Invisible Strings

Chapter Ten

Delaney's POV:

There was a pep in my step as I walked across the asphalt parking lot of what would be my new job when construction was complete. That pep was there because last night, I let go of the past –well, for the most part– and was ready to take life by the horns. It had been during my first mug of iced coffee this morning that I'd called Brantley and asked that he meet me at the school, telling him that if I was going to take the principal/chief administrator position, I wanted to submit my resume in person just like I would any other place that I would apply. Just because there was a familiarity between us and just because he thought I was a good fit wasn't good enough for me. I wanted to make sure that I wasn't getting any special treatments.

A smile came across my face and my cheeks slightly blushed as I remembered the gravelliness of his voice, telling me that he hadn't been long waking up. Not everyone was an early riser like I was and that was okay. In fact, I envied people who could sleep past five in the morning. My internal alarm wouldn't let me sleep in no matter how hard I tried. Not even staying up late or indulging in too much alcohol would let me sleep later than usual. It was a blessing and curse all at once. A blessing because it allowed me a few moments to clear my mind in peace or get in a jog or a workout. But it was a curse too because sometimes, I just wanted to lay in bed and nap the day away.

His voice had been deep and seductive, even if he hadn't meant for it to be. And it had woken my lady parts from their deep slumber, making that voice in my head chime in with her thoughts of how nice it would be to hear his voice in the throws of passion. Even now, walking to the building, my mind tried to create an image of what things would be like with him. There was no doubt in my mind that he would be possessive and dominant –two things that intrigued me because of all the smutty books I liked to read but had never been brave enough to ask a man to be.

I shoved those thoughts to the back of mind as I pulled the front door of the building open and walked inside. Good thing I did too because when I walked in, Brantley was standing in the doorway of what I assumed would be the office. I took a second to quickly scan the place, taking in all the changes that had taken place. Years ago, the community building had consisted of just one large room with bathrooms in one back corner and a small office in the other. Now, there were rooms dived off that I knew would be classrooms. Gone was the 1970's wood paneling that had lined every wall, replaced with drywall that was ready for paint. The low hanging fluorescent lights that had hung in the building and had shined harshly over the inside were now gone. They looked like they would be replaced with can lights, giving the building a much more modern feeling and pulling it into the twenty-first century. And that was just the main building. I knew from stopping here with Daddy that there was new construction going on that would add square footage to the facility. Long story short, it looked nothing like the place I remembered.

"Wow, it looks..." I said, stepping more into the building and closer to where Brantley was standing. I could hear the awe in my voice as I looked at what he'd done to the place.

"I know," said Brantley. I watched as he crossed his arms over his chest, the movement making the large muscles in his arms bunch and the sleeves of his white t-shirt to pull taught over them.

"I would have never guessed this place could look like this."

"Big difference from the place that used to hold indoor livestock shows and town council meetings."

"Huge difference."

A brief silence fell between us then. But it wasn't the awkward kind often happened between people who didn't really know one another. No, it was the kind that said we were both thinking about all the things that would happen in these walls, about the lives that we could change, the education that we could offer, and the legacy that would be built in honor of the woman who just wanted to make a difference in her small town. I just hope that I do her memory justice...