Vanessa?”
“ Isn’t she the girl whose dad owns
Del Mar out in Nags Head?”
“ That’s her. She’s in town
visiting her cousin from Durham who’s going to school here.
Tomorrow she heads back to State for the fall semester. We’re all
going out tonight.”
“ Sounds cool,” I said. “Another
time then.”
“ You know it,” Derrick said,
clapping me on the back. “I’ll see ya, Mike.”
He jogged off toward his car. I walked back to
mine, admiring how nice the GTO still looked for a twenty-year-old
car.
I’d been home about an hour, organizing my
materials and schedules for the classes that’d be starting in a
couple days, when Maeve arrived fresh from her teacher work day.
She had her arms full of books and binders.
“ How was your first work day?” I
asked as I took a stack of books from her.
Her chest heaved with a big sigh, but a smile
curled her lips. “It was busy, busy, busy,” she said. “There’s so
much that has to be done before Open House. And all us Initially
Licensed Teachers have an ILT meeting tomorrow at Central Office
all day. I don’t know when I’m going to get all this
done.”
I set her books down at her end of the
table in our office-slash-study. My stuff was still spread out all
over the other end.
Picking up and looking at what must have been
a grammar book, I asked, “How soon is Open House?”
She dropped the rest of her burden on the
table and pushed back a few locks of strawberry blond hair that had
fallen in her eyes. “It’s the day after tomorrow.”
“ And you have to spend all day
tomorrow in a meeting?” I asked, eyes wide. “That sure doesn’t
leave you much time to get ready.”
Maeve shook her head, causing those errant
locks of hair to fall into her eyes again.
“ No, it doesn’t. That’s why I
brought all this home. Looks like I’m in for a late
night.”
“ I guess it’s a good thing I’ve
already taken care of supper,” I told her. “So you get organized
while I set the table.”
Maeve’s eyes grew wide in surprise. “You
cooked?”
A sheepish grin crossed my face. “Uh, to be
honest, no, I didn’t. Actually, I ordered calzones from Dupree’s.
They should be here any minute.”
“ I should have known,” Maeve said,
shaking her head, but she was smiling.
Over supper, Maeve looked at me, pointing her
knife and fork at the half a calzone left on her plate. “Why did
you order two? We never finish them.”
“ Leftovers,” I replied. “Now we
don’t have to worry about what to have tomorrow night.”
Maeve rolled her eyes and took a final bite.
After washing it down with the last of her iced tea, she looked up
and said, “Did I tell you the first football game was this
Friday?”
“ Do you want to go?” I asked. “We
can leave for River Dream first thing Saturday morning.”
“ Nah, it’s an away game. The next
week is at home; we’ll go to that one.”
“ All right,” I said. “We’ll plan
on that then.”
I got up and went to the cabinet to find
containers for our leftovers.
“ Did I mention that I saw Derrick
at the book store this morning?”
Maeve took the containers from me. “I knew you
were supposed to have lunch with him today. It makes sense that he
was at the book store, too. How’s he doing?”
“ He looked good. Basic training
didn’t hurt him any.”
Maeve laughed. “I didn’t think it would. Did
you tell him I’m still mad at him about missing our
wedding?”
“ I told him that’s why I couldn’t
invite him to supper tonight,” I said, trying hard to keep a
straight face.
Maeve slammed the refrigerator door and turned
to me. “Michael J. Lanier, you did not.”
I turned to the sink so she couldn’t see the
grin on my face. “Well, of course I did.”
She moved up behind me and I felt a sudden
pain as she pinched my neck. “You better be kidding,
mister.”
Spinning around, I grabbed her in a bear hug.
“Of course I’m kidding.”
I bent forward and kissed the
“ Isn’t she the girl whose dad owns
Del Mar out in Nags Head?”
“ That’s her. She’s in town
visiting her cousin from Durham who’s going to school here.
Tomorrow she heads back to State for the fall semester. We’re all
going out tonight.”
“ Sounds cool,” I said. “Another
time then.”
“ You know it,” Derrick said,
clapping me on the back. “I’ll see ya, Mike.”
He jogged off toward his car. I walked back to
mine, admiring how nice the GTO still looked for a twenty-year-old
car.
I’d been home about an hour, organizing my
materials and schedules for the classes that’d be starting in a
couple days, when Maeve arrived fresh from her teacher work day.
She had her arms full of books and binders.
“ How was your first work day?” I
asked as I took a stack of books from her.
Her chest heaved with a big sigh, but a smile
curled her lips. “It was busy, busy, busy,” she said. “There’s so
much that has to be done before Open House. And all us Initially
Licensed Teachers have an ILT meeting tomorrow at Central Office
all day. I don’t know when I’m going to get all this
done.”
I set her books down at her end of the
table in our office-slash-study. My stuff was still spread out all
over the other end.
Picking up and looking at what must have been
a grammar book, I asked, “How soon is Open House?”
She dropped the rest of her burden on the
table and pushed back a few locks of strawberry blond hair that had
fallen in her eyes. “It’s the day after tomorrow.”
“ And you have to spend all day
tomorrow in a meeting?” I asked, eyes wide. “That sure doesn’t
leave you much time to get ready.”
Maeve shook her head, causing those errant
locks of hair to fall into her eyes again.
“ No, it doesn’t. That’s why I
brought all this home. Looks like I’m in for a late
night.”
“ I guess it’s a good thing I’ve
already taken care of supper,” I told her. “So you get organized
while I set the table.”
Maeve’s eyes grew wide in surprise. “You
cooked?”
A sheepish grin crossed my face. “Uh, to be
honest, no, I didn’t. Actually, I ordered calzones from Dupree’s.
They should be here any minute.”
“ I should have known,” Maeve said,
shaking her head, but she was smiling.
Over supper, Maeve looked at me, pointing her
knife and fork at the half a calzone left on her plate. “Why did
you order two? We never finish them.”
“ Leftovers,” I replied. “Now we
don’t have to worry about what to have tomorrow night.”
Maeve rolled her eyes and took a final bite.
After washing it down with the last of her iced tea, she looked up
and said, “Did I tell you the first football game was this
Friday?”
“ Do you want to go?” I asked. “We
can leave for River Dream first thing Saturday morning.”
“ Nah, it’s an away game. The next
week is at home; we’ll go to that one.”
“ All right,” I said. “We’ll plan
on that then.”
I got up and went to the cabinet to find
containers for our leftovers.
“ Did I mention that I saw Derrick
at the book store this morning?”
Maeve took the containers from me. “I knew you
were supposed to have lunch with him today. It makes sense that he
was at the book store, too. How’s he doing?”
“ He looked good. Basic training
didn’t hurt him any.”
Maeve laughed. “I didn’t think it would. Did
you tell him I’m still mad at him about missing our
wedding?”
“ I told him that’s why I couldn’t
invite him to supper tonight,” I said, trying hard to keep a
straight face.
Maeve slammed the refrigerator door and turned
to me. “Michael J. Lanier, you did not.”
I turned to the sink so she couldn’t see the
grin on my face. “Well, of course I did.”
She moved up behind me and I felt a sudden
pain as she pinched my neck. “You better be kidding,
mister.”
Spinning around, I grabbed her in a bear hug.
“Of course I’m kidding.”
I bent forward and kissed the
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