16. Cora

16

CORA

C ora watched her students copy down their homework assignment during the last two minutes before the bell rang.

Her gaze landed automatically on Jimmy Allen, who was seated in the second row. He was conscientiously noting down everything she had put on the board.

Jimmy continued to be alert and to participate enthusiastically during each lesson. Many of his other teachers had swung by throughout the week to let Cora know they had seen the difference in him, and that they appreciated what she had done.

She had tried to tell the first person or two that it wasn't her, but she was coming around to the idea that every single person who had a part in the turnaround at the Allen place should take credit for doing something to help.

Christmas break was coming up quickly, and she couldn't believe she already had done something concrete to help a student. It felt so good to believe she was needed here and that she had something to contribute beyond teaching the class materials.

She had other reasons to be happy too. She and Sylvester had enjoyed the Hometown Holiday celebration so much. Seeing the wonder on his little face at each town tradition had warmed her heart.

And of course there was the other reason she had enjoyed the day. She hadn't been able to stop thinking about Jared Webb, and the casual way he seemed to have taken possession of her little family.

It was hard not to notice everyone in town seeing them together like that. And Jared hadn't pulled back or seemed to be at all troubled that people might think they were an item.

But the real mystery was why Cora hadn't wanted to pull back or retreat in the face of that kind of attention.

When she lost Arthur, she had casually thought to herself that there would never be another man in her life. And it wasn't just that her heart was broken. She was a busy teacher with a little boy to raise. Chances were slim that an eligible man would just drop into her life.

But against all odds, an eligible man had dropped right into her front yard. And now she had to face the idea that she liked him—really liked him, not just that he was good for Sylvester or that he was kind and energetic and unbelievably handsome. Something about Jared made her feel… young. Which was a funny idea, since she hadn't really felt young even when she was young.

Cora had always been focused and serious. Teaching was her dream, and she knew she wasn't going to be successful unless she worked hard .

The bell rang, snapping her out of her thoughts, and the kids began filing out of the classroom, talking and joking around happily as they went.

"Thanks, Mrs. Davies," Jimmy said quietly, as he often did now, then left with the others too quickly for her to reply.

She smiled to herself as she headed to the teachers' lounge to grab a quick cup of tea before her prep period. Sabrina and Viola whooped and whistled as she slipped into the cozy space.

"What's all this about?" Cora asked, feeling her cheeks heat because she did know.

" This is Honey Peterson for Channel Twelve News," Viola quipped. "Rumor has it that quiet schoolteacher Cora Davies is being courted by tall, dark, and handsome cowboy, Jared Webb."

Sabrina laughed and even Mrs. Brandt, who was sitting at her usual table, was smiling.

"First of all, Honey Peterson is a real journalist," Cora said primly. "She would never report on gossip, and even if she did she has her own romance to see to. Secondly, there's?—"

"— nothing going on with Jared ," Sabrina and Viola finished for her in chorus.

"Well, there isn't," Cora said sheepishly. "I mean, he's a nice man and we've been spending some time with him lately, including the Hometown Holiday celebration."

"So why isn't there anything going on?" Viola asked.

"I… I'm not sure," Cora admitted. "I never really thought I'd date again after Arthur. And besides, he hasn't asked. "

"And what are you going to say when he does?" Sabrina asked gently.

Cora opened her mouth to say she would turn him down, and then closed it again.

"I think that when he does, you should say yes," Mrs. Brandt said suddenly.

Cora spun to look at the older teacher, amazed.

"He's good for you," Mrs. Brandt said. "Those two aren't the only ones who saw you in town over the weekend looking like you were having the time of your life."

Before Cora could answer, the intercom buzzed.

" Mrs. Davies, you have a call on line one ," the secretary's voice warbled.

"Oh, goodness," Cora murmured, dashing over to the phone on the wall and picking it up.

"Hello," she said.

"Hi, Mrs. Davies," a woman's voice said kindly. "This is Trinity Falls Elementary School."

Cora's heart dropped to her stomach and the woman's kind words introducing herself and saying Sylvester's name faded as fear set in. Her vision tunneled so that there was nothing in the room but her pounding heart and the telephone.

"Is it his asthma?" Cora heard herself asking in a panicky voice. "He has an inhaler in his bag and the nurse has a back-up?—"

"No, no," the lady assured her. "He's just fine. Principal Tucker would like to see you about a behavioral matter."

"Behavioral?" Cora echoed, dumbfounded as her heartbeat slowed its gallop and the room around her began to come back into focus.

"Yes, ma'am," the lady continued. "Can you come by after your school day finishes up today? Sylvester can wait for you in the library."

"Of course," Cora murmured. "I'll be there. My next class is my last one of the day."

Two hours later, Cora stepped into Principal Tucker's office, so nervous that she was afraid she would begin shaking.

Don't be silly , she told herself. You've called plenty of discipline meetings for your own students over the years. This isn't good, but it's not the end of the world.

"Mrs. Davies," the principal said, standing. "Thank you so much for coming in right away. Please have a seat. How was your day?"

Cora blinked at the beautifully dressed lady in front of her, struggling to think of anything to say. Her day had been completely derailed by thoughts of this meeting. At least they had already met in a friendly way when she was enrolling Sylvester.

"Fine, thank you," she managed. "How was yours?"

