be in school. I was hoping he’d feel good enough over the weekend to come to school today, but it’s almost morning recess and he’s not here yet. I still haven’t gotten a message that he’s not coming, so I keep watching the parking lot for a blue Chevy Lumina. I’ve just finished the new math unit and am handing out the worksheet when I see it roll into an empty parking space.
“Take one and pass it down,” I say to the class. “We’ll spend the twenty minutes before recess working on these, then go over them when . . .” But then Rob steps out of the car and I lose my train of thought. He slings Sherm’s backpack over his shoulder, then moves to the passenger side and opens the door for him.
Snickers from the class pull me back to the room.
“Um . . . we’ll go over the answers when you come back in,” I finish, handing out papers to the front row.
When Rob ushers Sherm into the room a minute later, I can’t take my eyes off the cast on Sherm’s left arm. The blue sling tugs at his neck, causing him to hunch over a little.
A lead weight sinks in my stomach. I can’t believe I did this to him. As Sherm starts toward his seat in the back, I notice the bruise under Rob’s left eye has faded since Thursday, now more blue than purple.
“Sherm,” I say, lowering my lashes, avoiding Big Brother’s eyes at all costs . . . for a number of reasons, guilt being the primary one at the moment.
Sherm stops and looks at me, and I wave him toward my desk.
“Do you want to sit here?” I ask, gesturing to Jason’s desk. “He won’t be back this year.”
My gaze shifts to Rob of its own accord and he rakes his teeth over his lower lip. The gesture is so damn sexy I have to fight for my next breath.
I tear my eyes away from him. “So, what do you think?” I ask Sherm.
“Okay,” he says and clambers into the seat, one leg tucked under him and his left arm cradled to his stomach.
Rob sets Sherm’s backpack down next to his desk, then leans in and asks in a low voice, “He’s expelled?”
I nod. “He and his two friends.”
“I got new puppies,” Sherm says. “Can I bring them for show-and-tell?”
“Wow!” I say. “More than one?”
He nods vigorously. “Crash and Burn.”
I can’t stop the laugh. “Okay, then. I’m sure we can work out a day for you to bring them.”
“Just let me know when,” Rob says, then turns for the door.
“Mr. Davidson?” I call on a desperate urge just as he’s opening it.
He turns slowly and levels me in his heated gaze.
“If you could wait for about ten minutes until recess, I’d like to have a word.”
He holds me hypnotized by those intense eyes for what feels like forever. “I’ll be outside,” he finally says.
I let out the breath I was holding as he slips through the door.
I spend the next ten minutes until the recess bell catching Sherm up on the math unit while the other students work on their handout. “I’ll give you everything you missed Friday to take home. You have all the time you need to make it up, and if anything is confusing, bring it in and we’ll talk about it, okay?”
He nods and slides out of his seat. Macie comes to his side and leads him out to recess.
I smooth my skirt and follow them. When I look toward the parking lot, Rob is leaning against the fender of his car, one fist deep in his jeans pocket and the other holding his phone to his ear. He pushes off the car and starts sauntering my way when he sees me.
“Yeah, just getting him settled,” he says into the phone as he reaches me. “Tell Danni I’ll be there as soon as I can.” He disconnects, shoving his phone in his pocket, then stands there staring at me.
I clear my throat and push the door wider. “What happened to your eye?”
“Ran into the door.”
He says it with no expression whatsoever, and I have no idea if it’s the truth. Usually I’m pretty good at telling if people are lying. I’m dying to ask who Danni is and what that call was about, but I force myself to focus on the issue at hand. “I wanted to talk about Sherm.”