Scorching Heat Down South

Chapter 6

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eight years later.

As soon as the bell rang all the children nosily got up and started exiting the classroom. They were loud and boisterous as they each yelled their enthusiastic good byes to their teacher, telling her how they'd see her after summer break. Claire smiled at them and returned their lively fair wells.

After they had all left she got up from her desk and started tidying the room. Before she'd started teaching at Fairview Elementary School she hadn't had any idea how messy first graders were, it was like a massive whirlwind and blown through the room. She put back toys, books and game boards were they were supposed to be. As she was doing so Lori Brown entered her classroom and Claire smiled in greeting, "Hi Lori." She was a very pretty, plump woman in her early fifties, who always had a happy smile on her face and a kind word for everyone she came across.

Her classroom was right next to Claire's, she taught second graders. They had gotten along very well ever since Claire had joined the staff some four years ago. Lori had been a teacher before she'd gotten married, to her reticent but amiable husband Walter whom Claire had met a couple of times, but had stopped once she'd had little kids. Preferring to stay at home with them. Now that her children were adults and with her husband constantly away working out of state she'd gone back to teaching. Lori often told her that it kept the loneliness at bay but Claire wasn't so sure about that anymore.

She absolutely loved children and teaching, that was why she'd gone to the local community college and gotten a B.A in Education. However, as much as Claire loved teaching she had noticed lately that it wasn't giving her the same joy it once had. She found herself increasingly longing for more, for a family and children of her own. But that, unfortunately seemed like a distance far away dream. She'd dated some in the last couple of years but had only once come close to marriage and that also hadn't worked out.

"Hi dear. There's a man here to see you." Lori said, smiling mischievously.

Claire frowned in confusion, she wasn't expecting anyone certainly not a any man.

"Who?" She inquired.

"He said his name is Levi Pierce. And my ... ain't he gorgeous! Why ... I found myself blushing like a school girl when we spoke."

Claire felt the bottom drop from her stomach while Lori continued uninterrupted, "If I was still a young woman ..." she sighed dreamily then seemed to catch herself before she laughed, "Oh listened to me. What a silly old woman I am. Walter would have an absolute fit if he heard me. Besides, only a stunning young thing like you could catch that man's eye."

But Claire was hardly paying Lori any attention. Her mind had gone to complete mush since she'd heard Levi's name. What could he possibly want from her. She hadn't seen him in eight years. The last time she'd heard anything about him was three years ago, when she had overheard some women in the grocery store mentioning how tragic it was that he'd become a widower at such a young age.

She also remembered how heart broken she had been when she'd first heard that he had married. Her heart had broken all the more when he'd lost his young wife in a horrid car crash, leaving him not only a widower but a single father to their daughter as well.

"What did he say he wanted?" Claire asked.

"He didn't say. Should I let him in, he seems the impatient sort."

She nodded absentmindedly then quickly added, "Yes. Please send him in Lori. Thank you." The older woman smiled and left the room.

Claire took a few studying breaths to calm herself. Why was he here and what could he possibly be here to see her about? There was a quick, hard knock on the door. She ran her hands on her light blue skirt and told him to enter.