"The life of an elementary school principal is never boring," Principal Tucker chuckled. "But it was a good day. I'm sure you're wondering why I called you in."

"Yes," Cora said, feeling both relieved to get to the heart of the matter, and afraid of what was coming next.

"Let me first start by asking, does Sylvester seem to like school?" the principal asked. "What does he talk about when he comes home?"

"He loves school," Cora told her honestly. "He talks about Miss Sullivan, and he tells me all about the other students, and the classwork they're doing."

"I'm glad to hear that," Principal Tucker said. "I want to make sure you know that Sylvester is a good boy. He's making friends, he's a wonderful reader, and Miss Sullivan likes him very much. She had a doctor's appointment after school today or she would be here to tell you herself."

Cora nodded, too nervous about what could possibly follow to risk opening her mouth.

"She wanted me to talk with you today about a behavior pattern she's seen emerging," the principal went on, as is if it were completely normal for Cora to be nodding at her wide-eyed instead of saying thank you. "The first few weeks of school, Sylvester's behavior was exemplary. But earlier this week, he jumped up on his desk and called out in class."

"Oh," Cora said, having a hard time even picturing that.

"I think Miss Sullivan was as surprised as you are," Principal Tucker chuckled. "She asked him to sit down, and he did, right away. But of course, standing on desks isn't safe and it was a disruption."

"You're absolutely right," Cora said, nodding. "I'll talk to him about it."

"Then, today there was another incident," Principal Tucker went on. "And this one was a little more serious. He was joking around with his friend, Donny Brown, and the next thing Miss Sullivan knew Sylvester had Donny in a headlock and he was rubbing his knuckles into the other boy's hair. It's what the children call a noogie ."

Cora gulped, too stunned to even think about replying.

"At any rate," the principal continued. "No one was hurt. And both boys are still fast friends. But you understand that this kind of roughhousing isn't acceptable at school."

"Of course," Cora said, finding her breath. "It certainly isn't."

"Now, we're not too worried, and we think both incidents are out of character for Sylvester," Principal Tucker went on with a smile. "But we thought it best to get you involved early, so that you could help us prevent a pattern of the kind of behavior that could result in someone getting hurt."

"I'm very grateful to you for bringing this to my attention," Cora said. "We will have a serious talk at home, and you have my word that I'll do everything in my power to help him course correct. You and Miss Sullivan are free to reach out at any time if you see him sliding. It's important to me that Sylvester is a good school citizen."

"He's learning," Principal Tucker said with a smile. "They all are, Mrs. Davies. They're all still very young. We know they'll be okay as long as we help them understand what's acceptable and what isn't."

She stood, as if to let Cora know it was okay to head to the library to pick up her boy.

"Thank you again," Cora said .

"I only wish all my parent meetings went this way," the principal said kindly. "I know he'll be just fine."

Cora scurried out of the office and headed down the hall to the library, reminding herself to breathe. She stopped just outside, gathering herself to talk with her son.

His behavior was out of character, and yet something about it rang a bell. Jumping on a desk, giving someone a noogie…

Now that she had a minute to think, it came to her right away.

Jared Webb…

She had asked Sylvester how Jared got the men at the feed shop to volunteer, and he had instantly said, "He stood on a chair. Everyone looked at him like, wow. And it was so cool."

And that business about a noogie , he had seen Jared do it to his brother when they were arguing over cookies.

Guilt landed heavily on her shoulders. She obviously should have anticipated this with the way Sylvester looked up to the impulsive cowboy. It wasn't his fault. It was hers.

She took a deep breath and headed into the library.

Sylvester looked up at her, his eyes large and worried, even though the librarian was bent over a book with him. He clutched the football keychain tightly in one hand, a sure sign that he was upset.

"I'm in trouble," he said softly, as Cora approached.

"It's okay," she told him right away. "Making mistakes is how we learn. "

The relief in his face and the sag of his thin shoulders made her feel even worse.

We just have to have a nice talk, she thought to herself.

But by the time they were piling into the car and her son's face was still a mask of misery and embarrassment, she stopped feeling fear and sadness, and anger flowed in to take their places.

She had let her guard down for a few weeks and allowed herself to enjoy Jared's company, her head in the clouds about whether she might be ready to open her heart, instead of keeping her focus on how the situation might impact her son.

And now he was in trouble at a brand-new school, where he should be making a lovely first impression.

No more , she thought to herself, pressing her lips together. No more.

Her son was her first and only priority, and she was going to do a better job of remembering that from now on.

He sat silently by her side all the way home, his little face angled out the window as her heart broke into a thousand pieces and she struggled to find a simple way to talk to him about his behavior, Jared's role in it, and how she knew he would do better now that he understood the difference between classroom behavior and… whatever Jared's behavior was. Sure, everyone liked the exuberant cowboy, but his impulsive ways weren't a good example for an impressionable little boy.

She was so busy organizing her thoughts that she didn't notice Jared's truck in her driveway until she was practically pulling up next to it .

"Jared's here," Sylvester said happily.

"I want you to go straight into the house," Cora replied. "You can start your homework, and I'll be right there."

It looked like Cora was going to have a talk about behavior after all, just not with her son. She just had to tell Jared not to come by anymore. It was that easy. All she had to do was not lose her nerve between her car and those mesmerizing blue eyes of his.