Maizy the Bear Charmer(Diving Creek Ranch 16)(9)

The hint of vulnerability in Cody’s eyes and sensual curve of his lips knocked her off-kilter. “You have it right. Call me?”

She grinded the starter again and bowed her forehead to the steering wheel. “Poor baby,” she said and patted Gertrude’s dashboard. They probably thought she was off her rocker.

When she turned back to her window they were all grinning but she didn’t see ridicule in their eyes. They seemed like they understood.

Spencer put his hand on the hood and said, “Please be careful on the wet roads.”

Maizy was a little surprised at the real concern she saw in his golden eyes. Chaz had hated her Bug but he’d never cautioned her about driving in the rain.

“I will. I’ll call you.”

They nodded and backed away from her car as she put it in gear and reversed carefully.

Heath gave her a little wave and she smiled and waved back. Yeah, that was crazy. What’s even crazier is the fact that I didn’t turn them down right on the spot. I need to talk to Lucy!

Four minutes later, she was waved through the road construction just down from her school by a construction worker who smiled and winked at her as she passed him. She chuckled and rolled her eyes. Several of them had been flirting with her for the last two weeks as she’d come and gone from the school each day.

Construction was going on in the large parcel of land next to Divine Memorial Elementary School, where a brand-new, state-of-the-art middle school was being built. Construction was projected to take several months, and until then she had to factor driving delays because of the necessary roadwork.

Besides the noise and an increase in the amount of dust finding its way into her classroom, the construction has caused another exciting development. All the critters nesting and living in that wooded acreage were seeking new digs and several had found their way into the school. She giggled as she recalled the start the school librarian had received when she’d walked into the library one morning, flipped on the lights, and been faced with a female opossum and her babies. How it’d gotten into the library was still a mystery. Thankfully, they had a custodian who didn’t mind dealing with small varmints.

She pulled into the school parking lot and sighed as she parked. Some things never changed. Mr. Ambrose stood at the porte cochère in front of the school, eyes on his watch. He was greeting all the teachers as they walked toward the main entry, which would be buzzing with activity in half an hour. Mr. Ambrose was nice enough but he usually kept his employees at arm’s length and expected them to obey the teacher handbook to the letter, hence the watch-minding.

Trotting across the parking lot to get out of the mist, she greeted him cheerfully as she carried the food and coffees. She felt a little sorry for him because most of the teachers and staff poked fun at him behind his back. Maybe it was his tweed jacket and bow tie. Or the nerd glasses. She always rooted for the underdog so she wasn’t going to laugh at him. He was her boss, after all, along with the school board.

“Good morning, Miss Owen.”

“Good morning, Mr. Ambrose. I’m not late, am I?” she said, glancing at her watch.

Mr. Ambrose shook his head. “You still had one minute and forty-five seconds. You look very nice today. Very ladylike.”

“Thank you, sir!” she called as she hurried through the big open entry doors. The smell of the school on the first day, freshly painted, floors waxed, clean and shiny made her smile.

I love my job! This was would be a long day for her class, after having been at home all summer long. The schedule would be brief periods of orientation to the classroom environment mingled with time on the playground, the gymnasium, and the story circle in her room.

She smiled, anticipating the one or two students who might struggle all year, with varying degrees of success. She was up to the challenge, just to see that “aha!” moment when the little light bulb would go on upstairs and shine through their eyes. To make things even better, her nephew PJ was one of her pupils this year.

“Hey, Tinker Bell!” Jan Gaylord called from the doorway of the first grade classroom. “Ready or not?”

Laughing at the familiar nickname her coworker always used, Maizy hurried down to Jan and held up the tray. “Your cup has your name on it, Jan.”

Jan’s eyes went big and her cheeks turned pink. “That’s so thoughtful of you. I missed my coffee this morning.”

“I figured you might be able to use the extra caffeine today.”

Jan sipped from the cup and smiled. “It’s perfect. Thank you.” In a low voice, she whispered, “I heard about Chaz.”

“It was for the best.”