Kindergarten Baby: A Novel (36 page)

A twinge of excitement shivered within her as she spotted the last two items‌—‌two envelopes addressed to her. One was a bill‌—‌no surprise there. The other, a damp, wrinkled, and slightly chewed envelope, was from Elisabeth Meriwether.

“Who’s that?” asked Jake.

“She’s the head of that awards conference I attended. It’s probably just a follow-up letter about future events,” she said, happy simply to have received something that was neither a bill nor junk mail.

She carefully uncrumpled and attempted to flatten the damaged goods, hoping to decipher the somewhat smeared or missing words by the light of the campfire.

“What does it say?”

She squinted hard at the typing. “The first line is all in caps. It says‌—‌Oh, my gosh!”

“It says oh my gosh?”

She jabbed him with her elbow. “Oh Jake, you’re so funny. No, it says…‌I don’t believe this. Here, look.” She passed it to him, and he read it out loud.

“CONGRATULATIONS, LINDSEY. YOU HAVE BEEN NAMED THE NATIONAL INNOVATIVE TEACHER OF THE YEAR.”

Lindsey shrieked with joy and amazement. “Do you know what this means, Jake? Do you?”

“Nope, I don’t,” he said with a charming grin. “But I bet you’re gonna tell me.”

Lindsey’d had her share of ups and downs, and this was definitely an up. “Actually, I don’t know all the details, and most of the middle of this letter is unreadable due to, well, teeth marks,” she said, glancing at the dog, “but at the conference I think Elisabeth said the national winner would present her innovations next school year and would be paid for doing that. Let me see if I can make out anything else from what’s left of this letter.”

“You do that, and I will pour us each another plastic cup of wine, because no matter what else the letter says or doesn’t say, this calls for a celebration.”

She barely heard him as she sank into her chair. “Oh, this is difficult to read, but I definitely see some words. Oh wow. I can see sabbatical…‌arranged with your district…‌regular salary…‌royalties?…‌expenses…‌summer pay…‌begin work now…
now?
…‌advance of $200 next week…‌call soon!”

“Let me see that. Maybe I can piece together a few more words.” He peered closely at it. “So far it all sounds great, though. Huh. The only thing I can add to what you already read is a zero.”

“A zero?”

“Yep. Your advance is not $200, it’s $2,000! Cheers!” toasted Jake. “I think you are going to have an incredibly interesting and lucrative year, my dear.”

Lindsey’s plastic cup did not rise to join the toast; it didn’t move at all.

“Cheers?” Jake tried again.

But she was no longer floating on air, sporting a smile that could melt the hardest of hearts. Tears tumbled down her cheeks, and sobs rendered her breathless. It was too much. She couldn’t handle all the emotions roaring through her. She stood up, ready to run into the night‌—‌but from what? And to where?

But tonight, Jake was ready. He caught up to her just as she struggled to open her car door, took her into his arms, held her close, and let her cry.

“Let it out, girl,” he said gently into her ear. “Let it all out. It’s okay.”

Lindsey slumped weakly, willingly against his strong body, and Jake leaned against the car. Sensing something was wrong, Wendell cautiously stepped close to the couple and sat, gazing up at them, looking first to Lindsey, then to Jake, and back again. He put a paw on Lindsey’s leg, hoping for a pat on the head or a scratch behind his ears‌—‌some kind of sign that everything was all right.

“Listen, Linds,” Jake said, “I don’t know what this emotional release is about. Maybe nothing, maybe everything. But I do know that you deserve that award. Look, your life has turned around, and you did it. You created all the greatness, all the goodness. It was there all the time. And the best is yet to come.”

Still wrapped in the safety of his arms, Lindsey returned the whisper. “Thank you, Jake. You’ve always been there for me. Long before I even knew it.”

He took her head in his hands and looked directly into her tired eyes, searching for something. But it was she who asked the question. Her voice trembled. “Why am I falling apart now?”

“I don’t know, Lindsey. But for now, just breathe. Slowly…‌Good…‌You’ve been through a lot. Give yourself a break. Everything will be all right.”

Jake’s hand brushed back the stray hairs that had tumbled from her ponytail, partially covering her eyes. “Lindsey, I know this is none of my business, but now that Shawna and Anthony have broken up, will you let Anthony back into your life?”

“I don’t mind you asking. It’s okay, really. I’ve given that question a lot of thought. I know Anthony wants to come back to me. At least that’s what his brief note said.”

“Yeah. That’s pretty much what I figured,” Jake said, then he looked away as if he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear her answer.

“There was a time,” she said, “Well, most of the time, actually‌—‌when I would have jumped right back into his arms and tried to pick up where we left off. God, I wanted that so badly, and for so long.” She gave him a weak smile and shook her head. “But not now. I could never be with him again. I have a new understanding of what is important in love and in life, and he doesn’t fit the description. I’m certain of that. But what about you? What will you do now? Begin a new doctoral thesis?”

He smiled. “No. That’s a definite no, at least for now. I’ve learned a thing or two about myself this year, and after all the snooping and sleuthing I’ve done, talking to all the players in your life and putting two and two together, so to speak, I’ve decided that I’m a better detective than a psychologist, though the two actually go together quite well. I do have a plan, and my time here in the mountains with you has helped me confirm it. So for now, I will enjoy great satisfaction through using my BS degree and my interest in plants, the earth, and any aspect of nature, to obtain a job at one of the local nurseries. And—” He grinned wickedly and wiggled his eyebrows. “You’re gonna love this. I thought I might write a detective novel in my spare time. As a hobby, just for fun. What do you think of that?”

