Instant Father Page 9

  Shortly after they’d finished their supper, the doorbell rang and Tyson ran to the door.

  “I’ll be back to pick Max up in a couple of hours, if that’s okay,” the little girl’s mother said.

  “That’s just fine,” Paul agreed. He was happy to provide some diversion for Tyson and to try to get himself out of his own head.

  Besides, he enjoyed Max, with her little-girl face and her funny, low voice. He suspected she kept Tyson on his toes...just like Charlotte did for him.

  His fast-growing fondness for her was at war with his irritation and disappointment.

  “Let’s go.” He ushered both kids outside.

  Autumn had been Erica’s favorite season, and the display of golden, brown and red leaves, as well as the distinctly crisp scent of another summer gone and the pending winter, reminded Paul of his sister. A wave of grief edged to the shore but was held back by Max’s sudden burst of laughter and Tyson’s higher-pitched giggle. He smiled and handed Max a rake.

  “One for you.”

  “And here’s one for you, bud.” He handed another one to Tyson.

  He wondered what Charlotte’s favorite season was.

  “Let’s trade,” Max said immediately, with the assurance of one who expected no arguments.

  “Why?” Tyson asked.

  “Because I like yours better,” she said, as if stating the obvious.

  Tyson threw a look in his uncle’s direction. Paul laughed and put his palms up as if to say don’t look at me.

  Seconds later, they began raking leaves into big piles with Max offering plenty of instruction along the way. As they raked and chatted, Paul kept his ears open in case either of them said anything about Michael...or their teacher. But all they talked about was their plans to build snowmen and go ice-skating in the winter.

  “I’ll teach ya how to do spins,” Max promised.

  Finally, when the piles of leaves were big enough, they took turns jumping into them. Paul knew he’d have to rake all the leaves up all over again, but it was worth it to see Tyson and Max having fun.

  He was also glad that the stress of Thanksgiving had been taken care of with an invitation to join Harold and his brood, along with Mildred. They were relaxing people to be with, and he was happy that he and Tyson wouldn’t be alone for Thanksgiving after all. He’d decided it was better than being alone and dwelling on who was no longer there.

  He knew that Charlotte was preoccupied with her own family’s expectations, but he recalled that she had extended an invitation and he wondered what Thanksgiving with her family would be like. It just felt easier, though, to be with Harold’s family.

  “If you come inside now,” he said, “there’s just enough time for some hot cocoa and cookies before Max’s mom picks her up.”

  While Tyson and Max competed to see who could get the best chocolate mustache, Paul felt his concerns creeping in again. He told himself that he shouldn’t borrow trouble if there was no sign of any, but he kept returning to the thought that Charlotte should have said something to him about Michael.

  “Look, I’m a chipmunk!” Max had stuffed her cheeks with mini marshmallows, which caused Tyson to hold his stomach as gales of laughter overtook him.

  See, he’s fine, everything’s good, Paul told himself. But still, he couldn’t get to sleep that night without promising himself that he’d talk to Charlotte about his concerns at the earliest possible opportunity.

  * * *

  Charlotte woke up on Wednesday morning still feeling like she was keeping important information a secret from Paul. Please, God, help me deal with whatever this day is going to bring and help me not to expect the worst. Give me peace of heart and mind.

  But the prayer didn’t get rid of the feeling of foreboding the way she’d hoped it would.

  It had felt so odd not to visit with Paul on her lunch hour. And even worse because she knew why she was avoiding him, which was silly, because she was bound to run into him that night at the church if not before.

  Despite her experience teaching and her determination to find the best in each student, she’d experienced a stab of apprehension when Michael was brought into her classroom.

  The uneasiness continued so she wasn’t all that surprised when Paul was waiting to talk to her after class. “I’ve made arrangements for Tyson to go home with Max and her parents for a little while,” he said. “You and I need to talk.”

  She didn’t bother to ask about what, just nodded and said, “You can come in and have a seat when the students have gone.” She wished that he didn’t look quite so large and male and intense. She was beginning to enjoy the smells of garage oil and gasoline...

  Once they were settled in the classroom, Paul didn’t waste any time getting to the point.

  “You should have told me that Michael was going to be in your classroom.”

  His reprimanding tone reminded Charlotte that she wasn’t a young woman with a developing crush; she was an education professional with her own set of ethics to protect. She dismissed thoughts of how attractive Paul was to her now and answered in the crisp, no-nonsense voice she reserved for particularly challenging parents.

  “It’s not my business to discuss the plans of another student and their family with anyone else. I’m sure you wouldn’t appreciate it if I discussed Tyson with another parent.”

  Paul shifted and frowned as if he was pondering her words.

  “I suppose you’re right,” he said grudgingly. “I mean, in general terms, I can see what you mean. But you know that Michael has picked on Tyson in other situations. And besides... I thought we were friends.”

  The declaration of friendship under these circumstances irritated Charlotte. Perhaps it was the burden of her parents’ expectations that weighed on her, but she felt especially weary of the tangled knots that seemed destined to go along with all of her relationships.

