does.
Tom put the note down, unable to stop smiling. It didn’t seem to matter how hard he tried to ignore the woman, she kept popping back up in his thoughts. Or right now on paper in front of him. He hadn’t even known six-year-olds could write that well.
“Whatcha doing?”
Tom dropped the note and cleared his throat. Caught out. “Oh, nothing, just emptying out your bag.”
“Were you looking at my things?” Gabby had her hands on her hips.
“Nope,” he said, shaking his head as he pushed her books forward. “But I’ve been trying to find your homework.”
“But Tommy, it’s my last night,” she whined. “I don’t have to hand it in till Monday. Can’t we have fun?”
She sure knew how to work him. Her parents were back in the morning and it did seem stupid not to have fun on their last evening together. “Okay, I’ll make you a deal.”
Gabby looked up eagerly, eyes alight.
“You read some of that story to me we started the other day, then we can watch a movie together. Eat some popcorn or something.”
“Yay!” She ran around to him and flung her arms around his hips, holding on tight. “Thanks, Tommy.”
He gave her a pat on the head as she stopped squeezing, watched her skip back off to the spare room she liked to call her own.
But as soon as she was out of eyesight he rustled up a piece of paper and started to write a note of his own.
Maybe Caitlin couldn’t ever truly understand what he’d been through, but he liked her and he’d been rude.
If he wasn’t man enough to apologize to a woman for his behavior, then he wasn’t worthy of the position he’d held as a SEAL. He needed to suck it up, be a man and say sorry.
* * *
“Gabby?” Caitlin stood behind her desk, leaning toward her young pupil. “You know how I feel about notes being passed in my class.”
She watched confusion cross Gabby’s face as she put the neatly folded piece of paper on her desk. “But it’s for you.”
Caitlin’s eyebrows rose. “For me?”
Gabby giggled and ran back to her seat.
“Ten more minutes to finish your writing,” Caitlin instructed, before sitting back down herself. “Then you can all share your stories with the class.”
She carefully unfolded the paper and looked to the end of the letter as soon as she had it unfolded. Tom. His name was printed neatly at the end, his handwriting bold and uniform, just as she imagined he was at work.
For the first time since he’d walked out on her, his name made her smile.
Caitlin looked up to make sure all her children were busy before letting her eyes rove back to the start. Her pulse started to race, body tingling with…anticipation. She’d never been sent a letter by a man before.
Dear Caitlin,
Gabby came home with a note in her bag last night and it made me think of you. I’m sorry for the way I behaved. Thank you for a lovely dinner and please don’t think I’m some rude idiot with bad manners. My mom would kill me if she found out.
Meet me Saturday afternoon? I’d like to make it up to you if you don’t mind giving me a second chance. Let’s go hiking. I’ll pick you up around
2:00 p.m.
Tom.
Caitlin could feel the heat in her cheeks, flushed from reading the words he’d penned. She scanned the letter again before tucking it into the top drawer of her desk.
A note, huh? Almost cute, and he was right, he had been a brute. But she was always telling her pupils that sometimes all a person needed was a second chance, so she’d be a hypocrite to say no. Right?
Caitlin pulled out a clean sheet of paper and picked up her pen, toying with it, playing with it between her fingers and chewing on the end while she figured out what to write.
* * *
She worried the edges of the paper of the paper until they were creased after she’d scribbled her reply before folding it into a square and standing. She walked to Gabby’s desk and crouched down, tucking the note into the front pocket of her bag.
“This
Tom put the note down, unable to stop smiling. It didn’t seem to matter how hard he tried to ignore the woman, she kept popping back up in his thoughts. Or right now on paper in front of him. He hadn’t even known six-year-olds could write that well.
“Whatcha doing?”
Tom dropped the note and cleared his throat. Caught out. “Oh, nothing, just emptying out your bag.”
“Were you looking at my things?” Gabby had her hands on her hips.
“Nope,” he said, shaking his head as he pushed her books forward. “But I’ve been trying to find your homework.”
“But Tommy, it’s my last night,” she whined. “I don’t have to hand it in till Monday. Can’t we have fun?”
She sure knew how to work him. Her parents were back in the morning and it did seem stupid not to have fun on their last evening together. “Okay, I’ll make you a deal.”
Gabby looked up eagerly, eyes alight.
“You read some of that story to me we started the other day, then we can watch a movie together. Eat some popcorn or something.”
“Yay!” She ran around to him and flung her arms around his hips, holding on tight. “Thanks, Tommy.”
He gave her a pat on the head as she stopped squeezing, watched her skip back off to the spare room she liked to call her own.
But as soon as she was out of eyesight he rustled up a piece of paper and started to write a note of his own.
Maybe Caitlin couldn’t ever truly understand what he’d been through, but he liked her and he’d been rude.
If he wasn’t man enough to apologize to a woman for his behavior, then he wasn’t worthy of the position he’d held as a SEAL. He needed to suck it up, be a man and say sorry.
* * *
“Gabby?” Caitlin stood behind her desk, leaning toward her young pupil. “You know how I feel about notes being passed in my class.”
She watched confusion cross Gabby’s face as she put the neatly folded piece of paper on her desk. “But it’s for you.”
Caitlin’s eyebrows rose. “For me?”
Gabby giggled and ran back to her seat.
“Ten more minutes to finish your writing,” Caitlin instructed, before sitting back down herself. “Then you can all share your stories with the class.”
She carefully unfolded the paper and looked to the end of the letter as soon as she had it unfolded. Tom. His name was printed neatly at the end, his handwriting bold and uniform, just as she imagined he was at work.
For the first time since he’d walked out on her, his name made her smile.
Caitlin looked up to make sure all her children were busy before letting her eyes rove back to the start. Her pulse started to race, body tingling with…anticipation. She’d never been sent a letter by a man before.
Dear Caitlin,
Gabby came home with a note in her bag last night and it made me think of you. I’m sorry for the way I behaved. Thank you for a lovely dinner and please don’t think I’m some rude idiot with bad manners. My mom would kill me if she found out.
Meet me Saturday afternoon? I’d like to make it up to you if you don’t mind giving me a second chance. Let’s go hiking. I’ll pick you up around
2:00 p.m.
Tom.
Caitlin could feel the heat in her cheeks, flushed from reading the words he’d penned. She scanned the letter again before tucking it into the top drawer of her desk.
A note, huh? Almost cute, and he was right, he had been a brute. But she was always telling her pupils that sometimes all a person needed was a second chance, so she’d be a hypocrite to say no. Right?
Caitlin pulled out a clean sheet of paper and picked up her pen, toying with it, playing with it between her fingers and chewing on the end while she figured out what to write.
* * *
She worried the edges of the paper of the paper until they were creased after she’d scribbled her reply before folding it into a square and standing. She walked to Gabby’s desk and crouched down, tucking the note into the front pocket of her bag.
“This
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