hand. “Come over and sit with us.”
Dash hung up his jacket and joined them on the rug. Oh, boy. He hadn’t sat cross-legged in a long time. He hoped he’d be able to get up later. He glanced at the mute girl, who sat in one of the bean bags chairs across the room. She stared at him. He smiled, and she ducked her chin. Sienna began to read about a raccoon family that lived in the forest.
“One day, Mother Raccoon came home to find that Rocky had disappeared.” Sienna raised her eyebrows and made a big O with her mouth. “What do you think happened to him?”
One of the twins shot up his hand.
“Yes, Billy?”
“I think Rocky went to play with his friends even though his mother told him not to.”
Sienna turned the page but kept the illustration hidden. “Should we find out?”
They all nodded, and she revealed the picture. “You were right, Billy. Rocky went off to play with his friends without asking permission.” She swept the room with a serious gaze. “Should you ever go off to play without asking permission from an adult? Do you think that’s a smart thing to do?”
“No,” they crowed in unison. Dash looked again at the girl. She hadn’t spoken a word, but she looked rapt at the storytelling. This time when their eyes met, she didn’t look away.
Sienna finished the last page and closed the book. “I think we have time for one more today,” she said. “Who wants to choose?”
“Mr. Springer should,” Caleb said. “And he should read the story to us.”
Dash froze.
“Yes, yes,” the other boys agreed.
Sienna pointed at the bookcase. “It’s all yours.”
“Thought I’d just drop by and watch,” he mumbled as he got up. That extra set of squats and lunges was killing him right about now.
“Nope, we like to put visitors right to work,” she said.
He ran his finger along the spines of the books. Many were so worn he could barely read the titles. Finally he came to one he recognized, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel. “My mom used to read me this one all the time.” He wondered where his own dog-eared copy had ended up.
Sienna stood and patted the rocker. “It’s all yours.”
He arched a brow. “Gee, thanks.”
“My pleasure.” Laughter touched her light brown eyes, and an unfamiliar feeling turned over inside Dash’s chest. Not pure desire, but something else, something deeper.
He sat, opened the book, and read the opening lines. His voice sounded rough to his own ears. When had he read a kid’s book aloud? Never. Not even as a kid. His mom had always done the reading at bedtime. He glanced at his audience, who waited expectantly. Caleb folded his hands under his chin like he was listening to the president of the United States. If these kids really knew my past...
Blood crawled up Dash’s cheeks, and his tongue felt thick inside his mouth. C’mon, Springer, get it together. He glued his eyes to the pages and kept them there. The words weren’t tough. The story was a good one. The minutes seemed interminably long, but somehow he reached the end of the book. His back and hands were damp with sweat.
“Thank you!” Sienna led the class in applause. “That was wonderful, wasn’t it?” She looked at the clock. “I’m not sure we have any more—” She stopped. Dash followed her gaze to the back of the room.
The girl had gotten out of her bean bag chair and walked to the bookcase. She scanned the books and then pulled one off the bottom shelf. Carrying it in both hands like it was a serving platter, she walked over to Dash and held it out. He didn’t speak. Neither did she. Am I supposed to read this? He wasn’t sure what she wanted. But she was studying him with blue eyes so serious he didn’t dare say no.
“Ah, thank you,” he said as he took the book. She scuttled back to her corner.
“I can’t believe it,” Sienna said a few minutes later when he’d finished reading. Thankfully the book had been short, mostly pictures, and Dash made it through with ease. Now the room was filled with the chatter of voices and the sound of backpacks being zipped up to take home. “Dawn’s never done that. And I mean never. She barely interacts with me most days. I’ve never seen her come up to a stranger.”
A strange, simple pleasure filled him. “I’m glad.” He caught her gaze and held