9. Jared

9

JARED

J ared smiled as he closed the book.

He was perched on the side of Sylvester's bed after the boy had told his mother in no uncertain terms that he wanted Jared to read to him tonight.

Now he was dozing off peacefully, looking younger than usual with his normally expressive little face relaxed and soft.

It hadn't taken many pages of The Incredible Journey , the next book he wanted Jared to read, to send Sylvester off to sleep. Jared could tell from the broken spine and tattered pages that the boy had read the book many times before. But the excitement of putting up the tree and the nice supper afterward were probably what had really done the trick. It had been a special night.

But why did I stay?

Jared wasn't sure of the answer. Cora had taken to asking him every afternoon if he would like to stay for supper. He always refused, feeling that he was here to work off a sort of moral debt. Accepting dinner would just be making himself a burden on her resources.

Deep in his heart though, he knew what had really been holding him back—the buzz of attraction he felt every time he got lost in the depths of her boundless gray eyes.

But was there room in them for her to see him like that? Cora had already loved and lost, and her boy was her whole world.

Jared had never really even had a serious girlfriend. Even if the attraction were mutual, dating a grown woman with a child felt like it was out of his league somehow.

If it didn't work out, it would hurt more than just her, he thought to himself, gazing down at the sleeping boy's face that was so often turned up to his meet his with admiration.

And if it did work out, well…I don't know.

But deep down he did know. A woman like Cora wasn't going to be interested in dating for long. She had a full and busy life already.

If he wanted her to even consider being with him, he'd need to be all in, ready to put a ring on her finger and be a father to her son. And he was sure he wasn't ready for that. After all, he was the jokester of his family, the lighthearted one. Could he really just fall into the role of being somebody's husband, and someone's dad?

But if he was honest with himself, these past weeks felt a lot like he had been practicing for just that, with everything but the romance.

He stood slowly, careful not to shake the bed enough to wake Sylvester. A sudden impulse had him leaning down to stroke one soft cheek with his calloused thumb.

Sylvester was a good boy—the very best. He deserved a stepdad who knew how to be there for him, one who could provide for him lavishly, not some farm-working cowboy who was still learning how to take care of himself.

Jared straightened and headed downstairs to the rich scent of gingerbread and pine needles. His mind wandered to images of Cora waiting for him, perched on the sofa, looking alluring, or sitting at the table with wine glasses and candles.

Instead, he traveled through the house to find her at the kitchen table, her head in her hands.

"What's wrong?" he asked, sinking into the seat opposite hers, his earlier fears forgotten. "What happened?"

"I'm so sorry," she said, straightening up at once, and looking embarrassed.

"Don't be sorry," he told her. "What's going on?"

He suddenly had the instinct to jump to his feet again, go search for the person who had made her feel this way, and punch him in the nose.

"It's one of my students," she said softly.

"He can't stay in his seat?" he guessed.

She looked up at him and her sad expression melted into a smile.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing," she told him. "No, it's not that. He's a wonderful student, so smart, and he always has something interesting to say about the books we're reading."

"Wow," he said. "Sounds like Sylvester. "

"He does remind me a little of Sylvester," she said, sounding surprised. "Or what he might be like in high school, if he still likes to read."

"Seems like a great kid," Jared said, nodding. "So, what's going on?"

"He's missing a lot of school," she said. "Unexcused absences, and when he's there, he's got his head down in class and he doesn't participate anymore."

"How long has this been going on?" Jared asked.

"A little over a week," she said, shaking her head.

"You should go to his house," Jared recommended. "See what's going on."

"I can't," she said simply. "I went to Principal Vargas. He was very sympathetic, but he said legally we can't just go over there. If Jimmy has two more unexcused absences he'll be held back this year. And at that point, we can call a social worker."

"Jimmy," Jared said. "Not Jimmy Allen?"

"Yes," she replied. "How did you know?"

"It's a small town," he chuckled. "His dad owns a little dairy farm. They're good people. I'll go over there myself tomorrow. Mom wanted me to stop by with a tin of her homemade Christmas cookies this week anyway. She always does a nice tin of cookies for them, since Big Jim is a single dad."

"Oh, Jared, that would be wonderful," Cora said, looking at him like he was her hero instead of a regular guy running a quick errand and looking in on a family friend.

"You should come with me," he said. "It'll mean the world to him that you cared enough to come by. "

"I can't," she told him. "The school isn't allowed to show up at the house and get involved, remember?"

"You're not going as a teacher," he told her, shaking his head. "It'll be the weekend. You're going as a neighbor. Neighbors care about each other."

It was clear from her expression that she was torn. She didn't want to risk her job, but she was very worried about that boy. She really was one of the good teachers.

"Okay, I'll go with you," she told him after a moment. The determined expression on her face touching his heart. "Sylvester is going to the library with Ginny right after lunch. If you're free, we can go then and at least it will just be two of us."

"It's a date," Jared said without thinking. "I mean, it's a plan."

His cheeks were burning as he leapt out of his chair.

"Let me grab that tea," he said too loudly, pulling three mugs out of her cabinet before he remembered that it was just the two of them tonight.

When he turned back to her, he wasn't sure, but he thought she might have been trying not to smile.