Page 21 of Promises We Meant to Keep (Love in Massachusetts #1)

twenty-one

Kamryn pushed back in the chair, her toe digging into the floor of the conference room. The all-staff meeting was just about done, and she’d had to work damn hard at not staring at Elia throughout the entire meeting.

Unfortunately, Elia had chosen not to sit next to her but almost directly across from her. Giving Kamryn the perfect view of the prim and proper English teacher that she most definitely had a massive crush on right now. Kamryn couldn’t stop the smile sliding over her lips from that thought.

Their dinner had been amazing.

And their night afterward had kept them both up into the wee hours of the morning before they’d crashed and crawled out of bed the next morning. The walk of shame had definitely been worth it. Kamryn couldn’t have asked for a better night, or a better first date. It’d been a while since she’d been on a date, since the last time she and Lauren had broken up. But this one had definitely been worth it.

Elia thought so too.

At least, she’d shared as much during the morning shower, which was perhaps becoming a bit of a routine for them. Kamryn could live with that. It felt good to take the down time where they could be close but not sexually primed for whatever was coming next. It was simple and intimate.

“I think we’ll have a really good send-off for the winter break if we keep this up,” Kamryn added. They’d gone through just about everything that was coming up between now and then, and hell if she didn’t admit that time was passing quickly. “I did want to officially let you know that Dr. Waddy will not be returning to Windermere. He won’t be healthy enough to come back for at least a year while he’s in recovery, and he and Maria decided that it was time for him to retire.”

There was an audible gasp in the room. The faculty couldn’t have honestly thought that he’d be returning, right? Kamryn had hoped that he would be when she’d started, but after seeing how long it took for him to leave the ICU and then for him to be discharged from the hospital to a rehabilitation facility—which had only just happened last week—surely they couldn’t expect him to make a full recovery before then?

“I’m sure that Maria will be grateful for any help when she decides they’ll be moving. I’ll get more information about that when I can. But she’s going to need all of the support that we can give her during this time. We’re her family here, and we won’t let Miller or Maria forget that.”

“Will we have a sending-off party of sorts?” someone in the back of the room asked. Kamryn wasn’t quite sure who it was, but she would figure that out later.

“We’ll check with Maria and see what would be most useful for them. I don’t want to overburden them at this critical time. But I also know that the closure for us would be helpful.” Faculty nodded along in the room, agreeing with what Kamryn had said. “Right, so if that’s everything, I’ll see you all together in the same room in a couple of weeks for our next meeting.”

Kamryn started to pack up her satchel just like everyone else in the room as they started to file out to get back to their regular routines. She glanced up to try and catch Elia before she walked out, but she didn’t manage to make it in time. Frowning, Kamryn finished packing up her stuff, talked with a few of the other faculty members who had stayed for some more personal conversation and then headed back to her office.

What was she supposed to do now? Because she did actually need to talk to Elia about some things with the Speech team, including who was going to replace her as Elia’s co-lead when Kamryn was no longer working at Windermere.

Kamryn quickly checked Elia’s class schedule, noting that she didn’t have any classes going on at the moment. That was pure dumb luck. Stepping toward her door, she glanced at Mrs. Caldera and nodded. “I’ll be out for an hour.”

“I’ll hold your calls,” Mrs. Caldera responded. “You really should think about putting together some sort of going-away gift for Maria and Miller. The faculty would appreciate it.”

“Right.” Kamryn slid her hands along her hips. “I’ll figure something out.”

Except she didn’t really know Miller Waddy that well, and what she did know of him didn’t exactly tell her what she should be getting him as gift. He was disorganized, could definitely use a calendar or three, and he really needed a new office chair. But that was the extent of her knowledge. He hadn’t been at the school when she was a student, and she hadn’t actually met him in person yet.

She’d have to ask Elia. Surely, she’d have more of an idea what that something could be.

And as it just so happened, Kamryn was headed in that direction.

