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She didn’t need ashe was getting to do—teach in a historic one roo Paradise Valley, live in a sleepy little for town How cool was that?
Shivering, she did another circle beneath the spray She was lucky to be here, lucky to have a sister that loved her There was no reason to let one date with souy—turn her world inside out
Teeth chattering, she turned off the shower, grabbed a towel and dried off
Leaving the bathroolanced down at the phone as she hustled back to her bedrooe from Shane
“Which Sheenan called you this ot Cormac”
Jet read the e a second time as she yanked faded jeans on over underwear that stuck to her still daray T-shirt and a thick wine-colored sweater over that
She dragged her hair into a ponytail, high on the back of her head, before answering Shane “Harley calledsend
“That’s good I can’t iht out of you,” came the reply
Jet stilled Her hand shook ever so slightly as she typed “Cormac said that?”
“I’ as you’re okay, that’s my main concern”
She orried She typed quickly “I can’t believe he’d threaten you!”
“I’m not scared of Cored into the ree Sunday is a bad idea Just know if you ever need anything, I’m here”
He was letting her go, saying goodbye
Jet pressed a fist to herherself she should be relieved that he was closing the door and pushing her away, but she didn’t feel relieved She felt wildly conflicted
Still holding her breath she typed one last et close to the Sheenans Was that true?”
She waited for hi if he would A fewhe was typing a response
“Yes”, he said
He sent a follow up text almost imht ood word for me”
Jet exhaled slowly, disappointed, and hurt So he did want soht “You should have told me”
“I was going to talk to you tomorrow at brunch”
Jet stared at the last“And the kiss?”
“That was because you’re beautiful”
Jet spent the day at the schoolhouse, taking down old bulletin boards and putting up new ones that reflected February education themes—President’s Day, Black History Month, Inventors & Inventions, the ocean, and then, just because it was pretty and fun, Valentine’s Day hearts here and there
As she stapled and pinned, she tried not to think about Shane but it was virtually iht keep her hands busy but it left her thoughts free And so she thought about Shane, and the Sheenans, and hoful the conflict was between theet to this point No reason for Cormac to threaten Shane in any way That had to be theshe’d ever heard
She also hated how the Sheenans were ganging up on Shane He was one person and they were a big and forroup She understood why the Sheenans weren’t happy about the book, but Shane didn’t owe the He could write about whatever he wanted
Jet clie Washington’s head on one end of the bulletin board, running above the old, black chalkboard, and then carried the ladder and pins to the other end where she added Abraham Lincoln’s head
It was a shaet to know Shane Maybe if they’d been willing to talk to hie and et a better sense of the scope of the book as well as Shane’s intentions
Cli back down fro paper heads against rose red paper looked like soirl Was that good or bad? Well, it was a change from January’s blue and white color scheme at any rate It’d have to do
She folded the ladder up, and leaned it against the door to the back rooe and teacher break room Not that she went in there when the kids were present, but it had a serator and she’d added a microwave so she could heat up soup for her lunch