  “I think,” she said tightly, “that a friend wouldn’t pressure another friend to do anything that put her in conflict with her professional ethics.”

  “I don’t mean to,” Paul said, looking disconcerted. “It’s just...there’s a lot about me that you don’t know.”

  The shadowing in his dark eyes made Charlotte soften somewhat.

  “Do you want to tell me about it?” she asked.

  Briefly, he looked like he was considering it, but then he shook his head. “No, it doesn’t matter. I’m really only concerned with Tyson.” He continued, “I get why you couldn’t say anything, and I’m sorry for pushing you on it. But can you at least promise me that you’ll keep an eye on things and tell me if there’s anything to worry about?”

  “I keep an eye on my classroom at all times,” Charlotte said. “And I can promise you that appropriate measures will be taken if they are necessary.”

  Her thoughts went to the poor grade that Tyson had gotten on the last spelling test, but she reminded herself that she was going to wait to see if it was just a onetime thing before raising the alarm with Paul.

  A storm brewed over his face, which told her that he wasn’t entirely satisfied with her answer. She didn’t like having to remain so detached—she was very fond of both Paul and Tyson—but it was the fair thing to do.

  “Can I walk you out?” she asked, because there wasn’t much else she could say.

  “Trying to get rid of me?”

  She was disconcerted at first but then saw the twinkle in his eye. It appeared that Paul was ready to be done with their teacher-parent roles, too, but she had to say one more thing.

  “I hope I’ve made it clear, Paul, I won’t tolerate being pressured about this. But, at the same time, I want you to trust me. Can you do that? I care about Tyson, just as I care about all of my students.”

  “I trust you,” Paul said, but she couldn’t escape a peculiar sensation that those words were unfamiliar in his mouth. “I
, uh, missed you at lunch yesterday,” he added, his tone gruff with confession.

  I missed you, too...

  She couldn’t bring herself to say the words or to admit that she had stayed away to avoid the very confrontation they’d just had.

  “I had a couple of things I needed to take care of,” she said. That was true on any given day in the life of a busy schoolteacher, but she didn’t volunteer that she’d spent her lunch break searching missionary sites and commanding herself not to have second thoughts... Just as she had willed herself not to give in and walk over to Harold’s so that she could see Paul’s face light up when she came in the door.

  “Well...you were missed.” Paul said it in a shy way that warmed her heart.

  It was clear that he didn’t want there to be tension between them any more than she did.

  She suddenly wondered how it would go over if she was to start dating the guardian of one of her students.

  Whoa, now where did that thought come from?

  Despite the kiss they’d shared, Paul had never given her any indication that he had the time or inclination for a relationship. She still knew that his primary focus was Tyson and the role she played in the boy’s life as his teacher. He had proven that again today, and she had been reminded of what her responsibilities were, not only to both of them, but also to her profession in general.

  Besides, there was her mission-work application, making its way through the mail and waiting to bring back with it the answer to her future.

  An answer that she was no longer sure she was ready for.

  Chapter Twelve

  The October air had a chill to it, but there was still no snow, much to Tyson’s disappointment. Thankfully, that appeared to be the only thing in his life that was troubling him.

  When Paul had approached Charlotte about the Michael situation, he hadn’t been entirely satisfied with her response. But now he felt like the real question—the one he wasn’t ready to confront—was what had bothered him the most about it: Did he really just want to protect Tyson, or did he want evidence that he meant more to Charlotte than just another parent or guardian? By necessity, he never let himself get too close to people, so why did it matter to him?

  These days, even more than when Erica first died, he longed to be able to sit down to have a conversation with her. There were so many things he wanted to ask her about Tyson, to make sure that he was doing things right. He had always been the fun uncle, but his visits had been brief on his way from one place to another. Now he found himself wishing daily that he had paid more attention to how his sister and brother-in-law had raised Tyson.

  That was only one of many reasons that he had been astonished to find out that Erica had chosen him to be Tyson’s guardian. Even worse, she had expressed that, although they had drifted apart over the years, she trusted that they had their foundation of faith in common and that Paul would do his utmost to make sure that Tyson had a loving home.

  Well, he was doing the latter, but his foundation of faith had been eroded bit by bit by the cruelty of classmates and had been destroyed completely when his sister and brother-in-law were killed.

  Except now Charlotte had him thinking again about his faith. It wasn’t that they had even talked about it or come anywhere close to having a faith-based conversation, other than the natural flow of it in her conversation with Bridget when he’d stayed at Seth’s and had coffee with them. But when he saw her around the church and how she treated people and interacted with others, he could almost believe that it was possible for God to have a positive impact on a person’s life...almost.

  Meanwhile, the days took their regular rhythm. He took Tyson to school, then he went to work at the garage. Charlotte had resumed her lunchtime visits, which made him happy, thought he tried not to count on that happiness. If Ty wasn’t playing with Max after school, he kept him busy with a few age-appropriate chores or let him help get supper ready by setting the table or by stirring something on the stove. He kept himself busy, too, as there was always some kind of an errand or repair that he could do, either for himself or someone else. It was important to him now that the community thought of him as someone they could count on, but he knew it wasn’t only for the sake of his employment anymore. He liked seeing his efforts reflected in the shine of Charlotte Connelly’s eyes.

