Holly's Wishes by Karen Pokras Page B

after school as planned.”
    Holly felt a pang of disappointment.
    “Oh, well …” She wasn’t sure how to respond. Disappointed? Indifferent?
    “Yeah. Unfortunately, I have to meet with some parents instead.” He sneered and rolled his eyes.
    “I thought only teachers rolled their eyes at parents. Aren’t principals supposed to be more diplomatic and professional?”
    Dan leaned in closer. “Only in public. I’ve got some good stories … especially from my prior school. I’m sure you’ve had your share of fun parents as well?”
    She nodded and smiled.
    “Maybe we can trade tales over lunch today? And talk more about the talent show, you know, so we’re not just sitting around making fun of moms and dads who make our jobs harder than they have to be.” He winked as he got up.
    “Sure.” She was a bit stunned at the invitation, and confused about his true intentions. “I have lunch at eleven forty-five.”
    “Great. Meet you back here with a couple of gourmet sandwiches from our five star cafeteria.”
     
    ~~~
     
    “No!” Holly said with a laugh. “They didn’t really say that!” She took the last bite of her sandwich and ran her tongue over her teeth, hoping there were no embarrassing pieces of food stuck there.
    “Scouts honor,” Dan said, holding up his three fingers in perfect formation. “Apparently they were proud of the fact that their kindergartener had such an advanced vocabulary.”
    “They do know there are better ways of encouraging language growth other than teaching him curse words, right?”
    “That’s what I tried to explain.”
    “What’d they say?”
    “What do you think they said?” Dan raised his eyebrows.
    “No they didn’t!” She started laughing all over again.
    “They did!”
    “What did you do?”
    “You mean after I scraped my chin off the floor? I told them if their child told the teacher to f-off again, he’d be suspended. The next week, I received a notice from the district that the family decided to homeschool.”
    “Wow, you really have heard it all.”
    “Pretty much, and I’ve only been doing this five years.” He paused as he propped his elbow on the desk and rested his chin in his hand. Smiling at Holly, he said, “I can’t wait to see what the next five brings.”
    He was talking about being a principal, wasn’t he?
    “I hear kids coming,” he continued, sitting back up.
    Holly peeked at the clock. Lunch period was way too short, especially when she was in good company. Good company with cute dimples.
    “I guess our time’s up,” Dan said, sounding as disappointed as she felt. “I’ve been going on about my job so much, we never did talk about the talent show. Sorry about that.”
     “That’s okay. Actually, I’ve been working on our routine a bit. I’ve got another few lines together … and some dance steps.”
    “Dance steps?” he asked, a concerned expression crossing his face.
    “Don’t worry, it’s nothing fancy. I’m not that coordinated. It’s more like a stepping back and forth while we rap type thing.”
    “So we’re not talking Gus-style moves,” Dan said, chuckling.
    “Oh God no!” Holly snorted and cackled at the same time. She brought her hand up to her mouth, embarrassed at the sound that had come out of her. She had to admit, despite her snackle, this was one of the most fun working lunches she’d ever had.
    “Well, I can’t wait to see it. Do you want to meet Thursday after school?”
     “Sounds perfect. See you then. And wear your dancing shoes,” Holly teased.
     

 
     
     
    Chapter 14
     
    Holly was in the kitchen cooking breakfast when she heard the apartment door open. The eggs were a tiny bit runny, and the bacon was almost burnt to a crisp—just the way Jared liked it.
    “Hol! Where are you? Holly!”
    “I’m in the kitchen,” she called out. If he’d stop for two seconds to take in the aromas, he’d know exactly where she was. The apartment wasn’t that big. She poured a tall