Page 37 of Asher's Assignment
“Make your projector work. I found the power button, but it won’t do anything else.” He led her away from her classroom and into his.
“Miss Campbell!”
“Hi, Miss Campbell!”
Several of the students waved, greeting her as they walked in. A wide smile wreathed Esther’s face. Asher stared at her, momentarily forgetting where they were. That bright, guileless smile she bestowed on the kids transformed her entire face. There was no artifice when she dealt with the kids. No barriers thrown up against her emotions. She was completely open and one hundred percent herself.
“Hello.” Esther waved back at his class. “Are you guys having fun with Mr. Horn?”
“Yep!” several of the kids said.
“He’s goofy,” one boy remarked.
“Yeah, he makes silly voices,” a little girl said.
“Oh, really?” Esther shot him a side glance, amusement sparkling in her eyes.
Asher lifted a shoulder, a smile toying with his mouth. He wouldn’t apologize for being himself. He didn’t think she wanted him to, though, judging by the look on her pretty face.
“He made all the animals in the book have different voices,” the same girl said. “We wanted him to read more, but he said we had to do our ABCs.” She pouted.
“We’ll read more later, Violet. We still have hours left in our day.”
Her pout quickly reversed itself.
Asher looked at Esther. “Show me how to work this thing.” He picked up the remote. “You’d think with all my fancy degrees and all the secure computer systems I’ve penetrated, I could best a video projector. Nope.”
She grinned. “In your defense, these projectors aren’t that user-friendly.” She pointed to the remote in his hand. “Aim it at that cabinet and press input.” Her hand swung toward the closet behind the teacher’s desk.
Asher did as she said. “Okay, now what?”
“Press two, then enter.”
He followed her instructions and the screen lit up. “All right, now we’re cooking, kids.” He grinned. “Thank you, Miss Campbell.” He offered her a little bow, making the kids laugh.
She chuckled. “You’re welcome, good sir.” Crossing one leg behind the other, she curtsied. Smiling, she straightened. “If you have any other problems, come knock again.”
“I will.” He walked her to the door. “Thanks for saving me, Essy.”
At the door, she turned her head. The mirth in her eyes faded as they made eye contact. Asher felt the lightness from moments ago morph into the same driving need he’d felt last night when he’d kissed her. He wanted to do it again, but didn’t dare with so many young eyes on them.
The same spark lit her eyes for a moment before she looked away. “You’re welcome. I, uh, better get back to my class.” She motioned to her classroom and stepped back.
“Thanks again.”
She offered him a quick smile, then turned and hurried into her room.
He stared after her for a moment, wishing he could follow. Not because he didn’t want to be in his classroom alone, but because he wanted to be with her. He’d found her interesting the first time they met, but as they spent more time together, he kept wanting to learn more. The kiss last night hadn’t helped. He didn’t think he was alone in that, either.
Asher shut the door, returning to his class. Eventually, they’d have to confront their growing feelings. What that meant for the future, he didn’t know.
He clapped his hands together, getting the kids’ attention. “All right. Who’s ready to learn about sight words?”
Fourteen
“Esther!”
At the whispered exclamation from the doorway, Esther glanced up from her desk and the lesson plan she’d been working on, a peanut butter sandwich in her left hand. “Hey, Liv.” She smiled at her colleague. Liv Spellman had started at the school the same year Esther did and also taught kindergarten. The two had become fast friends.