Walking outside was a breath of cold crisp air. Kamryn had forgotten just how much the wind wasn’t blocked out here by the trees. Not on this part of campus anyway. She really should have grabbed her winter jacket before leaving, but she’d completely forgotten about it. Clenching her jaw and hunkering down against the wind, Kamryn walked briskly toward the humanities building.

She was just entering inside when she stopped short.

Was that…snow in the air?

Turning around and facing the way she’d come, Kamryn gazed in awe at the small flakes of snow that were carried on the wind and continued to fall around her. She stayed there, watching them, forgetting that the wind was cold and the air was biting. The longer she stayed, the more flakes fell. It was going to be white all around her by the time she headed out of the office that night.

“Perfect,” Kamryn whispered, a smile on her lips before she finally turned back around and headed inside.

The building was warm, especially compared to outside, and it gave it a stuffy feel that she couldn’t get rid of. Kamryn's fingers were freezing as she made her way up to the third floor where Elia’s office was. She was just about to step inside when she heard voices.

Frowning, Kamryn walked slowly and quietly to see who was talking. One voice was definitely Elia’s. Kamryn would recognize her voice anywhere. And the other sounded like a student. They lacked the confidence that came with age. Kamryn pressed her lips into a thin line and checked her watch. She really did have an hour in her schedule that was free, but that was supposed to be her lunch hour.

Elia, however, didn’t have that hour. Which meant she was going to be heading back into the classroom sooner than Kamryn wanted her too.

“Thanks, Dr. Sharpe!”

“You’re welcome,” Elia answered. “Come see me again if you’re still having issues with it.”

“Will do.”

Kamryn waited stoically as Bristol walked out of Elia’s small office, a backpack slung over her shoulder and her jacket hanging over her arm. She stopped short, eyeing Kamryn up and down before she plastered on a smile.

“Hi, Dr. Ogden.”

“Bristol,” Kamryn replied, nodding her head slightly. “It’s getting cold outside. If you’re headed out, you’ll want that jacket.”

“Right.” Bristol looked over her shoulder to find Elia standing at the entry to her door. “I didn’t realize you two had a meeting. We could have finished up earlier.”

Kamryn shook her head. “No, we didn’t have anything scheduled.” Kamryn flicked her gaze up to meet Elia’s and frowned slightly. That didn’t seem like a very happy look that she was receiving. Had she said something wrong? “I’ll see you at practice tomorrow, Bristol.”

“See you!” Bristol skipped a little as she walked down the hall.

When Kamryn faced Elia again, Elia nodded her head toward the inside of her office and then stepped in, leaving Kamryn alone in the hallway. This was a good thing, right? She did have actual business to discuss with Elia. This wasn’t just a personal call. Surely Elia would know that and be fine with the small interruption.

“Hey, I wanted to talk to you about the next meet,” Kamryn started as soon as she stepped inside and shut the door behind her.

Elia looked like she was going to object for a moment, her gaze lingering on the door that Kamryn had just shut before looking directly into Kamryn’s eyes. “You shouldn’t shut the door.”

“Why not?” Kamryn frowned and glanced at it before stepping away.

“So that everyone can see or hear what’s happening in here, so that there aren’t any questions.” Elia crossed her arms over her chest, leaned on the edge of her desk, and gave Kamryn a very pointed look.

“We’re two adults, Elia. I don’t think anyone is worried about what’s going on in here.”

“You might be surprised.” Elia still wasn’t giving up on this.

Kamryn pointed at the door. “Do you want me to open it?”

Elia waved her hand and shook her head. “What about the meet?”

“I’m not sure that Ethan should skip Info for Congress. He’s really good.”

“I know he is.” Elia didn’t move. “But he doesn’t like Info.”

“But he’s amazing at it.”

“But he doesn’t like it,” Elia countered. “And with the weather coming up, there’s a strong chance that we’re going to have to cancel the event entirely. I don’t want to risk the safety of the students simply to be at a Speech meet.”