With his arm still around her shoulders, they strolled back and sat by the fire. “Sounds like a great plan for you,” replied Lindsey. “It seems almost everyone I know is writing something: travel logs, architectural articles, fact and fiction about troubled or special needs children, and, of course, now, detective novels. So maybe I will, too. In addition to
Lindsey’s Art Journaling with Children
teachers’ book, I just
might write‌—‌in
my
spare time‌—‌a romance novel.”

Jake laughed out loud, and she was drawn into his sparkling eyes. He looked relaxed and happy, and so incredibly handsome, sitting by the light of the fire. So when he turned toward her and his smile was different, she knew something had changed. His eyes locked onto hers with such intensity it was as if she was able to see, really
see
, into his soul. And she sensed she wasn’t the only one by the fire with these feelings.

He leaned in slowly, and their lips met for their first kiss, a kiss that produced spirals of ecstasy more intimate than any sexual encounter from her past.

“Lindsey?” he whispered.

Her eyes were still closed. “Jake.”

“Is it just me or—?”

“Shh. It’s us, Jake. Finally. It’s us.”

She didn’t want either of them to move from that position, but the fire was dying, and the night was cool. Not wanting the evening to end, she suggested he keep the fire going. He not only split and added aromatic logs to the fire like a skilled woodsman, he also refilled their plastic cups with wine without spilling a drop. They held hands in comfortable silence, enjoying this final night in the Zuni Mountains under a star-filled sky. What would tomorrow bring? At this very moment, it didn’t matter. She’d take it one day at a time.

Lindsey replayed their first kiss over and over in her mind. How could a kiss as tender and light as a treetop breeze send shivers of desire with the intensity of a hurricane through her entire body? An all-new physical and emotional experience unfolded, and she had a feeling that here, tonight, uncharted territory was about to be explored‌—‌map not included.

As pleasant shivers of anticipated passion tingled through her body, snapshots of annoying past kisses flickered around her brain. Anthony had been her first in every way, and she’d thought he was the sexiest man alive. He had the body and the technique. They had made love‌—‌no, they’d
had sex
often, but none of it had ever felt as good as this one kiss from Jake. Maybe Anthony had never really loved her. More shocking still, maybe she’d never really loved him. They’d had an initial attraction, but now she remembered all the red flags her friend Laura had brought up. She’d ignored them all, refused to see, because she wanted to be loved and have a family more than anything else.

Then there was Emmett. He’d never even kissed her lips. He’d lived in her house, taken her money, but he’d never‌—‌oh, well. Perhaps a blessing in disguise.

Martin had seemed nice enough, and their lovemaking was good, but there had never been sparks, nothing she could call chemistry. He’d taken care of her‌—‌at least he’d paid his own way and even purchased several thoughtful gifts for her.

In her life she’d encountered loveless kisses, ungiven kisses, and cardboard kisses. Not much to go on. She had no experience with true love, had no concept of the thrilling, dizzying chemistry it could bring…‌until now.

Lindsey gazed at Jake and offered him a small, shy smile. “I’ll need to conduct some research for my romance novel, and I’ve decided that you‌—‌if you’re willing‌—‌will be my one and only subject,” she said. He didn’t pull away when she took his hand in hers and led him toward the tent. He would not be sleeping in his Jeep tonight.

Jake grabbed the birdcage with his other hand, and Lindsey called, “Come on, Wendell. You can come, too.”

As she rearranged the items inside the tent to create more space, her thoughts drifted to Laura, then to one of her favorite fairy tales. She gave Jake a playful grin. “Hey, you mentioned you had a sister. I don’t suppose you have a brother for Rose Red?”

She didn’t wait for his reply. No answer was needed, but she took great pleasure in watching Jake’s puzzled look. She’d explain some other day.

Once they were comfortably settled in the tent, Lindsey, unable to suppress either her joy or her natural kindergarten teacher tendencies, began to sing
When You Wish Upon A Star
. Soon Wendell and Malcolm joined in, each in his own way, and an owl even hooted a few times. Jake eventually joined in too, though it quickly became evident that carrying a tune was not one of his strengths. But it didn’t matter. Their small choir produced the most magical, joyful noise Lindsey had ever heard. One she will never forget.

Jake leaned in and kissed her, his eyes warm and full of love. “Looks like I’ve found my Happily Ever After,” he said.

FOOTNOTES

¹
— Being single has its advantages/Literally: Alone, one’s soul is pure.

²
— Still waters run deep.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cricket Rohman, earned her MA in Literature and Philosophy from California State University. She authored picture books and big book songbooks used by teachers before making the longed-for leap to writing adult fiction a few years ago. She finds inspiration and joy living with her husband and dog in both the Arizona desert and the Colorado mountains. Kindergarten Baby is her debut novel.

Cricket loves to hear from readers; connect with her online:

Website:
www.cricketrohman.com

Facebook:
www.facebook.com/CricketRohmanAuthor

One last thing…

I am honored that you took the time to read my debut novel. If you enjoyed this book, I would be forever grateful if you would post a
review on Amazon
or simply turn to the next page. Kindle gives you the opportunity to rate the book right there. THANK YOU!

All my best,
Cricket Rohman

Table of Contents

FALL

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

WINTER

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN