Winning the Teacher's Heart

“That tough. Remind me of this morning if I ever get any ideas of having kids of my own.”

“Becca’s kids seem okay,” Jared said without thinking. “But you’re right. Us Donnelly men are not cut out to be parents.” He stopped at the camp dock, dropped the towel he’d hung around his neck and pulled off his T-shirt.

Connor followed suit. “So, that’s the way it is. Becca Norton.”

Jared answered his brother by diving into the lake. “Whoa!” he shouted when he surfaced.

“Yeah, bro, I meant to tell you. With the below-normal temperatures we’ve had at night this month, the lake’s cold.”

“No, it’s great. Just what I needed.” To cool off my reaction to your too-close taunt, little brother.

Connor shot off the dock with a cannonball.

“Way to go, Pastor Connor. That was a good one.”

Jared shook off the water Connor had splashed in his face. A small mob of kids was invading the beach, led by several women, including Becca and Jinx Hazard Stacey. “Look out, Conn. They’re coming for you.”

Connor paddled over to the dock ladder. “No, that’s the third-through sixth-grade kids,” he said over his shoulder. “They’re people. Nothing like the little darlings I got to experience down and dirty this morning.”

Jared followed him up the ladder and picked up his towel. “You were two once. I remember you being two. Mom used to make me watch you in the backyard so she could get stuff done in the house.”

“I was one kid. There was a whole herd of them at day care.”

“Sure.” Jared toweled his hair dry.

“So, this is where you ran off to,” Becca said.

Jared peered out from under the towel to see her and Jinx stepping onto the dock.

“You’ve got that right.” Connor tossed his towel over his shoulder and gave an exaggerated shudder.

“You should have seen Connor,” Becca said. “I wish I’d had my phone with me to catch his look of pure terror when I walked him into the room after he’d agreed to help the teacher’s aide.”

“I heard all about it.” Jared dried off quickly and pulled on his T-shirt, feeling inexplicably self-conscious in front of Becca and Jinx without it.

“Hey, Donnelly, it’s okay. We’ve seen men at the beach before,” Jinx teased.

Strange, the sun wasn’t that intense that his cheeks should feel so warm. “Jinx Hazard. How have you been?”

“Emily Stacey now. And I’ve been good.”

“I know, Mom and Gram have kept me up to date.”

Becca pushed her hair behind her ears and looked from him to Jinx, seemingly confused by their banter. “I hadn’t realized you two were friends.”

They weren’t really. They’d simply shared the affinity of both being students on the fringe of their high school’s cliques and an ambition to get out of Paradox Lake as soon as they’d graduated. He doubted Becca and her popular crowd had ever noticed either of them.

“I could say the same about you two.”

“When Emily returned to Paradox Lake to stay with her niece a few years ago, we connected and found we had a lot in common.”

Becca caught and held his gaze until he contemplated another dive into the lake.

“Jared.” Brendon and another boy about his size clambered onto the dock, breaking the connection. A connection that probably existed only in his wishful mind.

“Tell Ian that you are the guy in my magazine. He doesn’t believe me.”

“I am.”

Brendon’s red-haired friend scrutinized him. “You sort of look like the picture.”

“That’s your motorcycle in Pastor Connor’s driveway. Right, Jared?”

“It is.”

“Ian,” Becca said, coming to his and her son’s rescue. “This is Jared Donnelly. He’s the racer in the picture in Brendon’s magazine.”

“Aunt Em. You know this guy?” Ian asked, skepticism still coloring his face.

And Connor thought two-year-olds were tough.

“Yes, Ian.” Patience laced Jinx’s face. “My brother’s oldest son,” she said as if that explained the little Doubting Thomas. “Jared is a champion racer.”

“Former racer. I’ve retired.”

“Get out!” Ian’s voice rose with excitement.

“Told you,” Brendon said, shooting Jared a triumphant look. “Wait, aren’t you and Pastor Connor going to stay and swim with us?”

“Brendon, I think Jared and Pastor Connor have finished swimming, and you and Ian are going to miss out if you don’t go and get your buddy tags.” Becca pointed to one of the other teachers on the beach handing out colored plastic bracelets.

“See you, Jared. Remember you still owe me a ride on your bike.”

“Your mom’s going to let you ride on his motorcycle?” Ian said in a loud whisper.

“Why not? Yours lets you ride with your sister Autumn’s husband, Dr. Jon.”

“Right, but he’s a doctor, not a motocross racer.”

“Brendon,” Becca said.

“Ian,” Emily echoed.

“Go,” they both ordered.

Connor laughed. “We’ll leave you to your charges.”

Jared hesitated. He didn’t have anything else planned for the rest of the afternoon. “I can stay if you need another person to watch the kids swim.”