Caroline's Seduction (Montgomery Family and Friends) (4 page)

Three

Four years later.

This was Caroline’s second year teaching in northern Florida.  This year she was wading through the early days of school without her best friend Abigail Montgomery Blake.  Abigail was lucky enough to have married the school superintendent the beginning of the last school year.  Now she volunteered instead of working as an aide at one of the elementary schools. 

Caroline had been worried about moving and starting over in another state, but after three years in the greater Atlanta area she’d had more than enough of being afraid to go anywhere.  She’d dreaded going anywhere expect work in case she ran into Kyle and her heart broke into even more pieces.  She’d talked to a few coworkers and a friend of a friend of a friend had directed her to northern Florida.  Now after a year she had settled in nicely and even more importantly she’d met Abigail Montgomery her first day on the job last year.  Now she was an unofficial adopted member of the Montgomery family.  And that made all the difference to someone like Caroline who had been orphaned as a young child.  She didn’t even have siblings to help with her loneliness, at least not until she’d met Abigail, Annabel, and Aubrey. 

Today was the first day back to school for students.  Caroline had been looking forward to their return for the past week and a half.  She loved teaching mostly because of her interactions with the students.  She loved knowing she had a hand in shaping the future of the world!  This year she was teaching honors biology to freshmen.  She was looking forward to the challenge!  She had high hopes that it would be a rewarding year for both her and the students.

****

Caroline stifled a yawn.  The first day of class was always the best, but it was emotionally draining meeting one hundred plus students for the first time.  Caroline loved this part of the school year however.  The day had flown by and it was already time for the last class of the day.  Lucky for her the last class of the day was one of her three honors biology classes.  She stood at the door greeting students and offering them a smile as they entered her classroom.  She smiled an extra large smile at Jay Davidson when he walked into the classroom.  Some teachers might be uncomfortable teaching the superintendent’s stepchild, but not Caroline.  She was comfortable with her role in the classroom.  She knew what she was doing, and it also helped that she and Abigail were best friends.  There’d be no complaints from that quarter.   

Caroline glanced around the filling classroom and returned several smiles.  Her most timid smile came from a girl sitting in the back row.  She looked vaguely familiar, but Caroline couldn’t quite place her.  She decided she must have taught a sibling of the familiar looking student the year before.  Something about those golden-brown eyes definitely tugged at her memory.  It would probably come to her later.

The tardy bell rang.  Caroline glanced out the door and down the hallway.  She didn’t see any last minute stragglers.  She shut the door and turned her welcoming first day smile on the students.  “Welcome to seventh period honors biology with Ms. Johnson.”  She looked around the room.  “I trust that matches everyone’s schedule?”  She received several smiles and a few nods of confirmation.  “All right then.  I’ll start with attendance.  That will help me learn your names.” 

Caroline went through all the names on the classroom roster.  She reached the end and realized that the familiar looking student from the back of the room had never raised her hand.  Caroline did a quick silent count and realized she had an extra student.  She didn’t want to single the girl out on the first day of school, so she made a general statement to all the students.  “That’s the end of the list.  Is there anyone whose name I didn’t call?  If so raise your hand please.” 

The black-haired brown-eyed student from the back of the room raised her hand. “We just moved to Florida this week,” she explained.   “I picked up my schedule from one of the guidance counselors this morning.”

 Caroline sent the student an encouraging smile.  “May I see your schedule please?”  She walked to the back of the room and held out an unsteady hand.  As soon as she took the folded piece of paper she knew what she was going to see there.  She glanced at the spot for student name and indeed the words Sarah Wakefield were neatly typed inside the box.  No wonder she looked so familiar.  She was dainty and feminine, but she had Kyle’s thick wavy black hair, just a lot more of it. And those were definitely his amber colored eyes that peered back at her from the student’s face.   Kyle’s only daughter was now a 14 year old freshman and she was officially one of Caroline’s students.

Caroline took a deep breath and called on all of her professional skill and discipline while she inwardly cursed fate.  She felt her fingers bite into the palm of her hand as she fought not to let her welcoming smile falter.  “Welcome to Florida, Sarah.”  She handed the schedule back to the student and moved to the front of the room to pass out the class syllabus.   

