Spring Secrets - Allie Boniface Page 0,42
it, and something passed between them, a current he didn’t want to break.
“Miss Cruz! It’s time for us to walk out to the buses.”
“Ah, yes, Caleb, thank you.” She lowered her voice. “Can you wait around a few minutes? Or do you have to get back to work?”
“I can wait around.” He stuffed his hands inside his pockets and tried to play it cool as she shuffled the students out the door. But as soon as she was gone, he collapsed back in the rocker. Teaching sure is tough. Who was he kidding? Reading aloud was tough. Give him the front desk of the gym or a set of weights and he’d be happy all day long.
Sienna returned a few minutes later, cheeks pink and hair tousled from the winter wind.
“Still cold out there?”
She laughed. “Isn’t it always?”
He stood. “I should go. I mean, since read-along time is officially over.”
“You did a good job.”
“I thought I was going to pass out,” he confessed. “I don’t think I’ve ever read a book out loud in my life. I’m not exactly the intellectual type.”
She put her hands on her hips. “You keep saying things like that, like hating school and making bad decisions and not being a reader and such. But you know what I see?”
His tongue worked itself into the corner of his mouth. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know what she saw. Something that would never measure up, he knew that much.
“I see a guy who cares about other people. Who works harder than anyone else I know.” She laid one hand on his arm, just below the footsteps walking into the sun. “You’re a good guy, Dash Springer, no matter how much you try to keep up that tough-guy exterior.”
HE CAME TO READ-ALONG.
Every time Sienna thought she had Dash Springer pegged, he surprised her. She’d loved watching him with the kids, loved the way his brow furrowed as he read the stories to them. She finished her lesson plans, watered the plants on the window sill, and hummed. Last night she’d found the perfect dress for the fundraiser. Not quite black and tight the way Max had recommended, but she still couldn't wait to see the look on his face when he saw it.
She closed the classroom door and walked through the quiet halls. Everyone split on Fridays as soon as the buses left. Even the lobby was empty when she got there, except for Eva Hadley at the visitors’ desk. “Have a good weekend, Eva.”
“You too.” She gave Sienna a curious look. “So, you and Dash?”
“Me and Dash what?”
“You’re...” Eva flipped her manicured fingers in the air. “You’re, like, together now?”
“Not together. We’re just friends. He’s a good guy.”
“Yeah, he is.” She paused. “Too bad he was married before.”
Sienna blinked. “Really?” He never mentioned that. Maybe they weren’t really friends. Maybe they were more like acquaintances. Or training partners.
“You didn’t know?” Eva made a tsking sound. “I always try to keep my distance from divorced guys. You never know what went wrong the first time around.”
Chapter Twenty One
Sienna pinned her hair into a twist. She tilted her chin, turned to the side, checked the mirror, and took it down again. Too formal. She’d asked around, and this fundraiser was fancy but not black-tie. She pulled out the twist and started again. All down? Partly up? Finally she pinned up two small sections at each side of her face and decided to curl the rest.
Of course, I didn’t plug in my curling iron, so...
She jabbed the plug into the wall and took a long sip of the pre-party wine she’d poured herself. She wasn’t driving, she reasoned, and even though this wasn’t a date, it sure looked a lot like one from the outside. She needed a little something to calm her nerves. At ten minutes to six, she was still in her underwear when her phone buzzed with a text.
I’m outside. I know I’m early.
Sienna fumbled with her phone and dropped it on the floor, where it slid under the vanity. Damn. She bent, kicked it by accident, and it disappeared entirely. It buzzed again, somewhere in the dark. She dropped to her hands and knees and felt around the floor. This was getting ridiculous.
Not ready yet, she answered when she finally retrieved it.
No prob. I’ll go fill up the truck with gas. Back in 10.
Sienna set her phone aside and got to work curling her hair. She wasn’t sure ten minutes would be enough, but she’d