“Oh, I hear you on that. I’ve been thinking that too, but I also just don’t want to admit that’s a possibility. I’m loving being involved in Speech again. I think wherever I end up next that I’ll have to make sure I’m involved in something like it.”

Elia hummed and nodded. “You haven’t lost your touch in twenty years, have you?”

Kamryn smiled, her cheeks heating from the compliment. “I did also want to say thank you for the other night.”

“You’ve already done that.” Elia lowered her voice to just above a whisper, and again, she was glancing toward the door like someone was going to walk in on them. Was she that worried about it? Kamryn wanted to respect that if she was. They hadn’t talked about what they were going to tell people aside from talking to the board—which they hadn’t really put specifics on yet.

And if things kept going the way they were now…well, Kamryn was going to want to talk to the board as soon as possible.

“I know I did,” Kamryn agreed, staying put when she would have much rather moved in closer. “But I just wanted to make sure that you heard me. I also wanted to ask if you were going to apply for the Head of School position, now that it’s official that Miller won’t be returning.”

“Ah.” Elia sighed heavily. “I don’t know.”

“Have you thought about it?” Kamryn was so curious. She was still debating herself whether or not to apply for the permanent position. Everything had seemed to calm down slightly now, and so she might still have a chance at actually being hired for it. Still, there was a worry in the back of her mind that because of her relationship with Elia, she was going to lose out on that. Or that she shouldn’t even try. If for once she should put her personal life before the professional.

Hadn’t Lauren always accused her of not doing that?

“I have thought about it.” Elia crossed her legs, putting the weight of her entire body onto one heel as she rocked back slightly. “But I’m not sure that I’ve decided yet.”

“Will you let me know when you do?” Kamryn bit the inside of her cheek. That would be telling, wouldn’t it? That Elia actually trusted her.

“Will you let me know?” Elia raised an eyebrow at her. “Even if I do apply, I know they won’t hire me.”

“They might.”

“Kam…” Elia shook her head. “They won’t.”

“Will you ever tell me why you believe that?”

“Maybe someday,” Elia answered, standing up. “Until then, you’ll just have to keep guessing.” Elia smiled briefly before she stepped in close, taking Kamryn’s hands in hers and pressing their mouths together.

The unexpected change from before when Elia had seemed so worried about someone seeing them was stark. Kamryn melted into the embrace, curling her hand around the back of Elia’s neck and pulling her closer as their tongues teased each other. Kamryn eventually pulled away, instantly regretting the loss of touch and contact.

“You did really well at the meeting today, by the way,” Elia whispered, sliding her hands around Kamryn’s back and pecking her lips again. “They should hire you for the full-time position.”

“Are you ready for me to continue being your boss?”

Again, there was that entertained and satisfied hum that Elia managed to do. It said so much and so little at the same time. Kamryn kissed her again, cupping her cheek and holding Elia close. Couldn’t every day be like this? It was so warm here, so comfortable, and just damn easy. It would be a sad day when Kamryn couldn’t just pop by and meet up with Elia for sweet moments like this or tender conversations together.

“I think I’d be fairly satisfied if you were my boss,” Elia said, sliding her hands down Kamryn’s arms and taking a step back. “And everyone knows that it’s always good to satisfy the Chair of English. She’s a cranky one.”

Kamryn snorted. “Some might say she’s a bit icy.”

“Oh, definitely that.” Elia slid into the chair at her desk, turning it toward her computer. “Keep the door open on your way out. I have office hours for the next ten minutes before class.”

“Right.” Kamryn smiled to herself as she put her hand on the doorknob. “We should take a walk in the snow later.”

“Snow?”

“Yeah.” Kamryn winked. “Looks like it’ll be gorgeous when the sun goes down.”

“And freezing,” Elia responded.

“Perfect time to snuggle up with someone you like a lot.” Kamryn laughed as she stepped out into the hallway. The look of shock on Elia’s face had been exactly what she was going for. For some reason, it was never going to disappoint Kamryn to surprise her. She could do it for the rest of her life.