9. Tucker

I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone so pale in my entire life. I witnessed the blood leave her face as her brows furrowed together so hard, she’s quite possibly going to have permanent wrinkles. Skylar drops into her chair… well more like falls. I”m actually worried something might be wrong with her.

“Sky? Are you ok?”

“R-Riley? She’s your d-daughter?”

Glancing over my shoulder, I spot Riley coloring and talking Leslie’s ear off. I smile to myself, I”m proud to be her dad.

Gently closing the door, I take slow steps to close the distance between us. Squatting down in front of Skylar, I stare up at her, really seeing her for the first time.

Pain and misery fill her expression, making my heart ache instantly. The only time I’ve ever seen her like this was after we found out our baby didn’t have a heartbeat. It was the most painful day of my life… of Skylar’s life.

“Yes, Riley’s my daughter.” My words are slow, almost measured.

Skylar squeezes her eyes shut. She purses her lips together and folds her hands in her lap. When she opens her eyes again, she’s slipped behind the mask she used to wear so well when we were younger. She forgets I know what lies behind it, I can see through it and can”t be fooled anymore.

“Please take a seat, Mr. Donahue.” Motioning to the chair on the other side of the desk, Skylar becomes the professional principal I wasn’t expecting. I do as she asks, not able to keep up with the emotional roller coaster I’ve been on since she stepped foot back in this town.

“What exactly did Riley do?”

“Apparently a boy kept touching her, so she punched him in the nose.”

I nod my head, trying to hide the triumph I feel knowing my daughter protected herself.

“Did she tell him to stop touching her?”

“Yes, four times.”

“Did she tell the teacher?”

“Yes, three times.”

“Then why am I here, Skylar? She did what she was taught to do. She stood up for herself, I won”t punish her.”

“You taught her to throw a right hook, huh?”

My smirk is instant, I remember teaching Skylar to throw the same right hook. Colt was her first target after he stole her shirt when we went skinny dipping.

“Yeah, it seems to serve my ladies well.” As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I regret them. Skylar’s expression morphs into something I can”t decode. “What do you want me to do?”

“I don’t know. I already told her she wasn’t wrong, but she can”t hit people. I”ll be talking to Billy’s parents and Mrs. Goods… I hate that old bat.”

“Aww, and here I thought you two were besties.”

“Zip it, Tuck. They all hate me… it was a mistake coming back here.” She drops her gaze to her lap and her shoulders sag. She looks so defeated.

“Why did you?”

“Come back?”

“Yeah… I mean you took off so quickly ten years ago, I figured I’d never see you again.”

“I was a great teacher, I helped a lot of kids, but you only get about twenty to thirty students a year. As a principal I can help more. I have the power to let good kids, like Riley, off without getting in trouble because she didn’t really do anything wrong and I can hold horrible teachers like Goods responsible for their behavior. I”m not looking for a comfy desk to sit behind and not do anything. I want to turn this school into a place where kids will feel cared for and understood, something I never felt as a child.”

“I understood you, darling. I saw behind your mask… I can still see through it. You can”t hide from me, Sky, I know everything about you.”

“Knew, you knew everything about me… but I”m not the same person, Tuck. I”m a shell of the girl I once was.”

“Can we finally talk about the past?” My eyes plead with her. If I”m going to see her around town and she’s the principal at my daughter’s school, I need to be able to exist around her without feeling like my heart is being ripped out of my chest all over again.

“I don’t know, Tuck. Not right now, I”m at work.”

“What are you doing for dinner?” My eyes stay locked on her, praying she doesn’t have any plans. She shrugs a shoulder, glancing away from me.

“I don’t have any plans, probably getting take out and eating alone on my sofa.”

“Let me bring over dinner and we can talk, finally clear the air.”

“Tucker…”

“We’re gonna have to see each other, it’s a small town. I’d rather there be no weirdness between us. I’d invite you to my house, but I think this would go better without Riley poking her nose into our business.”

“There’s no avoiding this, is there?” She peeks up at me through her lashes.

“Nah, darling, not this time. It has to happen.”

“Fine. Let me get through the rest of this day and if I survive then I’ll see you for dinner.”

“I know you insist you’re not the same person, but I think Mrs. Goods needs to see a little of the old Skylar. Don’t back down, put her in her place, and don’t take shit from anyone. You’re a born leader, Sky, lead them the way you think it should be done and you’ll do great.”

Walking around her desk, I stop right in front of her. Her big blue eyes stare back at me full of questions. I lean down, kissing the top of her head, just like I used to do all the time.

“I’ll see you at six, darling.”