Chapter 3

Phoebe had known the day would come she'd run into Brody Duke. Lyntacky was a small town, and unless she could somehow re-create Harry's invisibility cloak, it was inevitable. But she'd not imagined it would play out like it had today.

She'd thought they would say hello awkwardly. There would be a few questions between them—like how have you been? What are you doing with your life now?—and then they'd carry on with their day. But no, that was too much to ask for. Instead, he'd run into her, knocking her to the floor.

Phoebe had battled to forget Brody for years. Heartbroken but determined after the way he'd treated her, she'd forced the memories of her time with him down inside and focused on her studies. Then, when the longing for him had not eased, she'd done a foolish thing and come home to see if there was still a future for them. It was only then Phoebe realized she'd never been important to him, because he'd replaced her months after she'd left Lyntacky.

Someone once told her that the strongest memories were the ones that you never forgot, which was really annoying as far as Phoebe was concerned, because most often those were the ones you wanted to forget.

Phoebe's desk drawer held a box of candy, and when she got there, she would be ripping it open and swallowing the contents. If ever there was a moment for a hit of sugar, it was now. This was one of her sugar-free days, but to hell with that.

I just saw Brody.

She'd learned a lot about herself over the last few years. How to stay calm. How to deal with her emotions when they threatened to overwhelm her, and that candy helped with all of that. That, plus doodling.

"Hi, Ms. Stanway." A girl stepped out of the door to her left, which Phoebe knew was where the first aid was administered.

"Hello. How are you today?" She tried to put a name to the face but came up short. She hadn't been at Lyntacky Elementary long enough to memorize the names of all the students she'd met yet.

"I'm good. But my head was sore, so I went to see Ms. Dean."

She talked with a lisp, as a front tooth was missing. Wide brown eyes looked up at Phoebe.

"Are you feeling better now?"

"Yes, much better, so I can go eat my lunch."

"That's good news. You head back then."

The kid took off at a run, which suggested to Phoebe that, in fact, there wasn't a great deal wrong with her other than hating math. Who could blame her? It had never been Phoebe's strong suit.

Heading for class, she thought an afternoon of teaching would stop any thoughts of Brody Duke filtering through her head, and by the time the bell rang, she'd have forgotten him again.

You're lying to yourself.

Her first day at Lyntacky Elementary, she'd taken one look at the roll and known Ally Duke had to be one of their children, and likely Brody's due to her age. Phoebe had chosen not to ask questions, instead doing one of the two things she loved: teaching.

Age hadn't blunted Brody's hotness, which was also annoying. Was a simple wart on his chin or missing front tooth too much to ask? The man was cover model good-looking and always had been. It had annoyed her that Phoebe would stand in front of the mirror for ages, making herself look good for him, or what she thought looked good, and Brody had simply grabbed the nearest article of clothing and put it on. He and his brothers were all the same. Effortlessly handsome. The face that had melted her heart years ago was still as good to look at. More so, if she were honest.

After he'd picked her up off the floor earlier and she'd managed to form a rational thought, she'd cataloged every inch of him in that long-sleeved black T-shirt stretched over really nice shoulders and chest with his family's timber-yard logo on it. Faded jeans fitted his long legs. Scarred leather work boots completed the look, and she'd thought, Dammit , he still makes me feel funny in my belly. But she'd masked that reaction because she was older and wouldn't be giggling and falling all over herself to make him notice her ever again. Those days were long gone.

Okay, so maybe the first meeting hadn't gone to plan, but it was done. They could be on nodding terms now, or she'd just ignore him, which worked too.

His child was hilarious. From the first day in class, she'd seen an intelligent and sassy little girl who was exactly who she wanted to be. However, she couldn't go around booby-trapping a locker with blue ink, no matter how genius it had been, or punching fellow students, for that matter. But what really worried her were the claims Ally Duke had made. She'd spoken to other teachers about this Jack Little's bullying, and nothing had been done. Phoebe suspected that was because of his father, like the girl had said. She didn't like that either.

"Hi."

Phoebe's head shot left. Brody Duke leaned against a wall, his dark eyes watching her approach.

"Are you really okay, Phoebe? I hit you hard when we fell earlier."

"Fine, thanks. Did you want to discuss something with me?"

This man had been her world, and once, he'd looked at her with those whiskey eyes as if she were everything to him. Not so much, as it turned out. The adoration had been all on her side.

She'd once envied Brody because he'd always been exactly who he'd wanted to be. He rarely had doubts, and if he wanted something, he did what was needed to get it. Even with so many siblings, he'd been assured, while she'd been confused most of the time about pretty much everything. Teaching had changed that. It had given her a direction, for better or worse. Then she'd grown up, and that had hardened her na?ve belief that the world was a wonderful place. Reality bites, as they say, but it is also a reminder that there is bad mixed in with the good.

"You called me Mr. Duke." He pushed off the wall and moved closer. "We're friends, Phoebe. Use my name."

She bit back the instinctive need to tell him to add "please." "I was being professional, seeing as we were in the principal's office, discussing your child, who is in my class. Plus, we barely know each other now, Brody. At best, we're acquaintances, not friends."

Nice, Phoebe. Take control.

"Considering what we were to each other, I think acquaintances is a stretch," he said in his deep, steady voice.

"Look, Brody, I don't have time for a reunion, nor do I want one. I need to get to class," Phoebe said, her voice cold. "So, if there is nothing relating to Ally you wish to discuss, goodbye."

"You've changed," he said, studying her. "I don't remember you being so hard-assed." He smiled in that disarming way that used to get him anything he'd wanted from her.

