nice to meet you.” He spoke in clipped tones and looked at Mike’s belt.
Mike took his hand and shook it. “It’s very nice to meet you too, Caleb.” His nerves settled a fraction.
“This is definitely a surprise,” Sienna said again. “A very nice one.” She ran her fingers over the table. “You shouldn’t have. This must have cost a lot.”
“Nah. Anyway, doesn’t matter. That’s what friends are for, right?” Without waiting for her response, he returned to his truck. The next gift took him two trips. When he was done, five brightly colored beanbag chairs sat on the floor of the classroom. Within minutes, the boys with identical faces had plopped themselves down on two of the bags.
Caleb remained standing and watched Mike from the middle of the room. “These are very nice,” he said. He walked over and patted them each with a careful hand.
“Beanbag chairs,” Sienna said in wonder. “You remembered.”
Mike picked up the table. “Where would you like this?”
She shook her head. “I don’t even know what to say.”
“Say thank you and please put it over in that corner,” Darryl offered.
Sienna smiled. “That sounds as good a place as any. They need a place to spread out when they’re doing art projects.”
“I’m pretty sure I can find some extra chairs to go with it,” Darryl added.
“You are too much,” she said, with a squeeze of the old man’s arm. “Both of you.”
Mike shuffled his feet, not sure what else to say or what to do with his hands. Caleb walked over to the table, next to the Turner boy, and the two of them stroked its smooth surface.
“Would you like to stay?” Sienna asked. “We were doing our afternoon read-along.”
Caleb looked over in alarm. “Miss Cruz,” he said, “we don’t do read-along with anyone else. No strangers.”
“You just met Mr. Springer,” Sienna said. Her gaze never left Mike’s face. “He isn’t a stranger.”
“I can’t stay,” Mike said. “I have to get back to the gym.”
“Oh. Sure.” She shoved her hands into the pockets of her jeans. Mike’s traitorous mind took full notice of the way they hugged her hips.
“Maybe another time,” he added. Yeah, right. He had no plans on spending extended periods of time inside a school. This was a one-time deal.
“We have Friday afternoons free,” she said. “Drop in any time after two. Honestly, it would be good for the kids to interact with someone besides me.”
He nodded noncommittally. He went to leave, but a motion to his right made him look over. Another student he hadn’t noticed before, the lone girl in the room, began to walk. Backwards. Around the room she went, toe to heel, her gaze on Mike the entire time. She pinched her fingers together in a measured motion as she walked. What the hell is she doing? Her eyes held no expression, and her entire body had gone rigid.
“That’s Dawn,” Sienna said, and he remembered what she’d told him the other night at dinner. Selective mutism. She doesn’t speak.
Hell, and I thought I had it rough. At least his troubles hadn’t started until he hit junior high. How did an eight-year-old get so messed up that she dealt with the world by keeping her distance from it and staying silent?
“Nice seeing you,” he said, and pushed open the door. “And nice meeting your kids. I hope everything comes in handy.”
“It will. Thank you again. Really. It’s more than you should have done.” She reached for his hand, and Mike’s heart flopped in his chest until he remembered their stupid agreement. No touching. But this wasn’t going to be anything except a handshake, right? Her hand was almost inside his when a familiar voice called out his name.
“Mike Springer?”
Sienna froze. He turned. Harmony Donaldson, too made-up and too smiley, stood in the hall. A gaggle of kids stretched out in a long line behind her. “What are you doing here?” Her gaze moved from Mike to Sienna and back again.
“Just stopped
Mike took his hand and shook it. “It’s very nice to meet you too, Caleb.” His nerves settled a fraction.
“This is definitely a surprise,” Sienna said again. “A very nice one.” She ran her fingers over the table. “You shouldn’t have. This must have cost a lot.”
“Nah. Anyway, doesn’t matter. That’s what friends are for, right?” Without waiting for her response, he returned to his truck. The next gift took him two trips. When he was done, five brightly colored beanbag chairs sat on the floor of the classroom. Within minutes, the boys with identical faces had plopped themselves down on two of the bags.
Caleb remained standing and watched Mike from the middle of the room. “These are very nice,” he said. He walked over and patted them each with a careful hand.
“Beanbag chairs,” Sienna said in wonder. “You remembered.”
Mike picked up the table. “Where would you like this?”
She shook her head. “I don’t even know what to say.”
“Say thank you and please put it over in that corner,” Darryl offered.
Sienna smiled. “That sounds as good a place as any. They need a place to spread out when they’re doing art projects.”
“I’m pretty sure I can find some extra chairs to go with it,” Darryl added.
“You are too much,” she said, with a squeeze of the old man’s arm. “Both of you.”
Mike shuffled his feet, not sure what else to say or what to do with his hands. Caleb walked over to the table, next to the Turner boy, and the two of them stroked its smooth surface.
“Would you like to stay?” Sienna asked. “We were doing our afternoon read-along.”
Caleb looked over in alarm. “Miss Cruz,” he said, “we don’t do read-along with anyone else. No strangers.”
“You just met Mr. Springer,” Sienna said. Her gaze never left Mike’s face. “He isn’t a stranger.”
“I can’t stay,” Mike said. “I have to get back to the gym.”
“Oh. Sure.” She shoved her hands into the pockets of her jeans. Mike’s traitorous mind took full notice of the way they hugged her hips.
“Maybe another time,” he added. Yeah, right. He had no plans on spending extended periods of time inside a school. This was a one-time deal.
“We have Friday afternoons free,” she said. “Drop in any time after two. Honestly, it would be good for the kids to interact with someone besides me.”
He nodded noncommittally. He went to leave, but a motion to his right made him look over. Another student he hadn’t noticed before, the lone girl in the room, began to walk. Backwards. Around the room she went, toe to heel, her gaze on Mike the entire time. She pinched her fingers together in a measured motion as she walked. What the hell is she doing? Her eyes held no expression, and her entire body had gone rigid.
“That’s Dawn,” Sienna said, and he remembered what she’d told him the other night at dinner. Selective mutism. She doesn’t speak.
Hell, and I thought I had it rough. At least his troubles hadn’t started until he hit junior high. How did an eight-year-old get so messed up that she dealt with the world by keeping her distance from it and staying silent?
“Nice seeing you,” he said, and pushed open the door. “And nice meeting your kids. I hope everything comes in handy.”
“It will. Thank you again. Really. It’s more than you should have done.” She reached for his hand, and Mike’s heart flopped in his chest until he remembered their stupid agreement. No touching. But this wasn’t going to be anything except a handshake, right? Her hand was almost inside his when a familiar voice called out his name.
“Mike Springer?”
Sienna froze. He turned. Harmony Donaldson, too made-up and too smiley, stood in the hall. A gaggle of kids stretched out in a long line behind her. “What are you doing here?” Her gaze moved from Mike to Sienna and back again.
“Just stopped
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