Nick placed his hands on Tyler’s shoulders and eyed Joy. “I’m sorry if I’ve caught you off guard. Maybe I should have called first.”
In order to maintain her professionalism, she drew in a slow and steady breath. She’d worked too hard to establish her reputation at this school. She forced a smile as she glanced at the twins. “Welcome to Whispering Slopes, boys.”
Mr. Jacobson cleared his throat. “Nick, why don’t we leave the boys here to get better acquainted with Miss Kelliher? We’ll go down to the office and get them registered. Then we can get your paperwork taken care of so you can start subbing on Monday.”
Joy’s head spun toward the principal. “Excuse me?”
“Nick’s going to take over Mrs. Murray’s classroom while she’s out on maternity leave.” Mr. Jacobson smiled at Joy. “I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to have former students teaching at the school. You two will be right across the hallway from each other.”
Nick’s gaze burned the side of her face. She couldn’t look at him. Not now. The pain from the past bubbled to the surface like cooking oil poured into a pot of boiling water. No. She wouldn’t cry in front of him. Too many tears had been shed over this man.
Nick knelt in front of his boys. “Are you two going to be okay?”
“Sure, Daddy,” they replied in unison as their father stood.
Jordan didn’t look as certain as his brother. Tyler had spoken the truth. He appeared to be more timid than his twin.
“Okay, then. I’ll be back to pick you up at three o’clock. We’ll go out for ice cream and you can tell me all about your first day.”
She watched as the boys’ eyes lit up, shaking off the memory of how Nick’s eyes had done the same whenever she’d entered a room. They’d been so in love. She almost smiled at the memory.
“See you later, Daddy.”
Nick turned to Joy. “Right across the hall, so I guess we’ll be seeing a lot of each other.” He flashed a crooked smile.
She remained silent. Fourteen years had passed and Nick had been silent, too. He’d never once called or even sent a letter to explain why one minute he’d been in her life and then he’d vanished. It took years for her to get past the pain. But really, had she ever stopped hurting? Did the constant yearning to feel his arms around her one more time ever really go away? Seeing Nick now, she realized the wounds remained fresh.
He dropped his gaze to the ground. With his shoulders slumped, he left the room.
Painful memories surged like a massive lightning bolt on a steamy August afternoon. Lord, how can You let this happen? I can’t teach these boys. Is this some sort of punishment? Didn’t I suffer enough on that night fourteen years ago?
She watched as the twins peered out the window toward the playground, chattering in whispered tones. I can do this. She exhaled. “So, would you like to go outside and play for a while?”
They both turned and eagerly nodded their heads.
“We’ve got half an hour before class starts.” The sun had already begun to melt the dusting of snow. “Make sure you zip up your coats.”
Outside on the playground, Joy used a paper towel to wipe off the bench closest to the swings and took a seat. Tyler took the towels she’d given them and cleared the teeter-totter before helping his brother climb aboard. She smiled. He definitely was his brother’s protector.
Inhaling the brisk mountain air, she pulled her phone from the pocket of her jacket to call her twin sister, Faith. Having lost their parents at a young age, they leaned on each other in difficult times. Throughout their lives, Faith had served as Joy’s lighthouse, guiding her through every storm, especially after that horrible night. Her twin was the only one who knew about the attack, but nothing more. Before that evening, Joy had always shared everything with Faith, but what happened weeks later was something she couldn’t bear to tell anyone—not even her closest confidante. As she punched the number for the resort, she kept a close eye on the boys.
“Thank you for calling the Black Bear Resort. This is Faith.”
What was formerly a small inn had grown into a larger resort. Her sister was living her dream, running the business along with a wonderful man, Joshua. They’d married last year and now they were expecting twins. Bella—Faith’s daughter from her first husband, who’d died tragically fighting a fire—was thrilled to know two babies would soon join their family.
“Hey, can you talk?”
“What’s up, sis?”
“Well, I’m sitting here on the playground watching my two newest students... Twins.” Joy pressed her palm into the arm of the cedar bench. “They’re Nick’s kids.” Saying it out loud made it more real.
“Oh, my. I always knew he’d come back, but I didn’t expect him to return with children.”
Joy hadn’t anticipated either scenario. “Why did you think he’d return to Whispering Slopes?”
Faith laughed. “Because of you, of course.”
“That’s crazy. He’s got children, so he must have a wife. Besides, he’s come back to teach.” The thought of working so closely with him seemed like a bad dream. “I can’t believe this is happening. His presence makes everything feel like it just happened yesterday.” Her words sparked a shiver.
“You need to talk with him and tell him what happened to you, Joy.”
Her stomach rolled over at the thought. How could she ever talk to him about that night she’d been waiting for him at the pond? “I don’t think I can. Besides, what’s the point?”
“Talking about it might help with the healing process. It’s been fourteen years... You’ve got to let it go.”
Sprigs of partially frozen fescue flattened underneath her feet. “I don’t think I can. I’m too ashamed. Besides, it won’t change the past. Can we move on to another subject? I want to forget about Nick Capello.”
“That’s going to be a little hard given the fact that you’ll be teaching his kids and working together.”
“I’ll just treat him like any other parent or coworker.” Joy knew convincing herself of that would be easier said than done.
“But he’s not.”
The truth in Faith’s words stung. “He’s a stranger to me now.” She spied the boys climbing off the teeter-totter. Once again, Tyler assisted Jordan. “I’ve got to go. Thanks for listening.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah—I’ll be fine.” Joy ended the call just as the twins approached. The knot in her stomach squeezed a little tighter knowing she hadn’t been truthful with her sister. From now until the end of the school year, she’d have a constant reminder of a love lost. But it wasn’t fair to the boys for her to treat them differently. Despite the resemblance, somehow she’d have to forget their father was the love of her life. “It’s a little cold. Are you ready to go inside?”
They exchanged a quick glance with one another. Tyler spoke first. “We’d rather stay out here with you.”
She knew that look... Fear. “Don’t you want to meet your new classmates? I’m sure they’ll be excited to welcome you.”
Jordan kicked his tennis shoe into the wet ground. “They pwobably won’t like us.”
Joy noticed Jordan struggled with the letter r. She rested her hand on the boy’s shoulder. “What