"I grew up," she said calmly. "Ten years will do that to you, Brody," Phoebe added, refusing to fall into the catch-up-with-an-old-friend vibe he was clearly going for.

"This business with that boy Little. Has he been bullying Ally, and I don't know about it?"

Phoebe rotated the ring on her finger slowly before answering. "I haven't been here long enough to understand what's going on, Brody, but I will ensure there is no more trouble between them, and that Ally knows she can come to me for as long as I am here."

"Thank you. We'd both appreciate that. But I want to discuss the Littles and?—"

"It will be dealt with by Principal Tanner," Phoebe cut him off. "I know very little about Jack or his father, and even if I did, I would not discuss it with you."

"I bet he's a bully, just like his daddy." The dark brows drew into an angry line.

The truth was, Phoebe had seen the boy in action. Jack Little was a spoiled child. She'd not seen him outright hurt or bully another kid, but she'd told him off for swearing at another student, and he'd sneered at her. She'd also heard other teachers complain about him in the staffroom.

"I can't discuss this further with you, Brody. I need to get back to class, but I would ask you to let us handle this."

His hand wrapped around her arm as she turned to leave, but she didn't turn back.

"Good to see you again, Phoebe."

She nodded but didn't speak again. Moving out of his reach, she pulled free and walked away. Heart pounding, Phoebe pushed open the door that would lead to her classroom. As she entered, another woman came toward her.

"Don't tell me one of your heathens is in trouble again, Cill?" Phoebe said to the woman who coerced her into teaching until a replacement could be found. There had been bribes offered. Cill's husband, Jed, baked like a god, and he was now making her an apple pie every week for a month.

"Ruby." Priscilla Knox was tall like Phoebe, and they'd been friends for years before she left for New York. Cill had a bone structure other women wept for, and even after three kids, she looked like she had before them.

"Apparently Ruby told her teacher she'd brought Cindy to school to show the class. The teacher wasn't happy about that, and she was doubly not happy when Cindy, my daughter's hamster, escaped her shoebox and ran for the teacher. Ms. Dalton doesn't like hamsters, as it turns out," Cill said.

"I love your kids," Phoebe said.

"They're yours," Cill said.

"You don't fool me, Priscilla Knox. You're proud of your strong-minded little girl."

Cill's smile added another level to her beauty. She'd thrown on cutoffs and a shirt that Phoebe had a feeling had been Jed's because it hung off a shoulder and made her look effortlessly gorgeous.

"I hate you."

"Why?" Cill didn't look concerned.

"You always look beautiful."

"And you're so plain after all," Cill drawled.

"Whatever. Now grovel to Ms. Dalton, who is really rather sweet, if a little uptight. When you get home, tell your husband I'm doing this as a huge favor to him, because he begged so nicely, but he needs to get a replacement and soon. I have a book deadline."

"Jed told me to give you this. It's his homemade fudge. He also told me to say that he understands we applied pressure on you to fill in here, but that he and the board are in your debt forever."

Phoebe held out a hand, and Cill pulled a bag out of her bag and handed it over.

"But seriously, any luck with finding a new teacher?" Phoebe asked.

"Not yet, but they will. It's just not a place you fall over teachers, substitute or otherwise, on every corner street, Pheebs."

"Okay, and I know. I'll hang in there until they find a replacement because I promised. But keep the apple pies coming. We had a deal."

"He's baking you one as we speak," Cill said.

"I just ran into Brody," Phoebe said before she thought better of it.

"Oooh, I'd wanted to be there for that," Cill said, taking back the bag she'd just handed to Phoebe and opening it. "What was it like? A stunned silence while you stared at each other in shock?" She popped a piece of caramel goodness into her mouth. "Was there tension?"

Snatching the bag back, Phoebe did the same and hummed her appreciation. "That was years ago. We're older and wiser now, and we both realize what happened was for the best. After the initial awkwardness of him landing on me, we were good."

"Wait." Cill held up a hand. "Explain that statement."

"It was no big deal. He just bumped into me, and we both went down. I'm fine, but thanks for the concern."

Cill started laughing so hard, she was snorting.

"Lunch break is nearly over, so I'm just going to leave you here," Phoebe said when her friend showed no sign of stopping.

"S-sorry." Cill rose, mopping her eyes.

"Whatever. Now go bribe your kid's teacher, and I'll see you later."

"K-kay," Cill said, still giggling. "B-but this discussion is not done. I want details."

Rolling her eyes, Phoebe left and headed to her classroom. Walking out into the sunshine and noise, she made her way past other classrooms to hers.

"Hello, Ms. Stanway!"

The shriek came from a little girl hanging upside down on the playground.

"Hello, Sarah."

She'd attended Lyntacky Elementary and loved every minute. In fact, she'd loved her life here. Nodding to Charlene, who was the teacher on duty, Phoebe entered her classroom and found Ally Duke.

"How do you know my dad?" the little girl said. Under one skinny arm was a large book.

"We went to school together."

"Were you friends?"

Phoebe nodded.

"I can understand why. My dad's pretty awesome, and my aunt and uncles too." The girl smiled, and it was pure Brody.

The words surprised a laugh out of Phoebe. "They were the cool kids in school, and everyone wanted to be friends with a Duke."

"My nana told me they were always getting into trouble," Ally said.

"I'm not sure I should give you any more details in case you go home and tell your father," Phoebe said, "but she wasn't wrong." Ally's smile grew. "Now I need you to promise me that if you have any more trouble with any other student, Ally, you come to me first. Can you give me that promise?"

The girl studied her and then nodded. "I guess so, seeing as you and my dad were friends."

"Good." She felt ridiculously pleased about that. "Now go take your seat, as the bell is about to go."

Friends . That wasn't happening again… ever.