Second Time Around

Chapter Forty-Two

Tuesday afternoon seemed to take forever to come around. Kelly frowned at her reflection. No matter what she chose, nothing seemed right.

She was actually nervous about seeing Tony, which was stupid, considering he was the one who'd screwed up. But her stomach was alive with butterflies and at times, their wings beat so hard, she actually felt sick. It'd only been a few days since she'd last seen him, but it felt like months--no, years--had passed and she couldn't remember the last time she looked so forward to seeing someone, and was so terrified to see them at the same time.

The Levi's were fine--faded just right--and they were her favorite pair, but no matter what top she chose, she found fault with it. A small pile of shirts lay on the carpet at her feet, discarded for being too dark, too light, too heavy, too thin, not sexy enough, too sexy.

"This is ridiculous," she muttered, glaring at her reflection now. What would Tony do if she just showed up as she was, in the faded Levi's and her leopard print bra? Somehow, although he wouldn't mind, she'd end up in all kinds of trouble, no doubt.

Finally, she decided on her favorite black and gray striped sweater. It was low-cut enough to be sexy, but if she tugged on a camisole, it kept it from being too sexy. Perfect.

From there, she tugged on boots, did her makeup and brushed out her hair. Then, it was time to go, so she hurried out to her Jeep and off she went.

As she steered into the parking lot, she caught sight of Tony's Durango and her mouth went dry while her heart began to race. She eased into a slot, killed the engine, and with a last look at Tony's SUV, made her way to the front doors.

"Can I help you?" Crackly secretary asked after Kelly pushed the button.

"I'm Kelly Adams, I have a meeting with Mr. Shuler."

"Come on in."

She tugged open the door, signed in, and found her way to Mr. Shuler's classroom, which was on the second floor, almost directly above the gyms. She tried not to think about the fact that Tony was right beneath her as she smiled. "Mr. Shuler?"

The man sitting at the desk in the corner by the windows looked up. "Yes?"

"Hi, I'm Kelly Adams. Alyssa's mother."

His puzzled look melted into a warm smile. "Oh, Mrs. Adams!" He rose from his chair to cross to her, hand extended. "It's wonderful to meet you. Thank you so much for coming in today."

"No, no problem."

He gestured to his desk. "Come and have a seat."

She took the chair closest to his desk and as she sank into it, he said, "I understand Alyssa was transferred into my class because of an incident involving her teacher and some improper conversation?"

"Yes. I was seeing--am seeing--another teacher here and Mr. Chisholm was asking her for details about my dating life."

He winced. "Oh, how uncomfortable, not to mention unprofessional."

"Tell me about it." She sat back, glancing around. Book covers of the classics were posted on the walls, along with various quotes from said novels. It wasn't a huge room, and there were only maybe a dozen desks total. Turning her attention back to Mr. Shuler, she said, "Is Lyssa having difficulties?"

"Oh, no, not at all." His blue eyes lit up and he smiled beneath a ginger beard. "Actually, I find it helps to let parents know when their student is doing well as much as when they are misbehaving. And Alyssa has shown she's very talented."

"She loves to write. To read, to write, and to take pictures. That's my Lyssa."

"She's settling in and although she tends to run a little dark when it comes to her writing, I have to tell you, she shows a maturity far beyond fifteen."