me.”
“I barely know you.”
He held her gaze. “We can change that.”
The echo of her words reverberated in the space between them.
I don’t jump into things with someone I don’t know.
“Take a chance,” he said, his voice husky. “Take a leap.”
“I’ll think about it.”
A tall black girl, one of the Jackson kids, bustled out of the high school wing. Running an errand to the office, Matt guessed. She slowed as she passed, throwing a greeting at Allison and a curious glance at Matt.
“Hi, Miss Carter.”
Allison smiled. “Nia.” She turned back to Matt, drawing a deep breath that did nice things for her blouse. “I’m going back to my classroom now. Before the entire school starts speculating what we’re doing together.”
He could think of all kinds of things he’d like to do with her, to her, on her, but not with people watching. Not in front of Taylor and whatever students happened to wander by.
“I’ll call you,” he said, like he was Josh’s age again, trying to make it with some pretty girl after school.
He’d never had to try this hard, he remembered as hestrode to the exit. There had always been girls dropping by the Pirates’ Rest to watch him mow the grass or tinker on his bike or play one-on-one with Sam.
You think they’d have more sense. Or pride
, his sister Meg used to snap on her way out the door to the library or to one of her jobs, waiting tables, scrubbing bathrooms, handing out towels at the club. Always moving, Meggie, always working, always going somewhere.
Sam Grady is the biggest hound in school.
But not all of the girls had gone for Sam.
He turned his head to watch Allison walk away, the swing of her hair, her long, honey-colored legs under the little blue skirt she wore, and felt that buzz, that healthy jolt of lust and anticipation that belonged to his past, to memories of summer nights around a bonfire and double dates in the backseat of Sam’s daddy’s car.
“Is she your girlfriend?” a voice piped up.
Startled, Matt looked down into Taylor’s face. He pushed the door, holding it open for her. “No.”
The minute they were outside in the sunlight, she jammed the hat back on her head, tugging the brim down low. “Why not?”
Because despite his recent crush on Teacher, he wasn’t in high school anymore. He was too old for girlfriends. He had sex, relationships that began without commitment and ended without drama.
None of which he could explain to Luke’s ten-year-old daughter.
“I don’t need a girlfriend,” he said carefully. “I have Josh and Grandma Tess and Grandpa Tom. And you.”
That was enough commitment for anybody.
Taylor sighed, a forlorn sound that rippled through him like wind over water. “That’s what my mom used to say. As long as we had each other, we didn’t need anybody else.”
Is that why she
“Maybe so,” Matt acknowledged. “But most people wouldn’t have done anything at all.”
Nobody but family had ever stepped up for him, stepped in like she had. Not even his wife. It took compassion to take on somebody else’s problems. It took guts.
“Maybe you know the wrong people,” Allison said.
Matt grinned in acknowledgment. He’d used almost the same words to her two days ago. “Maybe. Anyway, thanks. I owe you.”
“You stopped to help me.” A brief smile. “I stopped to help you. I’d say we’re even.”
With another woman he would have shrugged and let it go. But something about Allison Carter got under his skin, tugged at his gut.
“I didn’t know we were keeping score,” he drawled.
He watched her quick color with satisfaction. Why should he be the only one getting hot and bothered?
But her voice was cool as she said, “Now isn’t the time for this discussion. You need to get Taylor home.”
The kid was waiting up ahead by the heavy wooden double doors.
He nodded. “Fine. What are you doing tomorrow night?”
“Tomorrow?”
“Saturday. Come out with me.”
“I barely know you.”
He held her gaze. “We can change that.”
The echo of her words reverberated in the space between them.
I don’t jump into things with someone I don’t know.
“Take a chance,” he said, his voice husky. “Take a leap.”
“I’ll think about it.”
A tall black girl, one of the Jackson kids, bustled out of the high school wing. Running an errand to the office, Matt guessed. She slowed as she passed, throwing a greeting at Allison and a curious glance at Matt.
“Hi, Miss Carter.”
Allison smiled. “Nia.” She turned back to Matt, drawing a deep breath that did nice things for her blouse. “I’m going back to my classroom now. Before the entire school starts speculating what we’re doing together.”
He could think of all kinds of things he’d like to do with her, to her, on her, but not with people watching. Not in front of Taylor and whatever students happened to wander by.
“I’ll call you,” he said, like he was Josh’s age again, trying to make it with some pretty girl after school.
He’d never had to try this hard, he remembered as hestrode to the exit. There had always been girls dropping by the Pirates’ Rest to watch him mow the grass or tinker on his bike or play one-on-one with Sam.
You think they’d have more sense. Or pride
, his sister Meg used to snap on her way out the door to the library or to one of her jobs, waiting tables, scrubbing bathrooms, handing out towels at the club. Always moving, Meggie, always working, always going somewhere.
Sam Grady is the biggest hound in school.
But not all of the girls had gone for Sam.
He turned his head to watch Allison walk away, the swing of her hair, her long, honey-colored legs under the little blue skirt she wore, and felt that buzz, that healthy jolt of lust and anticipation that belonged to his past, to memories of summer nights around a bonfire and double dates in the backseat of Sam’s daddy’s car.
“Is she your girlfriend?” a voice piped up.
Startled, Matt looked down into Taylor’s face. He pushed the door, holding it open for her. “No.”
The minute they were outside in the sunlight, she jammed the hat back on her head, tugging the brim down low. “Why not?”
Because despite his recent crush on Teacher, he wasn’t in high school anymore. He was too old for girlfriends. He had sex, relationships that began without commitment and ended without drama.
None of which he could explain to Luke’s ten-year-old daughter.
“I don’t need a girlfriend,” he said carefully. “I have Josh and Grandma Tess and Grandpa Tom. And you.”
That was enough commitment for anybody.
Taylor sighed, a forlorn sound that rippled through him like wind over water. “That’s what my mom used to say. As long as we had each other, we didn’t need anybody else.”
Is that why she
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