watched him smile—a full one, with nice teeth between soft and supple lips.
“Ms. Knight,” someone said from behind her, causing Piper to nearly jump out of her skin. She turned to find Mr. Marshall, Taylor’s homeroom teacher, standing next to her, his smile open, eyes interested.
Not now, she wanted to tell him, and wanted to hold her finger to her lips to tell him to lower his voice.
“Hi, Mr. Marshall,” she said, keeping her voice low, hoping he would follow suit and not alert Joe to her presence. He smiled back, his eyes roaming over her.
“Good to see you, Ms. Knight,” he said, giving her a once-over. Talk about a lack of subtlety.
“If you’re looking for Taylor, she’s not here. This is the computer lab.”
“Yes, I know. It’s okay. I was just leaving. Taylor forgot something at home and I just dropped it off, put it in her locker,” she said softly, hoping to slink away.
Not today. Mr. Marshall’s voice didn’t do soft.
Joe’s head popped out of the door of the classroom. “Piper, Mr. Marshall,” he said in greeting, giving them a smile.
“Oh, hello, Joe. We apologize for disturbing your class. I was on my way to my room when I found Piper standing out here in the hall,” he said.
Joe smiled, gave her an I’m busy working, you’re interrupting look, and closed the door.
“Well,” she said.
“He volunteers to teach sometimes. Computers are his area of expertise,” he said, looking at her, offering an explanation in case she was offended. “Parent volunteers are the lifeblood of the school,” he added.
“Oh, that’s nice. Well, I guess I’d better get going.”
“Sure. Take care,” he said, turning to leave. Piper waited a second, allowing him to leave, listening as he walked away. She wanted one more glance, she told herself, standing on her tiptoes to look into the small square of glass at the top of the door of the computer lab. She found Joe again, bending over the shoulder of a boy, and watched him point to something on the screen as the child’s face lifted into a smile. He moved away. She watched his back, and then lower—it was nicely dressed in slacks, belt, shirt tucked in. She sighed.
She’d lost him. He’d moved out of her range of vision. She continued to peer in. Where was he? Her question was answered a few seconds later when his head popped in front of the window. She jumped back, startled and shaken, and caught his gaze. He made a face and she laughed.
* * *
Her father had taken the girls for the weekend and, lucky her, McKenzie and Pepper went along, too. She’d taken the day off from the shops as soon as she finished grocery shopping for the week. She grabbed her green bags from the back of her car—pulled out her BlackBerry, the source of her grocery list—and headed into the store.
Piper reached for a cart and stopped first in produce. She looked down at her list.
“Joe.”
She heard a little boy’s voice call out from behind her. She knew that voice. It belonged to Shane. She kept her head down and scooted closer to the cucumbers. She wore one of Taylor’s hats on her head this morning. She pulled the bill lower and listened for the sounds as they passed her by, turning over the cucumbers and looking at them but not really seeing them.
They were passing her. She turned to look, slowly moving her head to her left. Yep, it was them. Shane was walking beside a lady who was seated in one of those riding carts with the big wire basket in front. She looked to be in her 70s, maybe even older. Joe was pushing his basket bringing up the rear, a smile on his face, baseball cap on his head, hair behind his ears brushing his shoulders.
God, it wasn’t fair that he should always look good.
“Mrs. Lewis, would you like me to get you some grapes?” she heard Shane’s voice say.
“Yes, thank you, young man,” the older woman said.
Piper watched as Shane lifted a bunch of grapes, placed them in one of those clear plastic bags, and
“Ms. Knight,” someone said from behind her, causing Piper to nearly jump out of her skin. She turned to find Mr. Marshall, Taylor’s homeroom teacher, standing next to her, his smile open, eyes interested.
Not now, she wanted to tell him, and wanted to hold her finger to her lips to tell him to lower his voice.
“Hi, Mr. Marshall,” she said, keeping her voice low, hoping he would follow suit and not alert Joe to her presence. He smiled back, his eyes roaming over her.
“Good to see you, Ms. Knight,” he said, giving her a once-over. Talk about a lack of subtlety.
“If you’re looking for Taylor, she’s not here. This is the computer lab.”
“Yes, I know. It’s okay. I was just leaving. Taylor forgot something at home and I just dropped it off, put it in her locker,” she said softly, hoping to slink away.
Not today. Mr. Marshall’s voice didn’t do soft.
Joe’s head popped out of the door of the classroom. “Piper, Mr. Marshall,” he said in greeting, giving them a smile.
“Oh, hello, Joe. We apologize for disturbing your class. I was on my way to my room when I found Piper standing out here in the hall,” he said.
Joe smiled, gave her an I’m busy working, you’re interrupting look, and closed the door.
“Well,” she said.
“He volunteers to teach sometimes. Computers are his area of expertise,” he said, looking at her, offering an explanation in case she was offended. “Parent volunteers are the lifeblood of the school,” he added.
“Oh, that’s nice. Well, I guess I’d better get going.”
“Sure. Take care,” he said, turning to leave. Piper waited a second, allowing him to leave, listening as he walked away. She wanted one more glance, she told herself, standing on her tiptoes to look into the small square of glass at the top of the door of the computer lab. She found Joe again, bending over the shoulder of a boy, and watched him point to something on the screen as the child’s face lifted into a smile. He moved away. She watched his back, and then lower—it was nicely dressed in slacks, belt, shirt tucked in. She sighed.
She’d lost him. He’d moved out of her range of vision. She continued to peer in. Where was he? Her question was answered a few seconds later when his head popped in front of the window. She jumped back, startled and shaken, and caught his gaze. He made a face and she laughed.
* * *
Her father had taken the girls for the weekend and, lucky her, McKenzie and Pepper went along, too. She’d taken the day off from the shops as soon as she finished grocery shopping for the week. She grabbed her green bags from the back of her car—pulled out her BlackBerry, the source of her grocery list—and headed into the store.
Piper reached for a cart and stopped first in produce. She looked down at her list.
“Joe.”
She heard a little boy’s voice call out from behind her. She knew that voice. It belonged to Shane. She kept her head down and scooted closer to the cucumbers. She wore one of Taylor’s hats on her head this morning. She pulled the bill lower and listened for the sounds as they passed her by, turning over the cucumbers and looking at them but not really seeing them.
They were passing her. She turned to look, slowly moving her head to her left. Yep, it was them. Shane was walking beside a lady who was seated in one of those riding carts with the big wire basket in front. She looked to be in her 70s, maybe even older. Joe was pushing his basket bringing up the rear, a smile on his face, baseball cap on his head, hair behind his ears brushing his shoulders.
God, it wasn’t fair that he should always look good.
“Mrs. Lewis, would you like me to get you some grapes?” she heard Shane’s voice say.
“Yes, thank you, young man,” the older woman said.
Piper watched as Shane lifted a bunch of grapes, placed them in one of those clear plastic bags, and
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