Page 6 of Paper Flowers (Stonebrook #1)

Just then, Luke turns to look at Sadie and asks her if she’s ready to go.

She was stapling tomorrow’s announcements paying no attention to any of us.

Mrs. Emily comes back from the lady’s room and I swear she walked across campus to use the one in the cafeteria with all the time that has passed since she asked me to watch Sadie.

Mrs. Emily notices the three of us standing so awkwardly and asks “What’s with the staring, is there toilet paper stuck to my foot?

” We all giggle a sigh of relief at her comment.

Dean slowly backs away and heads toward his office.

Luke and Sadie get their things and tell Mrs. Emily, they’ll see her tomorrow.

Right before they walk out of the office doors, Luke stops to look over his shoulder and says, “It was nice seeing you, Dayna.” Then holds his daughter’s hand as they walk out into the parking lot.

Just like that, Luke Beckett is back in my life and I am left speechless.

Mrs. Emily makes a subtle fanning motion with her hands to let me know she recognizes the hotness I feel in my face.

I can feel my ears burning now. I haven’t felt this way in so long.

It was so different with Dean. He made me blush but never like this.

I know half of our marriage was me trying to fill it with something that resembled a happy marriage but ultimately, Dean and I grew apart.

After Dean and I graduated college and got married, we moved to Stonebrook to be closer to his parents. I found a teaching job and while I worked during the day, I worked on my Administrator credentials at night school. Dean had his Masters in psychology and wanted to be a school psychologist.

He and I spoke about children when we first started dating. He said he saw how miserable his brother was with his kids, he couldn’t see himself with any of his own. He shut any conversations of kids down without another word.

Don’t get me wrong, he is amazing around children and I think that is why he is so great at his job.

He loved to say, those kids go home to their parents, and he gets to go home to do anything he wants.

I ended up agreeing with his logic because we did get to do what we want, when we wanted.

However, as time went on, I started to feel like I was missing something.

I wanted us to have a baby. I thought since we were married for a few years his feelings would have changed.

Dean wanted his free time to do what he pleases without having to worry about a babysitter.

The longing to be a mom became so agonizing, I would silently cry when we walked next to the baby aisle at Target .

I would close out my app anytime I’d see a baby announcement.

He wouldn’t budge from his no children stance and we argued all the time.

He would argue that I knew what he wanted before we got married and nothing is going to change his mind. I would beg him to see how much being a mom meant to me. I wanted us to be parents and experience a new season of life together. I tried to talk to him about it but he stopped listening .

On our sixth wedding anniversary, Dean asked for a divorce.

I wish he didn’t have to do it on our anniversary but I knew it was coming.

We became practically roommates and when our family came over, they knew something had been off for a while.

There wasn’t anything we could do, he didn’t want to have children, and I wanted a baby more than anything.

Our stubbornness seemed to outweigh our love for each other.

Neither one of us wanted to work things out.

The only time we talk nowadays is if it’s work related. I recently became Vice Principal at Stonebrook Elementary. I was their fifth grade teacher for seven years alongside my best friend Cara.

Our school psychologist, Lauren Jacobs went on maternity leave and then put her two-week notice in shortly after the birth of her baby girl.

Lauren became a great friend to me and was always there to listen to me rant.

Half the time I spoke about my failing marriage and she let me work things out.

When she told me she was pregnant, I was so thrilled for her.

Cara and I threw her a baby shower in the office and bought so many pink and purple outfits.

I think baby Jacobs will be set up for her toddler years.

When her position at my school site opened up, Dean made the transfer after our divorce was finalized.

Why he thought that would be a great idea, is still something I question every single day.

It was easy when he wasn’t in the same school.

I didn’t have to see him interact with kids and be so amazing with them.

It made my heart physically ache. But I know not having a school psychologist on campus would be detrimental to our students if there wasn’t any emotional support.

Cara thought we were insane to be working together.

She didn’t like the way he spoke to me sometimes, but I’d tell her that it’s my fault for trying to change his mind.

In the end, Cara said she would tolerate him because we had to work together.

I was unaware Luke was our new hire for the third grade teacher position until I pulled up his file when I got back to my desk.

I have been at a weeklong conference and missed half of the first day of school today.

When Principal Morgan McKenna texted me they hired a couple new teachers, I thought I read through the new hire list. Then I saw the date on the last hire, it was dated when I was already at my conference.

Luke Beckett applied only a week ago and got the offer a few days ago. I wondered what happened to his baseball career? Did I see a ring on his finger? Surely he must have married the girl from the game or at the very least be with someone because he has a daughter.

I felt like I had a long day and I only had a half day of work. I reached for my phone and I sent Cara a text:

Cara, please tell me you saw him already.

I wonder if she’s still on campus. I don’t wait for her response as I grab my purse and work bag. I head for the front desk to tell Mrs. Emily I’m leaving for the day.

She gives me a look I’ve been dreading. She knows something.

I’m standing on the opposite side of her desk and motions for me to get closer as she says in her low sweet voice, “Dayna, sugar. I’ve known you for a few years and I have never seen you blush the way that man just made you blush with a simple sentence.

He might as well be that former Giants’ baseball manager’s doppelg?nger but sugar- he is going through a really hard time.

Sadie told me” Before she could tell me what Sadie said, Dean cleared his throat and I jumped.

I grabbed my chest “Jesus— Dean. You scared me.” Mrs. Emily laughed and said “Dayna I think it’s time for you to go home.

I’ll see you tomorrow, sugar.” I don’t take another moment and I tell her bye and wave to Dean.

As I’m walking to my car, I feel my phone vibrating in my back pocket.

I look at the screen and it’s my best friend, Cara Davis.

I answer it as I unlock my car door. I put my phone between my shoulder and ear, “Oh my God, Cara! You’ll never—” She doesn’t even let me finish as she cuts me off.

“Dayna, Luke Beckett was walking to a truck in the school’s parking lot. Am I seeing things?”

I quickly get in my car and turn it on so the AC can cool down.

I lean my head against the headrest, I shut my eyes as I’m holding my phone in my right hand and pinching the bridge of my nose with my left.

I think to myself what Mrs. Emily was going to say about those two.

Cara is waiting silently for my answer. I finally say “Yes. Apparently he works here.” Cara’s rapid response sounds like she’s yelling “He works here? How did you not know this? Does he have a daughter? I saw a little girl with him. Her purple dress was really cute!” Sadie’s dress was really cute.

Before I can say anything else, Cara says “I’ll lock up my classroom and I’ll meet you at your house in 15 minutes.

” I love how I never have to ask her to come over. She just does it.

Once I got home, I changed into my dri fit running shorts and put on a sports bra.

I might go for a run if Cara doesn’t get here soon.

I’m sitting on my sofa, my legs stretched out on my ottoman while music is playing softly.

The air conditioning is on but it’s oddly fresh for an early September evening.

I begin to scroll through social media as I wait for Cara to arrive.

I haven’t searched for Luke’s name since Senior year of college when I read the team’s roster for the baseball tournament.

As I endlessly search his name on various platforms, I finally find a profile.

I click on his name and it’s private. His profile photo looks like a family portrait.

I sit up to try to get a closer look at it.

I finally see who the girl is standing next to him with her arm draped over the center of his chest. To no surprise, it’s the same girl from his baseball game all those years ago.

He is holding a younger Sadie up to his side.

It’s astonishing how much Sadie looks just like her mom.

She is absolutely gorgeous. My heart begins to crack.

There’s a knock at my door and I know it’s not Cara because she has a key and walks right in. I reach for my sweater before I answer the door. I unlock it and I see Dean standing in the doorway.