Roman's Vow (Riley's Pride #4) - Sandra R Neeley Page 0,50
Waters’ desk.
Darcie got a kick out of that and laughed so hard she had Roman chuckling as they walked in.
“Good morning, Darcie! Good morning, Mr. Lyakhov. How are we today?” Mrs. Waters asked.
“We’re ready to get started,” Roman answered.
“Well, let’s get you to class and introduced,” Mrs. Waters said, guiding them back out of the office. “I’m going to let you lead us, Darcie, just to be sure you know where you're going.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Darcie answered, still holding tight to Roman’s hand. She led them directly to her classroom without hesitation.
Mrs. Waters knocked lightly on the door and opened it, poking her head in. “Good morning, Ms. Springton. We have a new student joining your class this morning.”
“Come on in,” the woman said, from her place at her desk.
Mrs. Waters opened the door all the way and stepped inside the classroom followed by Darcie and Roman. “Children, this is Darcie Davis-Lyakhov, and her father, Mr. Lyakhov. She’s joining your class today.”
“Let’s welcome Darcie, kids,” Ms. Springton said, as she hurried to get from behind the desk when Roman walked in.
“Hello, Darcie,” the kids all singsonged.
Darcie blushed and smiled shyly, but waved at the class.
“I’m so pleased to meet you, Mr. Lyakhov,” the teacher said, holding her hand out for him to shake.
Roman smiled at the teacher and briefly shook her hand. “Likewise,” he said, before turning his attention to Darcie.
“Darcie, you can hang your backpack beneath one of the cubbys at the back of the room. Choose whichever you prefer that is not yet taken. Then we’ll see if I can get you a math workbook and you can get started.”
“I have my workbook,” Darcie said.
“Oh, you do?” Ms. Springton asked.
“Yes, ma’am. My Daddy made sure I had everything I’d need,” she answered.
“Very good. If you’ll bring your workbook and some pencils back to your desk, we’ll get started as soon as we take roll. You can sit wherever you like,” the teacher told her.
Darcie looked up at Roman and let go of his hand, then started down a row of desks toward the back of the room where the cubbys and the hooks for the backpacks were.
“Psst!” Darcie heard from a few rows over.
Darcie looked in that direction and found a little girl with long brown hair pulled into a ponytail with a yellow ribbon in it, and big brown eyes smiling at her. “My backpack is the yellow one,” she said. “There’s a place beside mine, and then you can sit by me, too!” she said, pointing at an empty desk beside hers.
Darcie smiled back and nodded. She went to the back of the room, hung her backpack up, took off her jacket and hung it on the hook beside her backpack like the other kids had done, then pulled her math workbook and pencils out of her backpack and went back to the empty desk beside the little girl.
Ms. Springton was speaking to Roman while all this was happening, but he still kept an eye on Darcie while she put her things away. “If she has any trouble keeping up, I’m available for tutoring during lunch or after school. I’ll be glad to help her anytime she needs me.”
“Thank you, but I think she’ll do just fine. She may need a little time to adjust but I’m sure once she does she’ll be able to keep up with no problem. If you find she needs additional instruction after the first week or two, please let me know,” Roman said.
“I will,” Ms. Springton said, smiling brightly at Roman, obviously taken with him.
“Darcie, I’m going to head out so you can get started,” Roman said. He didn’t know if she’d be embarrassed if he went to give her a hug, so he didn’t.
Darcie was listening to her new friend while she told her all about the class and how things worked. She looked up when Roman said he was leaving and she was immediately out of her chair and rushing toward him. She raised her arms as she got to his side and he squatted down to better reach her. He hugged her and kissed her cheek. “Have a good day, baby,” he said. “I’ll be waiting when you get out of school.”
“Okay, Daddy,” she said, then she hugged him again and whispered in his ear. “I already have a friend, she likes ribbons in her hair, like me.”
Roman grinned at her, then smiled at the little girl that had welcomed Darcie. “’Cause she’s awesome, too,” he said.