Chapter Nine

Ava

I park on the main street through downtown Pine Village and climb from my vehicle. My stomach has been growling, and despite having plenty of food in my fridge to eat, I opted to start the new year off with some comfort food. My plan is to grab a small pizza and salad—you know, to offset the calories from the pizza—and dive into this cute rom-com movie I found on my streaming service. This time of year, there are plenty to choose from, most of which all have the same plotline. Small town, opposites attract, Christmasy, snowed-in vibe.

But I don't care.

I'm here for it.

Most of the businesses in our small downtown are closed today, since it's the first day of the new year, but everyone knows Movie Queue Pizzeria is open all day. They're a huge hit for the early twentysomethings who might have drunk a little too much the night before, ringing in the new year.

Speaking of the night before, I'm still flustered about that kiss. Or almost kiss. Whatever you want to call it. Even the peck on the cheek left me reeling, and worse, made me crave more. I thought of nothing else, replaying every interaction we shared yesterday to the point I was obsessing about it well past the point I should have been sleeping. Then, when I finally did drift off, guess who was starring in my dreams?

Yes, him.

He looked so good last night in his jeans and form-hugging Henley. I've never cared about muscles, but seeing the outline of Gavin's through his shirt had my mind picturing moments where he was removing said shirt so I could get an up close and personal view. It was another reason my dreams were filled with images of him and me together.

And yes, the shirt removal fantasy was the tip of the iceberg.

I woke up wet, aroused, and desperate for relief.

I had to take care of it myself before I could even get out of bed.

Now, I'm taking advantage of the somewhat decent winter day and getting out of my house for a bit to grab lunch. Of course, lunch will also be dinner, since the pizza for two is big enough to cover multiple meals for me.

I hurry into the pizzeria and stomp my boots on their welcome mat to clean off the snow. The scent of Italian sausage and tangy tomatoes fills the air, and my stomach growls. There are many tables filled in the dining room, but my plan is to order my food to-go and take it home. The reason I don't just call in my order ahead of time is because I love this place.

Movie Queue Pizzeria is filled with movie memorabilia. Movie posters and still shots, ticket stubs and props. The walls are covered in it, and I swear, every time I look around, I find new stuff I haven't seen before.

"Good afternoon, Miss Rutledge," Lanita says. The bubbly, hardworking teenager is a former student of mine, having been in my classroom about seven years ago. She's a senior in high school this year and plans to attend cosmetology school after graduation.

"Hello, Lanita. Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year to you too," she replies with a pleasant smile. "Dining in?"

The door opens behind me, but I don't turn around. "No, thank you. I'd like to place an order to go."

"Miss Rutledge!"

I spin around at the familiar voice and grin when I see Annabelle standing there. Of course, she's with her father, who looks gorgeous in a pair of well-worn blue jeans and a beat-up brown leather coat. His hazel eyes are locked on me, and he's wearing a soft, familiar smile on his lips. "Happy New Year, Annabelle," I say when I've finally stopped ogling her dad and find my voice.

"Happy New Year. Are you having pizza too?"

"I was just getting ready to place an order."

Her brown eyes light up. "Will you join us? I got this new book for Christmas, and we can talk about it!" she begs, taking a step forward and holding up her book.

"Oh, I don't know—" I start but am cut off.

"Please, Miss Rutledge?"

I open my mouth to decline her invitation when Gavin moves closer. "We'd love it if you'd join us for lunch."

I want to pass, especially with a restaurant full of patrons who would love nothing more than to tell someone else about me dining with Gavin and Annabelle, but there's something in his eyes that stops the words on my lips. It's a mixture of hope and anticipation, and frankly, I don't want to say no.

"All right," I say, watching as shock registers on his face. It's as if he didn't expect me to actually accept the invitation.

Personally, I wasn't expecting it either.

Annabelle reaches for my hand and guides me toward the dining room. Glancing over at Lanita, I offer a quick, "I guess I'll be dining in today."

She gives me a big smile and grabs menus. "Great. Take whatever's open," she instructs, following behind us as we enter the main dining area.

Annabelle picks the only available booth and slides into one side. "Will you sit with me, Miss Rutledge?"

"I will." That's a much better idea than sharing a booth bench with her father. The rumors would fly faster than the time Mayor Abbott's car "broke down" in front of Shelly Mathers's house the night his wife was away at some book club retreat.

We all slip off our coats and set them aside as Lanita brings the menus and silverware. "What can I get you to drink?"

"Iced tea," Annabelle requests.

Gavin waves to me, indicating I should order next, so I reply, "I'll have the same."

"Make it three, please."

Lanita nods. "Coming right up."