Despite the shock to her system and the discovery that threatened to uproot her entire world, the fifty minute period passed quickly.  Caroline felt her breathing return to normal about the same time the three o’clock bell rang.  “Class dismissed!  I’ll see everyone tomorrow afternoon.”  Caroline busied herself by straightening her desk while the students filed out of the classroom.  They were too busy chatting about their first adventures as high school students to notice that their teacher was preoccupied with straightening a desk that was already one of the neatest in the school. 

Caroline felt the presence beside her desk and looked up fully prepared to look into the golden-brown eyes that reminded her of a man she’d love to forget.  She let out a small sigh of relief when she saw her after class visitor was Jay Davidson.  “How was your first official day of high school,” she asked with genuine curiosity.    Jay after all was like a nephew to her and he and his sister Emily were probably the closest to children of her own she’d ever get. 

“Great first day,” Jay promised.  “And I know this is going to be my favorite class and not just because you’re the teacher.  I can’t wait to get to the dissections!”

Caroline had to suppress a laugh.  “Maybe it’s the dissections or maybe you’re more like your Aunt Aubrey and Aunt Annabel than you thought.  Weren’t both of them biology majors,” Caroline reminded him.

The teen offered a shrug in response.  “Maybe,” he finally agreed, “but I’m still looking forward to the dissections.” 

A noise behind Jay caused them both to look toward the back of the classroom.  Caroline saw that Sarah was methodically gathering together her materials, but seemed to be in no great hurry.  She was glad that Jay was there to act as a buffer.  Until she had a few hours to process and get used to the fact that Kyle’s daughter was now her student, things might be a little awkward.  She turned her attention back to Jay who was still talking.

“Mom needs you to give her a call tonight.  I think it has something to do with the upcoming family barbeque.” 

“I’ll be sure to call her this afternoon as soon as I get home as a matter of fact.  I’ve got something I want to talk to her about too.  Enjoy the rest of the day and tell the rest of the family hello for me.”

“Okay, Aunt Caroline.”  He quickly slapped his hand over his mouth and glanced at Sarah, who’d finally made her way to the front of the room.  “I mean Ms. Johnson.”

Caroline smiled at him.  “It’s all right, Jay.  I’m practically a member of the family and you’ve been calling me Caroline for a year now.  Just try to remember to use Ms. Johnson during class time.”

“I will,” he solemnly promised.  He walked to the door, but turned and waited.

Caroline tried to act normal.  Nothing that happened in the past had been Sarah’s fault.  She’d been a sweet little girl as far as Caroline could tell.  Kyle had gone out of his way to limit her time with his daughter.  Actually looking back at the way things had turned out, Caroline was surprised he’d introduced them to each other at all.  

“In case you’re wondering, I do remember you,” Sarah stated without preamble.   “You used to live in Athens, Georgia.  And you also dated my dad, Kyle Wakefield.”  When Caroline didn’t say anything right away the teen continued.  “I remember you because you were the only one of my dad’s girlfriends I ever got to meet.  Back then I had high hopes that you’d be my new mom, but then you disappeared out of our lives,” she added in an excusatory tone.

Damn Kyle, Caroline thought for probably the hundredth time over the past four years.  Now Caroline had to smooth things over for the sake of the upcoming school year.  She couldn’t even consider taking the easy way out and transferring Sarah to another teacher, because she was the only one teaching honors biology this year.  “Things just didn’t work out between your dad and me and that was no reflection what so ever on you, Sarah.  It’s been over four years.  That’s a long time.  Your father and I have both moved on a long time ago.  I’m sure that you and I won’t let the past ruin our student/teacher relationship now, right?”  Caroline tried to coax a smile out of the teen.  She looked like she hadn’t smiled a real smile in days. 

After a few seconds Sarah finally let loose with a wide grin and not the tentative smile she’d shared before.  “You know I think this is going to be my favorite class after all, even with the dissections.” 

They both laughed.  Caroline glanced toward the door and a still waiting Jay.  “I’ll just pair you with Jay Davidson.”  Carolina nodded toward the sandy haired teen standing guard at the door.  “He’s actually looking forward to the dissections.”

