The Sweetgum Ladies Knit for Love - By Beth Pattillo Page 0,16

landed with a plop. The students groaned when they saw the title, except for Sissy Darlington, the class brain. She let out a long sigh of contentment.

Hannah refused to show any visible sign of interest. Instead, she studied the head of the guy sitting in front of her and wondered why she hadn’t noticed him in class before. His sandy hair curled in a messy-but-cute way, and his shoulders were seriously wide. She hadn’t been paying attention when she dove for her desk, and now she wished she had. The guy must be new, because even though she could only see the back of his head, she should be able to recognize him. Sweetgum High School didn’t have that many freshmen.

And then the realization hit her, just at the moment when Mrs. Budge dropped the book on the desk in front of her.

Romeo and Juliet.

Josh Hargrove.

The two facts exploded in her brain simultaneously.

Apparently God had taken notice of her behavior last year before she’d quit hanging out at the cemetery with Kristen and her slacker friends. Apparently God hadn’t forgotten, because He was punishing her.

“William Shakespeare.” Mrs. Budge pronounced the name with reverence.

She droned on about his major contributions to the English language, but Hannah tuned her out as she clutched the book and willed Josh Hargrove to keep facing the front of the room. To his right, Courtney McGavin, in her freshman pompom-girl sweater and short skirt, shot him little flirty smiles, but Josh was oblivious. Good. That was a good sign, Hannah told herself. If he could ignore a bombshell like Courtney, his intelligence must not have evaporated the moment his mother drove him over the state line to Alabama.

But if he was in freshman honors English, he couldn’t be a complete idiot. Or lacking in memory.

“I’m going to put you in teams of three,” Mrs. Budge said, “and I want you to read, starting on page seventy-eight, to get a feel for the language.”

Hannah’s stomach knotted. She knew what was coming. She was Hannah Simmons after all, and while she’d gotten a few breaks recently, her luck was about to go south, just as it always did.

Mrs. Budge looked in Hannah’s direction. “The three of you are a group.” She gestured at the little triangle of desks that included Hannah, Courtney, and Josh. Then she moved on. “You three there. And the three in the back.” She kept going, but Hannah didn’t care. Her fate was sealed. If she had to face Josh Hargrove, why couldn’t plain and plump Sissy Darlington be the buffer instead of Courtney?

“Hi!” Courtney swung her desk around to face Josh.

“Hey.” He half stood and pivoted his desk as well, and then there he was, looking at her. And smiling.

Dimples? He had dimples?

“I’m Courtney.” She stuck out her hand, professionally manicured of course, and Josh took it. “Welcome to Sweetgum.”

“Thanks.” His smile changed—still there but not as genuine. “I appreciate it.”

Hannah took a deep breath and decided she might as well get it over with. “Hey, Josh.”

The real smile returned, the one that reached all the way to his brown eyes. “Hey, Hannah.”

Confusion etched Courtney’s MAC-heavy face. “You two know each other?”

Hannah looked at Josh, and he winked at her. She suddenly felt ten pounds lighter. “Josh used to live in Sweetgum, Courtney. He went to elementary school with us.”

Her eyes widened. “Really?”

Josh leaned back in his desk, and his long legs sprawled out. “Really.”

Courtney chewed her lip. You could tell she was thinking hard, searching her memory but coming up empty. Josh took pity on her.

“I was about half the size I am now, big glasses, and in need of an orthodontist.” He flashed a now-perfect smile.

Courtney blushed, but her discomfort lasted only a nanosecond. She quickly regained her pompom-girl poise. “Well, welcome back.” She glanced back at Hannah. “Were you all friends or something? Before he moved?”

Josh nodded. “Or something.” Two cryptic words that sent a shiver up Hannah’s spine.

“Welcome home,” she said, because she couldn’t think of anything else to say. Now that he wasn’t focused on Courtney, he was looking at her instead. Seeing every flaw no doubt. Realizing that while he had turned into a major hottie, she hadn’t. That knot re-formed in her stomach.

“Thanks.” His gaze fell from hers, and he looked down at the book on his desk. “I guess wed better read this, huh?”

“I’ll be Juliet,” Courtney said, regaining control of the conversation. “Hannah, you be…well, whoever else there is.” She was like a general