"Dad, we better get extra breadsticks," Annabelle says, passing out napkins from the holder.

"You're probably right," he replies, offering me a wink.

"Breadsticks are my favorite. Do you like them?" she asks, placing her book in front of her.

"I do, but I don't usually get them."

She seems horrified by this revelation. "What? Why?"

I shrug. "When you get older, you'll understand. I usually try to get a salad instead of breadsticks."

Annabelle huffs. "My mom says the same thing, but I'm never trading breadsticks for salad. Breadsticks are life. My butt's just going to have to be big."

I can't help but giggle as Gavin narrows his eyes. "You don't have to worry about watching what you eat for a while."

"I know, but I'm never giving up breadsticks," she replies, opening up her book. "Have you read this one, Miss Rutledge?"

"I have not. Is it good?"

She nods eagerly and starts to tell me all about what she's reading. Listening to her retell the story with excitement makes me smile. I know she was a big reader before my class, but I like to think I've help nurture that passion for reading over the last few months with constant encouragement.

We pause long enough to order a large sausage and pepperoni pizza, with a family salad and breadsticks, and the moment our server walks away to place our order with the kitchen, Annabelle dives right back into her story. I can feel Gavin's eyes on me, but I don't look his way. I'm afraid if I do, I won't be able to return my attention to his daughter, which is the reason I'm sitting here anyway.

Sure, Jan, said in my best Marcia Brady voice.

I refuse to think about the other reason I'm here. Yes, a big part of it is simply because I enjoy Annabelle and talking books with her, but there's another reason, and he's sitting directly across from me, and I will not dissect that particular thought at this moment. Especially when his eyes make my stomach flutter and my breathing catch in my throat.

Breadsticks and salad are delivered, and we all dive in. I even decide to have a breadstick with marinara sauce at Annabelle's insistence, and yes, she's correct. They are life.

"Oh! Did you hear about the northern lights?" she asks, her eager eyes wide with anticipation.

"I haven't heard about them," I reply between bites.

"They're called aurora borealis, and it's predicted we'll be able to see them this Friday night," she informs me, dipping her breadstick in sauce and taking a big bite. "I asked Mom to take me to see them."

"They're supposed to be visible any time after ten o'clock Friday through early morning on Saturday," Gavin adds. "They were talking about it on the news earlier today."

"Yes! And Mom says we can go to the Bluff Preserves to see them," Annabelle adds.

"That sounds amazing," I reply. "Maybe we should do a classroom activity around them," I add, my mind already spinning.

"That would be so fun. We can do an art project too, drawing and coloring the sky."

"I like the way you think," I inform the eleven-year-old beside me. "I'll do some checking and see what kind of information I can find on it. We'll dedicate Thursday and Friday to learning all about the northern lights."

Our pizza is delivered, and even though I'm already a little full on bread and salad, I take a small slice of the cheesy goodness.

"Are you going to watch them?" Annabelle asks.

I give her a shrug. "I'll have to see if I can stay awake long enough," I answer with a chuckle.

"You sound like my dad," she replies. "He goes to bed early too."

"I get up early for work," Gavin defends.

She rolls her eyes. "Not on the weeks I'm living with you."

He shakes his head and smiles, clearly enjoying letting her monopolize the conversation. "I still get up early. I just don't leave until you're off to school."

Considering his statement, she replies, "I guess that's accurate."

He snorts and finishes off his first slice of pizza.

"If you go to watch them, you should go to the Bluff Preserves too. I'm going to tell all my friends to come out and see them with me."

"I don't think my students want to hang out with me on a Friday night," I quip.

Annabelle shrugs. "I like spending time with you. You talk books with me."

I lean over and gently bump her shoulder with my own. "Us book lovers have to stick together."

Something crosses her face as she smiles up at me. "Yes, we do."

I don't have time to consider what she was thinking about because one of my students from last year comes up to our table. "Hi, Miss Rutledge."

"Good afternoon, Vic. Did you have a good Christmas?"

He nods, his eyes dancing with excitement. "I got a new game system for my room."

"That sounds like a great gift," I reply, making sure I give my former student my complete attention.

Vic glances over his shoulder and says, "We're getting ready to leave now. I just wanted to say hi."

"I'm glad you stopped by. Enjoy the last of your winter break."

"Thanks, Miss R. Bye!" he hollers, taking off to join his parents and younger sisters. Both of the young girls wave as they pass, and I give them friendly smiles and return their waves. I'll have the middle daughter, Evelyn, next year in fifth grade.

"Kids love you."

I look over and find Gavin's smiling eyes watching me. My cheeks start to heat up at the compliment, and I do my best to shrug it off. "They make it easy. We have great kids in our school system."

