Read Online Turning Thirty-Twelve by Sandy James - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Sandy James
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out all the way.
He sighed and his warm breath was a caress against my cheek. “Sweet Jackie,” he whispered. “Where do we go from here?”
How about your room? “I don’t know, Mark. I really don’t know.”
He ran his hands down my arms and then laced his fingers through mine. “I know it’s probably weird to be kissing one of your student’s parents—”
I interrupted with a chuckle. “To say the least.”
“But I’d really like to us to get to know each other better.”
His face shifted into a mask of deep thought.
I waited patiently as he sorted through whatever it was that was tumbling through his brain. I wondered for a moment if this was how I looked when I disappeared in my own thoughts.
He turned his attention back to me as he gave my hands a reassuring squeeze. “I didn’t think... After Elaine died... I miss her so much. I never thought there would be someone else—that I’d replace her.” He took a ragged breath.
I brushed the back of my knuckles across his cheek, enjoying the sensation of his light whisker stubble rubbing against my skin. “I’d like to see you again.”
Mark grabbed my hand and then he pressed a kiss to my fingers. “I’ll walk you to your car.”
“Van.”
“Whatever,” he said with a chuckle.
At the door to my ancient minivan, I had a hard time letting him go back to his house. My ego didn’t suffer because he seemed to be having just as much difficulty in leaving. There was nothing hurried about him or his attention.
I felt the need to warn him. This could all come back to bite us both in the ass. “You know, people will talk. Carly might...hear gossip.”
The grapevine in this small town rivaled the Internet in speed of transmitting information. Unfortunately, the “facts” it passed along tended to be as distorted and inaccurate as the World Wide Web could be. I could almost feel the eyes peeking through their drapes as Mark leaned against my van and tugged me back into his embrace.
Mind your own damned business! I wanted to scream at them.
“Sweet Jackie. What are we doing here? I barely know you, but I feel like I’ve known you forever. And you’re right. I know people will talk, but I just don’t give a damn,” he said in that wonderful deep voice.
I touched my forehead to his. “I don’t know what we’re doing either, Mark. But I’m willing to take some time to figure it out.”
“Okay then.”
“Okay.”
“I’m heading back inside now.” He still held his forehead to mine.
“I can see that,” I said with a laugh. “I really should go.”
He kissed me again. Not a simple peck, a slow, toe-curling, promise of making slow, passionate love to you at some later date kiss. Just like some silly romance novel.
Shit!
I’d let him in, all the way in.
CHAPTER SIX
“He still hasn’t called?” Julie asked as we sat down to our pathetic rabbit food lunches.
I shook my head and fought back the threatening tears, knowing I would be putting very little of the carrot sticks, celery, and lettuce in my stomach. I had absolutely no appetite and even less inclination to talk, especially about Mark Brennan.
I never cried in front of other people. Patrick and Nate might have seen a tear or two. But David? Never .
If I cried in front of my mother, she would always tell me to suck it up and develop a spine. I learned at an early age to hide what I was feeling. Let’s just say I spent a lot of my adolescence hiding in my walk-in closet with a pillow to my face just so she wouldn’t hear me. I still used that tactic when I was married, preferring to conceal my hurt than display it.
I had only wept at school once. A parent called me all sorts of foul names because I refused to pass her child who’d turned in zero assignments for an entire grading period. The woman caught me right outside my classroom door a few minutes before first bell, so there was no escape. After her tirade, she was escorted from the grounds
He sighed and his warm breath was a caress against my cheek. “Sweet Jackie,” he whispered. “Where do we go from here?”
How about your room? “I don’t know, Mark. I really don’t know.”
He ran his hands down my arms and then laced his fingers through mine. “I know it’s probably weird to be kissing one of your student’s parents—”
I interrupted with a chuckle. “To say the least.”
“But I’d really like to us to get to know each other better.”
His face shifted into a mask of deep thought.
I waited patiently as he sorted through whatever it was that was tumbling through his brain. I wondered for a moment if this was how I looked when I disappeared in my own thoughts.
He turned his attention back to me as he gave my hands a reassuring squeeze. “I didn’t think... After Elaine died... I miss her so much. I never thought there would be someone else—that I’d replace her.” He took a ragged breath.
I brushed the back of my knuckles across his cheek, enjoying the sensation of his light whisker stubble rubbing against my skin. “I’d like to see you again.”
Mark grabbed my hand and then he pressed a kiss to my fingers. “I’ll walk you to your car.”
“Van.”
“Whatever,” he said with a chuckle.
At the door to my ancient minivan, I had a hard time letting him go back to his house. My ego didn’t suffer because he seemed to be having just as much difficulty in leaving. There was nothing hurried about him or his attention.
I felt the need to warn him. This could all come back to bite us both in the ass. “You know, people will talk. Carly might...hear gossip.”
The grapevine in this small town rivaled the Internet in speed of transmitting information. Unfortunately, the “facts” it passed along tended to be as distorted and inaccurate as the World Wide Web could be. I could almost feel the eyes peeking through their drapes as Mark leaned against my van and tugged me back into his embrace.
Mind your own damned business! I wanted to scream at them.
“Sweet Jackie. What are we doing here? I barely know you, but I feel like I’ve known you forever. And you’re right. I know people will talk, but I just don’t give a damn,” he said in that wonderful deep voice.
I touched my forehead to his. “I don’t know what we’re doing either, Mark. But I’m willing to take some time to figure it out.”
“Okay then.”
“Okay.”
“I’m heading back inside now.” He still held his forehead to mine.
“I can see that,” I said with a laugh. “I really should go.”
He kissed me again. Not a simple peck, a slow, toe-curling, promise of making slow, passionate love to you at some later date kiss. Just like some silly romance novel.
Shit!
I’d let him in, all the way in.
CHAPTER SIX
“He still hasn’t called?” Julie asked as we sat down to our pathetic rabbit food lunches.
I shook my head and fought back the threatening tears, knowing I would be putting very little of the carrot sticks, celery, and lettuce in my stomach. I had absolutely no appetite and even less inclination to talk, especially about Mark Brennan.
I never cried in front of other people. Patrick and Nate might have seen a tear or two. But David? Never .
If I cried in front of my mother, she would always tell me to suck it up and develop a spine. I learned at an early age to hide what I was feeling. Let’s just say I spent a lot of my adolescence hiding in my walk-in closet with a pillow to my face just so she wouldn’t hear me. I still used that tactic when I was married, preferring to conceal my hurt than display it.
I had only wept at school once. A parent called me all sorts of foul names because I refused to pass her child who’d turned in zero assignments for an entire grading period. The woman caught me right outside my classroom door a few minutes before first bell, so there was no escape. After her tirade, she was escorted from the grounds
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