“Leah. And I’m pleased that I can be of help.”
“An actual designer to help redecorate our teachers’ lounge. The last time we tried to do anything with the room, we wound up painting it ghastly pink. No one liked it, so we repainted it institutional green, which is just as awful, maybe worse.”
“I’ll try for something a little more aesthetically pleasing,” Leah murmured, struggling not to be obvious as she peeked into the classrooms they were passing.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but we’ll be thrilled with anything.”
Leah spotted a room full of children who looked to be about the right age, but she didn’t see Danny among them. She needed to know what grade he was in. “Um…anything?”
“As long as it’s in keeping with the church school.”
Leah glanced into another classroom. “Of course. Tasteful, I understand.”
“Mr. Whitaker!” the principal said in a delighted voice.
“Whitaker?” Leah echoed, jerking her gaze back to see Matt stalking down the hall toward them.
“Yes, he’s one of our best supporters and volunteers.”
Of course.
And he was glowering at her.
“Mr. Whitaker, is something wrong?” Principal Gunderland asked. “I saw the new bookcase in the library. It looks wonderful.”
“Good.”
The principal seemed surprised by his curt reply. “Oh, this is Miss Hunter. She’s a new volunteer, and you won’t believe it—she’s a professional designer!”
Leah smiled sweetly.
“We’ve met,” he muttered.
“Then you know how lucky we are to have her,” she exclaimed.
“Yeah, lucky.”
“Miss Hunter, you’ll be working quite a bit with Mr. Whitaker since he coordinates most of our redecorating.”
The school secretary came hurrying up to them. There was an important call for the principal.
“Mr. Whitaker, would you mind escorting Miss Hunter to the teachers’ lounge?” Mrs. Gunderland asked. “I’ll meet you there in a few minutes.”
He could hardly leave her there like a lump of hot coal, Leah realized, but she could tell he was seething as the two women walked away.
“What are you doing here?” Matt asked as he led her into the lounge.
“Checking out my son’s school.”
“How did you find out this is Danny’s school?”
“It was hardly rocket science. Rosewood’s a pretty small town. There aren’t too many choices.”
Matt wasn’t satisfied. “Did you bring investigators to town?”
“Professionals wouldn’t have stumbled around for two days to find out about Danny.”
“I don’t want you here.”
“You don’t have any choice.”
“I could pull Danny out of this school.”
“From everything he knows and enjoys?” she replied evenly.
“So, what? You’re going to play at this until you get bored again?”
Leah wanted to shake him. “No. I’m going to stay in Rosewood until I get to know my son better.”
“You won’t last a week. This isn’t L.A. We don’t have fancy boutiques or clubs.”
“You don’t know me, Whitaker. Not everyone from L.A. is a party girl.”
He snorted.
“I don’t spend my days shopping and playing tennis,” she informed him. “I have a job.”
“Don’t you need to get back to it?”
“I’m on a leave of absence.”
Matt looked at her suspiciously. “Just like that?”
“It was easier because my parents own the firm,” she admitted. “But that doesn’t make my work any less of a real job.”
“Sure.”
“Look. I don’t have to prove anything to you. You’re the one who didn’t bother to check out Kyle’s story.” She saw the principal heading back toward them. “This isn’t the place for this discussion.”
“This isn’t the place for you.”
Leah kept a grip on her temper.
“So, what do you think of our teachers’ lounge?” the principal asked, huffing a bit as she hurried toward them.
Leah hadn’t even glanced at the room. Now that she did, she realized the principal was right. The lounge was ghastly.
“It could use some tender loving care.”
Mrs. Gunderland laughed. “Said diplomatically. Don’t you think so, Mr. Whitaker?”
Leah gave him her attention, too, just to needle him.
He noticed.
“We haven’t done anything to the lounge since it was painted,” he replied.
Avoiding the question, she noticed.
“We don’t have much of a budget for redecorating,” Mrs. Gunderland apologized.
“I have access to overrun materials through my work. Most I can get just for shipping costs.” Leah thought of all the extra stock in the warehouse. Her parents would be happy to donate what was needed for a good cause. “There shouldn’t be a problem.”
The principal brightened. “Wow, you truly are an answer to prayer.”
Leah thought of all her searching, all the years of wondering if she’d ever find Danny. “Thanks. That’s how I feel about being here, too.”
The following day Leah stretched out her time at the school, making different sketches of the teachers’ lounge until recess. When the bell rang and the classes were dismissed, she watched eagerly until she finally spotted Danny filing out of his classroom.
Although he stayed in line as he was instructed, she could see the restrained energy, the animation she’d noticed before. She absorbed every detail. His hair was dark brown like Kyle’s had been, but with the same sun streaks as Matt’s. And he had freckles.
She swallowed. Silly. Freckles shouldn’t make her come unglued.
But they were so precious.
And his eyes. They’d been so easy to recognize because they were like hers and like her father’s.
Leah smiled, imagining Leland Hunter as a child, imagining him with his grandson.
Danny was a beautiful child, just as she’d known he would be. And he seemed so happy, easily smiling, laughing. Matt was right about one thing. She couldn’t take him away.
But he was wrong about her commitment.
She would last far more than a week.
She would last as long as it took.
Chapter Five
“Dad? Where’s Timbuktu?” Danny asked, sitting at the kitchen table, doing his homework.
Matt chuckled. “Where’d you hear about Timbuktu?”
“At school. Miss Randolph said that’s where she’s gonna go on her next vacation.”