"Except Damian. He's a nut," Annabelle chimes in, still enjoying her lunch.

I want to argue, but she's not wrong. Damian doesn't come from the best home life and often acts out in class. He's getting better about it, especially since he knows it won't be tolerated, but he definitely pushes the boundaries in class. I don't have to send him to the office nearly as much as I used to, which is a huge plus, but it does happen on occasion.

We finish up our meal, and I pull out my wallet to pay.

"I've got it," Gavin insists, grabbing the check as it's deposited on our table.

"I can pay half," I reply, pulling out some cash.

He looks up with a penetrating gaze that makes my heart skip a beat. "I said I've got it. Thank you for joining us, Miss Rutledge."

Trying to ignore the purr of my professional name on his lips, I divert my eyes and dig a few smaller bills from my wallet. "At least allow me to pay the tip."

He seems like he wants to argue, but eventually nods. "Fine."

I set ten dollars down on the table, tipping well over twenty percent, but that doesn't matter to me. Lanita is a senior in high school this year and will be looking forward to college in the fall. A few extra bucks won't completely cover those expenses, but every little bit helps.

As I stand to put on my coat, I feel his hands as he helps. Gavin holds up my coat while I slip my arms into the sleeves, and even though it's warm in the restaurant, I know that's not the reason I'm feeling a bit flush. Having him close, smelling his clean scent, does something to me. It instantly makes me think about the feel of his lips against my cheek, which only causes my blush to burn even darker. I've always hated that particular trait of being a redhead, and it still holds true today. I blush way too easily and often. There's no hiding my emotions.

Annabelle slips her hand inside mine as we walk through the restaurant. Some of the tables have cleared out, but there are several still occupied. We wave or say hello to everyone we pass, and there's no missing the questions they have in their eyes. They're all curious as to our relationship status, especially with Annabelle's hand tucked inside mine.

The rumors will start soon, if they haven't already.

I notice Gavin staying a few feet behind us, as if sensing my uneasiness and worry. I know I shouldn't care about everyone else and what they think, but I can't help it. I've always been that person, the one who wants everyone to like them and never tries to cause a problem. That's why the whole incident from several years back is always fresh in my mind.

It's a reminder.

It's why I have rules.

"Have you seen this one, Miss Rutledge?"

I turn to Annabelle, who's pointing at a movie poster for the original Ghostbusters movie from 1984. "I have. It's one of my favorites," I tell her.

"I want to watch it. I've seen Ghostbusters: Afterlife and can't wait for the next one to come out on DVD."

"I've not seen that one yet either." When she seems shocked, I add, "I'll have to add it to my to-be-watched list."

"Yes, definitely. Paul Rudd is in it, and my mom says he's the hottest man on Earth."

I glance at Gavin, who shakes his head.

I mean, she's not wrong.

"Maybe some time we can watch it together. I have it on DVD," Annabelle states, her eyes full of hope.

"Come on, Belle. Let's leave Miss Rutledge to her day. We've monopolized enough of her time," Gavin says, a welcome reprieve. It's not I wouldn't enjoy watching the movie or hanging out with her, but I just don't do that with students.

Ever.

"All right," she grumbles. "See you on Wednesday?"

I nod. "I'll be there," I reply, referring to the first day back to school following break.

"I'm sure I'll have this book finished by then, so I'll tell you about it in class."

I can't help but smile. "Sounds good. I look forward to hearing about it." Lifting my gaze, I meet Gavin's. "Thank you for lunch. You didn't have to pay for my half."

"I didn't mind," he says, his lips looking completely kissable. "See you in the morning?"

"Yes."

"Can I come?" Annabelle asks eagerly, making her dad grunt.

"No, Annabelle. I have to work, and you're at your mom's for the week."

"Fine, but if you ever need help watching Tabitha, I'm your girl, Miss Rutledge," she insists.

"I'll keep that in mind," I say, fighting the smile threatening to spread across my lips. "Enjoy the rest of your day, and Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year!" Annabelle hollers as she starts to head for her dad's truck.

Gavin steps back, slowly retreating, but his eyes remain on me. The smile he offers practically brings me to my knees. It's potent, sexy, and promises things I have no business picturing.

"See you tomorrow, Ava."

I wave, the words seeming to freeze on my tongue, and make a beeline for my vehicle. How in the world am I going to survive having him in my house while he completes the repairs? The good news is he won't actually be inside for a big portion of it, but still. He'll be near.

And I have to somehow figure out how to get through the day like it's no big deal, even when I find it hard to breathe and think straight around him.

Shouldn't be too difficult.

Sure, Jan. Sure.