“Miss Owen, may I have a word?”
Maizy cringed inwardly, but smiled. “Certainly.” She opened the door to her classroom and allowed Mrs. Dumphrey to enter first. Mrs. Dumphrey pulled the door closed behind her and said, “Miss Owen, I wanted to share my concern with you.”
“About?”
“The rather large tattooed man I saw you with at the grocery store last weekend.”
“Yes, ma’am?” Maizy replied, bracing herself.
“The impression you make as a shaper of young minds is very important to the image of the Divine Independent School District. That wasn’t the first time I’d seen you with him. I also saw you at O’Reilley’s with him and two of his friends before they drove off on those obnoxiously loud Harley motorcycles. I understand that your brother, Patrick, has involved himself in an illicit relationship with another man and woman. I hope that you’re not…choosing the wrong path for yourself, as well. I know your father would be mortified—”
“What my father thinks has no bearing on my social life, Mrs. Dumphrey. I’m thirty-three years old and I don’t need his approval.” She spoke her mind but was very careful with her tone.
“I suppose that’s true but to serve the community of Divine in the capacity you do, you absolutely do need the confidence of its citizens. I’m sorry to bring up your father. It’s just that I come from a different generation that cared what our elders thought of us.”
Maizy did the math on that one and nearly called bullshit because Mrs. Dumphrey would’ve been in her early twenties in the 1970s but decided that it might not be wise to poke this particular hornet’s nest.
“Mrs. Dumphrey, I appreciate your concern. Mr. Ketchum is a good man and I wouldn’t hurt him any more than I would my students or their parents. But I am entitled to privacy.” A wave of protective fury warred inside of her but she quelled it, knowing that it wouldn’t help to reveal her true feelings. The need for her bears, to feel their comforting arms around her, slammed into her so hard she felt breathless.
“As long as you’re not accused and found guilty of immoral or indecent conduct, Miss Owen. I hope that I’ve made my position clear on the matter.”
“Very clear, ma’am.”
“My daughter tells me that you made a big difference to my granddaughter when she was learning to read last year. You’re an able teacher and I think it would be a shame for you to throw that all away on a…questionable relationship.”
“I’ll take that under advisement, Mrs. Dumphrey, and I appreciate your concern. Mr. Ketchum is one of the kindest men I’ve ever known.” She wished she could voice a similar belief about Cody and Heath but didn’t dare feed Mrs. Dumphrey’s suspicion. “Appearances can be deceiving.”
The older woman raised an eyebrow and nodded her head. “As you say. Have a good afternoon.”
Maizy sat at her desk and looked down at her shaking hands.
It’s only going to get worse, and you know it, girl.
* * * *
Cody tilted Maizy’s chin up and searched her warm brown eyes for some hint at her mood. Ever since arriving at their house late Friday afternoon she’d been less talkative than usual. His gut told him she was sad about something but that he should wait for her to talk to them. He glanced over at Heath and found that his brother was watching her, too. He made eye contact with Cody and shrugged, concern obvious in his eyes.
Ryan, Ben, and Quinten were handling security at the Twisted Bull that night and they were utilizing the rare weekend night off by taking her for her first motorcycle ride.
He leaned down to her, as she stood beside Spencer’s bike, and kissed her. She laid her palms on his biceps and her lips trembled under his. The urge was strong to demand that she tell them what was troubling her but he wanted to get her away from Divine first. She seemed like she needed the break. She looked up at him and he noted her misty eyes.
Spencer came out of the garage with his extra helmet and the seat rest and handed the helmet to Cody, all while watching her. Over her shoulder he lifted his chin at Cody, a slight but telling gesture. They were all reading her emotions.
“Do you think all of my hair will fit in that helmet?” she asked, trying for a bit of levity as Cody put the helmet in her hands and then turned her and started gently twisting her curly locks into a thick rope. She hummed softly and he smiled when he saw the gooseflesh on her arms. He liked touching and handling her hair but liked even more that she enjoyed it, too.
“It’ll fit just fine, baby,” Heath said as he took the helmet and slipped it on her head and then Cody tucked the jet black coil he’d created into the back of the helmet. “That may feel weird at first but it’ll keep your hair from getting knotted up in the wind.”