  Paul also anticipated the Wednesday night class. It was so much fun to witness the growing self-confidence of the students, and he loved seeing Charlotte learning alongside him, even as she did her part teaching, and growing in her own confidence.

  One night when there was no doubt that winter was hiding in the October air, getting ready to unleash itself, he asked the class, “Okay, who wants to tell me how often you should be changing your furnace filter and why it’s important to make sure you get your furnace and ducts cleaned before winter really sets in?”

  Several enthusiastic hands waved in the air. He caught Charlotte’s eye, and they smiled at each other. The other people around them faded for a moment, until an excited voice snapped him back to the present.

  “I know the answer, please, Mr. Paul.”

  “Kamar.” He signaled to a young man with smiling dark eyes. “What do you think?”

  Kamar answered, and Paul nodded and led the class in applause for the correct answer that was given. Their efforts to learn and their pride in doing so made him feel happy, and he was pleased that he could play a part in it.

  And that he could share the experience with Charlotte.

  It is more blessed to give than to receive. The familiar Scripture jumped into his head, surprising him. Perhaps he hadn’t forgotten as much as he thought he had.

  The feeling of camaraderie stayed with him after the class had ended and, unlike when he had first started coming to the community activities, he had no urge to rush away. Instead, he hoped that Tyson would want to stay longer, so that he could enjoy visiting with his students and with Charlotte.

  As it happened, Tyson was in especially high spirits that night.

  “Max and I tooked turns being David and Goliath,” he said breathlessly. “I slingshotted a stone at her and she fell and then she did one at me and I fell.”

  “Sounds kind of violent,” Paul observed.

  “Uncle Paul, it was only pretend stones,” Tyson explained with exasperated patience. “Besides, the story is in the Bible, everyone knows that.”

  “You’re right. How silly of me.”

  He got Tyson settled in a group of children enjoying cookies and milk and couldn’t help noting that Michael wasn’t among the group.

  He spotted Charlotte sipping water from a bottle and chatting with Stephanie and Bridget. He watched her toss back her head and laugh heartily at something Bridget said, and he found that he was oddly jealous for a moment, wanting to be the cause of the laughter that brought such light and joy to her face.

  A face he couldn’t believe he had ever thought plain.

  It struck Paul again that Erica was part of this community and had shared in its spirit. He had purposely avoided seeking out any memories of her from the people who had known her for fear of unleashing grief in him or Tyson. But now he considered that someday he might appreciate hearing what others remembered about her.

  Charlotte turned her head and smiled at him, then turned back to say something to the other women and came over to him.

  “It was a good class tonight, wasn’t it?” she said.

  He nodded. “Yes, I’m really happy with how things are going.” He wondered if she would know that he was talking about more than the class. He found her so appealing when her hair looked soft and her smile was bright.

  He scanned the room, suddenly anxious to change the subject. “I didn’t see Michael or his mother here tonight, did you?”

  “No,” she said. Her puzzlement mirrored his, minus the relief. “But I was hoping they’d be here. I
wanted to make sure that their move to town went okay and see if they needed anything.”

  Of course she would be concerned about them, because that was the kind of person she was. He felt guilty for not being as openhearted, but the feeling played tug-of-war with a resentment he couldn’t seem to help. Paul mentally shook his head. He had to stop getting in his own way.

  “Don’t look now,” Charlotte said, “but I see Joe and Ralph headed in your direction. Do you want me to distract them while you make a run for it?”

  He chuckled. “No, I appreciate the offer, but that’s fine. I actually promised I’d catch up with them tonight.”

  It was the truth, although it had slipped his mind until now. He couldn’t help it if it gave him an excuse to escape her and the inner struggle she’d unwittingly caused.

  His emotions felt like a roller coaster when it came to Charlotte Connelly and he didn’t know why he couldn’t convince himself to stop wanting to get closer to her. What had started out as nothing more than ensuring that Tyson was safe and happy in class had developed into more, despite his best efforts to keep her at arm’s length. He could only hope now that he would find a way to deal with her imminent departure for her mission work.

  * * *

  Paul could sure muddle her with his stop-and-go signals, Charlotte thought, exasperated. The previous evening at the church, one minute he had been obviously glad to be with her, chatting and joking around. The next minute, darkness had come into his eyes and he was all too happy to use Joe and Ralph as a reason to get away from her.

  She knew he didn’t care for Mavis and Michael, but he was the one who’d asked if she had seen them, and she had answered honestly. A hint of irritation poked at her. She didn’t need his opinion or shows of dissatisfaction. She had enough to contend with as she dealt with her increasingly ambivalent feelings about going away on her mission work.

  That decision absolutely had to be based on what her heart told her was best for her, and from any guidance she could gain through prayer. She couldn’t let the questioning eyes of the strong but vulnerable bachelor cause her to stay.