23. Crazy Sappy Look

23

CRAZY SAPPY LOOK

A few weeks later, Raine looked up when there was a knock on her classroom doorway.

There was Emily, the school secretary with a huge vase of flowers in her hand.

Not just roses but everything bright and colorful imaginable.

"Someone is getting flowers," Emily said. "And these are just stunning. They are so big I had to look around them to see where I was going."

Her heart was racing and the kids were all oohing and ahhhing. Someone shouted, "Ms. Scarsdale has a boyfriend."

"Is that true?" Emily whispered. "You lucky girl if he's sending you this many flowers on today of all days."

"Yes, I do," she said.

Raine hadn't told anyone at work she was dating Aster. Kind of stupid, really, when it'd been almost four months.

She realized part of it had to do with the fear if it didn't work out and having to explain that to everyone.

Like when she and Colton broke up and she returned home all alone. For months classmates she'd run into would be either sympathetic or say he wasn't good enough for her. That he was a dick.

She didn't want anyone to comment at all and the best way to do that was to keep her dating life quiet.

Didn't look like she could do that now.

"You'll have to fill me in," Emily said and handed over the massive vase.

It was covering half of her body.

"Those are pretty," one of her students said. She couldn't tell who, she couldn't see over the arrangement in front of her.

She set them on her desk and found the little card. "Yes, they are," she said. There had to be four dozen flowers in this. Regardless of him working for Blossoms, the amount of money was crazy.

Sure, he had a great job and she was positive he was compensated well, not that she asked and she wouldn't.

He probably had a lot of money put away from the service too since he'd said he'd lived in military housing and not his own place. It's not like he was flashy or had a lot of possessions. She knew he didn't.

She pulled the card out. Happy Valentine's Day. Three dozen or so for you, the rest for your class. Isn't it right to share?

She put her hand to her heart and must have had a crazy sappy look on her face.

"Are you going to cry, Ms. Scarsdale?" Henry asked.

"No," she said. "But do you want to know what the card says?"

"Yes!" There was a chorus of shouts.

"It says that I get to share them with my class. So get in line and you each get to pick one flower from the arrangement. You point to what you want and I'll wiggle it out." Chairs were moving quickly. "Take your time getting in line. You know the rules. No running."

No one listened and she couldn't blame them. It was perfect timing to have these delivered right now because they were going to start to hand out Valentine's Day cards and treats for everyone. She had a big bag of cards for the kids and a little baggy of treats for each of them. Not just candy, but pencils and stickers and magnets. Fun things.

When the first child got to her desk, she asked Micah which one he wanted and he picked out a pink rose. "I'm going to give it to my mother."

"I think that's a lovely idea," she said.

One by one her students picked their flowers out and she was left with almost three dozen as Aster predicted.

"Wow, that is some bouquet."

She turned to see Maxine standing in the doorway. "It is," she said. "I got to share with the kids. Where are your students?"

"They are coming back from Art class in a few minutes, then we'll have our party."

Her kids were one by one dropping the cards in the boxes against the wall she'd had them all make. When everyone was done, they could get their boxes. Any child who didn't come in with them today, she had extra and they came in at lunch to make cards so no one felt left out.

This year that hadn't happened and she was thrilled. She'd even told Aster that, so it was super sweet that he'd done the same thing with her gift today. He didn't want anyone left out.

Maybe it had something to do with him saying once that his parents never did special things like other kids' parents did. No gifts or cards. They normally had the minimum required and just accepted it.

She knew not everyone went overboard and she didn't expect it. Money could be tight. She lived in a household like that, but her mother always made sure someone knew they were appreciated.

Aster said his parents were just selfish and disconnected more times than not.

"It's your turn, Timothy," she said when her next student didn't stand up.

He finally grabbed his cards from his bag and walked to the window by the boxes. Timothy had been too busy playing with the lily that he'd picked. All the kids were playing with their flowers, some talking about who they might give it to.

"Don't you dare rush out of here at the end of the day," Maxine said. "You know I'm going to want details."

"I'll be here," she said. "Probably cleaning the room up."

Maxine left after that and Raine and her kids went about their party once all the boxes were on the desks.

While the kids were opening their cards, she was handing out her bags of goodies and cupcakes and cookies from the desserts that were brought in from other students. Also good to have these parties at the end of the day and send them home loaded up with sugar rather than have them wiggling around in their seats ready to run.

