Touched by Angels Page 0,63

raised his head slowly, his look tortured. "But then I haven't found the courage to tell anyone."

Hannah waited, knowing Carl would get around to explaining himself eventually. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair and refused to look at her.

"I lost my position with the school," he blurted out, then squeezed his eyes closed. "I couldn't take it any longer, and I got into an argument with Hiram. Since he's the headmaster and I'm nothing more than a teacher, he fired me." Carl raised his head and squared his shoulders. "If you want to call off the wedding, I'll understand. I don't deserve a good woman like you."

Brynn didn't tell anyone about the formal reprimand that Mr. Whalen had placed inside her employment file. There didn't seem to be any need. Everything he'd said was true. She had stepped over the line, but try as she would, Brynn couldn't make herself regret the impromptu discussion with her students. If she'd managed to reach just one member of her class, then it had been worth the trouble.

Her thoughts were heavy as she made her way home that afternoon. Dinner was simmering on top of the stove when her telephone rang. She reached for it automatically.

"Hello," she said.

"It's Roberto."

Brynn closed her eyes. The sound of his voice, with his soft, lilting accent, was like sinking neck deep into a warm bath in the dead of winter.

"I heard you're teaching sex education now, too." He sounded more amused than angry with her, which was a welcome change.

"I really stuck my foot in it this time," she told him.

"Although he probably wouldn't come out and say as much, I think Emilio was grateful to have someone talk frankly about the subject. Girls can be pushy these days. As pushy as the boys."

"I'm sure that's true." After some of the things she'd seen in the last few weeks, there was little that would shock Brynn anymore.

"Although if you cared to get pushy with me, we might strike some agreement."

Brynn laughed. "Keep dreaming, Roberto."

The mechanic's chuckle slowly faded. "You do that to me," he said, his voice low and serious. "You make me want to dream, but then I wonder . . . Never mind. I didn't call you to talk about dreams."

"Oh?"

"I want to take you to dinner." His voice grew so serious that she wondered if there were some hidden significance behind his request.

"When?" she asked, not that it would have mattered to her. He could have suggested next June and she would have agreed readily.

"Is Friday all right?"

"Yes," she said automatically.

"I'll pick you up at six-thirty." How formal he sounded, as though he were unsure of himself.

"That'll be fine," she assured him. "I'll look forward to it."

"Me, too." The smile was back in his voice, as if to say now that the awkward part was over, he could go back to being himself. "Thank you, Brynn."

"Whatever for?" She was thinking his appreciation had something to do with what Emilio had told him about the class discussion.

"For agreeing to be my date."

Not until Brynn was talking to Father Grady did she realize the significance in Roberto's having asked her to dinner.

She met the parish priest after school, responding to a message he'd sent asking to speak with her. She guessed correctly that Father Grady had heard about her talk with her students.

"Are you going to lecture me about the error of my ways?" she asked him directly. They were walking toward the rectory. Father Grady's hands were folded behind his back, and he avoided meeting her eyes.

"No," he said slowly, "although I fully suspect you know the church's teachings in the area of birth control."

"I know, I just don't happen to agree."

Father Grady released a long, slow breath. "I'm not going to say anything about this again, but I'm disappointed in you, Brynn. I don't know what happened for you to decide it was your duty to discuss this particular subject with your class, but my guess is this entire matter was spontaneous on your part.

"I strongly suspect one of the girls is pregnant. Well, it isn't the first time, nor will it be the last. These things happen."

"Birth control - "

"Promotes promiscuity," the priest argued.

"It would be better if we agreed to disagree," Brynn said evenly. She didn't want to get into a verbal battle with the one person she considered her friend.

They didn't speak for several moments.

"Roberto asked me to dinner Friday night," Brynn said, wanting to break the tension between them.

Father Grady's