her hair. She jerked her chin at Gabby in greeting and made a straight line to the thermostat, sighing when the heater began to blow dust through the vents.
"Fall has arrived," she declared. "And it kinda sucks."
I nodded in agreement. "I just hope it won't be crazy today."
"Usually isn't when it's raining," Ashley promised. "Is my brother getting the other kids?"
Gabby groaned, so I decided to help her out. "They're not kids, Ashley, but yes, he is. Trent, too."
"Until they can drink legally they are," she said, playfully winking at Gabby. "And Seth picked me up, which means the rest are on delivery duty as well. I'll call the gate and make sure they tell the bus driver to come into the parking lot so no one has to get any wetter than necessary."
Then, load by load, the guys all brought back small groups of kids. Some were the elementary students, who'd all been bundled up in plastic raincoats. Others were middle-schoolers, a mix of those trying to be cool and those who wanted to stay dry. The high school students stood out. Not a single one wore any rain gear, but all the girls checked their makeup as soon as they made it inside the office.
It was also the first time I got to actually see Gabby's friend Olivia. She was a pretty girl, and the kind who looked popular. Her long, golden-brown hair was streaked through with blonde highlights, but her heavy eye makeup and stark lipstick proved she wasn't the demure type. No, Olivia looked more like one of the "mean girls" than a teacher's pet.
Still, she waved at me with a, "Morning, Ms. Castillo," before the pair began giggling in the corner.
Roman showed up with the last load, and Ian followed him in. I couldn't look at the latter for fear of blushing, so I gave my daughter's love interest my full attention. He seemed like a good kid. The kind some mothers would worry about, but his dark choice of clothing and his spiked hair seemed more like teen expression than any sign of criminal intent. That he immediately went straight for Gabby? That was pretty much all that mattered.
She was clearly the center of his world, at least for right now. Granted, I wasn't about to tell my daughter how quickly romance could burn out at her age. For now, she was smitten, and the smile she turned on the boy proved it. All I could do was pretend to be interested in my computer screen so I didn't make some foolish mom comment.
Eventually, though, the bus came, and the kids filed out. The adults, however, didn't. When it was finally quiet in the office, Ian moved to my side and leaned over. I braced for him to say something about last night. Instead, he just placed his mouth right by my ear.
"If it's still raining when you get off, call me. I'll drive you back so you can stay dry."
I couldn't help myself. I glanced up and met his eyes. "Really?"
He nodded once. "Not a problem at all. Thought you'd have figured that out by now." Then he gently squeezed my shoulder and stood back up. "There's a drainage problem up on Forest Drive. Ash, I'm going to check it out. If you see Pax?"
"I'll send him that way," she promised.
He didn't even make it through the door before Trent was back. The pair passed each other with a nod of their heads. Me? I was starting to feel a little tense. Ian knew. Trent had been involved. The only thing worse would be if Pax passed through the office next. Or so I thought.
Instead, Trent walked over to my desk, aiming for the drawer with the keys. "You need these?" he asked.
"Not going outside if I can help it," I promised.
So he took them, then brushed a light kiss across my cheek. I didn't move. Not until he was not only in his truck, but out of the parking lot. Only then did I let out the heavy sigh that had been building the whole time. Of course, Ashley was standing across the room, grinning at me like something from that play Gabby had been rehearsing.
"You know I saw that, right?" she asked.
I pointed at my screen. "I need to get these replies out."
She blew that off. "Like hell you do. Spill." When I didn't, she marched over and turned my chair away from the desk so I was facing her. "What