Sarah rolled her eyes in typical teen girl fashion.  “Boys,” she said in mock disgust.

“Indeed,” Caroline agreed with a smile for Sarah and a wink for Jay.  “So what brings you to Florida?”  Caroline asked.  There was still a chance the girl was here with her mom or some other relative and not Kyle.  That hope was momentarily dashed with Sarah’s next words.

“I’m here with my dad.  Wakefield INC. bought a company near Tallahassee.  The project manager failed to turn it around in the time dad had allotted him.  I guess dad got tired of running things from Atlanta and the sidelines.  The next thing I know he’s decided to come fix the faltering new branch of the company himself.    Since he didn’t know how long it might take and the school year hadn’t started yet he brought me with him.  Now I’m stuck starting high school at a new school where I don’t have any friends.”

“I have to hand it to your dad.  He must have done his research.  This county has the best school system in northern Florida.  I’m sure he had your best interests at heart when he registered you here.”

“I didn’t want to come here at first,” the girl admitted.  “I miss my friends in Atlanta, but at least I already know someone here, so maybe things won’t be so bad after all.”

Caroline could feel the girl’s pain.  She knew all about how hard it was to leave all your friends behind and move somewhere new.  She’d done it twice now.  She motioned for Jay to leave the door and join them at the desk.  “Now you’re going to know two people,” Caroline promised.  “Sarah Wakefield this is Jay Davidson.” She turned to Jay, “Jay this is Sarah Wakefield.  She’s new to the school.  Maybe you can take her under your wing so to speak.  You know show her around and introduce her to some of your friends.”

Jay flashed Sarah a friendly smile.  “It’s great to meet you Sarah.”  He glanced at the clock on the wall.  They’d been in Caroline’s room for several minutes now.  “How are you getting home, because I’m positive the buses have already left the parking lot?”

“My dad’s picking me up from school. He’s probably in the parking lot right now waiting, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel, wondering what’s taking me so long.”

Caroline bit back the laugh threatening to spill from her lips.  She could definitely see an impatient Kyle tapping the steering wheel in disgust at having to wait even for his beloved daughter.

“I start volleyball practice tomorrow,” Sarah continued.  “Then he won’t have to rearrange his afternoon schedule just to pick me up around three.  We’ll both be much happier then.”

“My mom picks me up in the afternoons too.  She’s probably in a hurry to get home and start dinner for my dad.  Well he’s really my step-dad, but as far as I’m concerned he’s the only dad I’ve got.  Come on I’ll show you where student pick up and drop off is located.”  When he reached the door he turned back to Caroline.  “Don’t forget to call my mom tonight Aunt Caroline and I’ll see you tomorrow.”  The two teens walked down the hall and to the exit at the front of the school.  They talked all the way.  When they got to the parking lot they both spotted their respective parent and went their separate ways.  They waved bye to each other before being driven off in opposite directions.

****

Kyle greeted his daughter with an absent smile.  His mind as usual was focused on work and everything waiting for him on his desk back in Tallahassee.  Things were a mess and he couldn’t really blame it on the project manager.  The former owner was a snake in the grass.   Kyle started the engine and eased his brand new European crossover into merging traffic.  “I see you’ve made a friend already.  How was the first day of school?  Not as bad as you imagined it would be, I’m sure.” 

“You’re right dad, it wasn’t nearly as bad.  Actually I think I’m going to like it here a whole lot.  And my new friend is Jay Davidson.  He’s in my last period honors biology class.  Ms. Johnson my biology teacher is the greatest.  I think it’s going to be an excellent year after all.  So take your time with this new company.  I’m really not in that much of a hurry to return to Atlanta.”

Kyle automatically stiffened when he heard the name Ms. Johnson.  He knew that Caroline had trained to be a high school science teacher and her maiden name was Johnson.  He ruthlessly pushed all thought of his ex-lover aside.  Then he fought to get his wayward thoughts under control.  What were the chances of both of them showing up in this small Florida town at the same time?  Slim to none would be Kyle’s guess and he was rarely wrong.  Besides she was probably married by now with a different last name. He didn’t stop to wonder why the thought of her being married left such a bad taste in his mouth.  He concentrated on making small talk with his daughter.