"Who is your boyfriend, Ms. Scarsdale?" Ava asked.

"Not anyone you know," she said.

"Liam is going to be my boyfriend," Ava said. "He just doesn't know it yet."

"No, I'm not," Liam said. "Girls are gross."

"My sister said boys say that when they like you," Ava said, nodding her head.

Raine kept her grin in place and let the kids interact while she walked around the room. "That's a pretty card," she said, tapping her finger on the homemade one. She wasn't sure who made them, but everyone had a handmade one.

"That was me," Sydney said. "My mom helped me make them. It was fun and we used lots of glitter. Yours has the most."

She figured as much and would open everything later after the kids were gone. She never wanted to open gifts in front of the rest because not everyone gave her the same and some not much at all.

It was as she told Aster—she didn't want anyone to ever feel bad that their parents didn't do something. And when you taught first grade, it was always what the parent decided or could afford.

The child shouldn't get the raw end of that.

"Thanks for the warning," she said, winking. "I can't wait."

At the end of the day, she was walking her kids out of the room and down for dismissal. Those that went to the after-school program did, the bus students were in another line and that only left four kids that she made sure went with who they were supposed to.

When she got back to her room she wasn't surprised to see Maxine in there along with Beth and Ellen. Guess word got around fast.

"So fill us in," Maxine said. "Who is the mystery guy that sent you almost three dozen flowers?"

"There were four dozen," she said. "The card said to share with the kids so I let them each pick out a flower to bring home."

"That is the sweetest romantic thing ever," Ellen said. "Tell us who he is?"

"No one any of you know," she said. Which was wrong because Maxine and Ellen had met him on the field trip. She wasn't sure she'd say that part of it. "His name is Aster Allen," she said. "He works at Blossoms."

"Which explains the flowers," Beth said. "Is he a florist?"

"No," she said. "He's the Director of Facilities at the plant. He's recently out of the Army."

"Oooohhhh," Maxine said. "Even better. Got a picture? I know you've got to have one on your phone. Time to share."

She laughed and pulled her phone out of her purse and found a selfie of her and Aster and showed them.

"That's the fireman," Maxine said, pointing. "The one from the field trip."

There was some laughter to that and she held her grin in place. "Yes. That is where I first met Aster. Then we ran into each other again in the grocery store. As you know, my future sister-in-law works at Blossoms and they know each other too."

"How long has this been going on?" Beth asked. "Didn't you have the field trip in September?"

"We've been dating almost four months."

"And you haven't said a word!" Maxine said. "How dare you."

She laughed. "Maybe I wanted to keep it quiet a bit."

"Why?" Ellen asked. "It appears to be going well if he's sending you things like this on Valentine's Day. Got any other plans?"

"It's not about what he sends or gives me or what we do," she said.

"I didn't mean it that way," Ellen said. "I mean the fact he must know you well enough to leave a note for you to share with the kids."

"Yes," she said. "He does. He knows me very well."

"You didn't tell us what the plans were today or is he surprising you?" Maxine asked.

"We are having dinner together at his place," she said. "There was no way I wanted to go out tonight. Not even on a Friday night, let alone Valentine's Day."

"I don't blame you," Beth said. "I've been with Shane for so long that we don't even celebrate anymore, but it's nice to see others having some fun."

"If you ladies will excuse me," she said. "I've got to clean my room and then get home and change before I go to Aster's."

"You're not going like that?" Ellen asked. "He might like your red sweater with the heart on the front."

She looked down and then lifted her head and rolled her eyes. "It's for the kids."

She'd worn this sweater for years on this day. It was the only time she wore it and she bought it on clearance for this very reason.

It wasn't very sexy and she had plans for a sexy night with Aster.

Maybe she had hearts in mind for that, but not like this.

When her colleagues left, she went around the room picking up trash and putting the desks back together nicely. She was going to need two trips to her car with all the stuff she got from the kids, her box of cards and the flowers. The flowers alone were going to be one trip.

No way she was leaving them here at the school.

Once she was sure she had everything she needed, she drove home and made two trips into her apartment and then showered, changed, and drove to Aster's. He said he'd be home at four thirty and to show up then.

It was earlier than normal, but she didn't care.

She wanted to thank him for the flowers and then give him his gift too.