And Jaada was just the one to tell it. She and Aria had already made plans to get takeout and hang out together at Jaada's apartment in the center of town. Aria parked her car on the street and noted the traffic and people zipping around. She liked her own quiet neighborhood and little house, but she could also appreciate the vibrancy and energy here.
When Jaada buzzed her up, Aria climbed three flights of stairs to arrive at her door. She knocked, and Jaada opened the door to envelop Aria in a big hug. "Hey lady, I'm so glad this worked out!"
Aria was a little startled but still appreciated the warm welcome. When Aria stepped into Jaada's living room, she saw that the room exuded the same warmth as Jaada herself. Large red, orange, and patterned pillows were tumbled across a big cushy couch covered in a soft brown microfiber. The room was lightened by a glass coffee and end table. Lamps around the room threw off a warm light that invited Aria to relax. So, she did.
Jaada brought them both a glass of merlot and put out some cashews and pretzels, some of which were chocolate-covered. Aria pounced on those gratefully.
"Oh yum, thank you, Jaada. Just what I needed!"
"You don't work with someone for a few weeks without figuring out that they love chocolate," Jaada said.
Aria sank back into the fluffy pillows and sighed with pleasure. When she opened her eyes, she noticed a framed photo on the mantel of Jaada with a younger woman, standing on a dock holding fishing poles. The younger woman also held a big fish dangling from a hook. Aria got up to take a look.
"Who's this, Jaada?"
"That's my little sister, Sophie."
"How old is she?"
"She's twenty now and in college at Duke."
"She's lovely, just like you," Aria said.
"Thanks...we're all each other has now. My mom and dad passed away about three years ago." Jaada shrugged.
Aria turned back toward Jaada. "I'm so sorry, Jaada. That is a lot of loss."
"We managed. You go on, because what else are you going to do?"
"You're right. What else can you do?" Aria sighed. "My dad left us a long time ago. He shows up once in a while and takes me out to an expensive meal to purge some of his guilt, I guess," Aria said. "Otherwise it's just me and my mom, which actually is more family than I can handle sometimes."
Jaada munched on a pretzel. "Is she a little over-involved in your life?"
"You could definitely say that. She has an opinion about everything, especially my love life."
"You have a love life?" Jaada said, smirking.
"Would it be such a surprise if I did? But actually, no. I don't. However, my mom keeps asking about it, like I'm keeping some secret boyfriend in the wings. I've sworn off men for a long time. My last relationship crashed and burned spectacularly."
"Oh honey, I'm so sorry."
"Thanks, I'm doing okay now. It's just me and Dizzy, and we're doing fine."
"Dizzy?" Jaada said.
"My mini golden doodle. You know, like Dizzy Gillespie?"
"Okay, so you and Dizzy. What about Lucas?"
"What about Lucas?"
"Well, I get this vibe when I'm around the two of you that there's something there."
Aria closed her eyes for a minute. "I don't want there to be something there, but there might be." She opened her eyes. "What's his story, you know, with Lily and his ex-wife?"
Jaada said, "I started teaching at Lakewood after all that happened, so I don't know much. I just know that Brandi is a handful, and that Lily is much happier when she's with Lucas. Brandi sees Lily mostly as an accessory, and she's usually too busy chasing her next husband to pay much attention to her daughter. I think she's between husbands right now."
"What a mess. With Lily in my class, and a difficult ex in the picture, I'd be crazy to get involved with Lucas."
"Maybe, but love isn't usually an intellectual decision. Why don't you just keep an open mind? Most good things don't arrive in neat little packages."
"I don't need any surprises or complications in my life right now. Things are finally under control, which is exactly how I like it."
*****
Stepping into the coffee shop out of a brisk morning breeze, Aria took a moment to let her senses consume the feast around her. The dark, caramel smell of coffee and the pleasant buzz of relaxed, happy people wrapped around her. She would love to be one of those happy, relaxed people, enjoying a hazelnut latte and diving into a new mystery. But she wasn't. And the source of her stress was currently waving at her from a corner table.
She crossed the room to Lucas. "Good morning, Lucas," Aria said. She took stock of his faded Steelers T-shirt and worn jeans. And relaxed a bit. He wasn't dressed like he was on a date, and neither was she. She had thrown on a simple pink jersey over some leggings. Comfortable and definitely not date attire.
"Hi Aria, I'm glad you came. I was afraid you might change your mind."
"Oh really? Why is that?"
"You didn't seem very enthusiastic about the idea of getting together when I suggested it," Lucas said.
"After thinking it over, I realized it would be very efficient to meet outside of school and get some longer-term planning for the year done." Aria shrugged.
"Efficient." Lucas smiled. "Yes, it's important to use our time and resources well, as Ms. Rollins likes to remind us."
"Exactly. I'll just get some coffee and we can get started."
Lucas said, "What would you like? I can get it for you while you get settled."
Aria's breath hitched. "No. No, thank you, I mean. I always get my coffee for myself."
"Okay. Sure." Lucas gestured toward the counter. Aria turned and walked away. Lucas watched her. Aria's eyes had revealed that hidden depth which he rarely saw. He knew what he was seeing, because he recognized it. It was pain. She was good at hiding it, but as he got to know her better, he noticed those times when the raw emotion peeked through. Lucas hoped that Aria would trust him enough to tell him her story at some point. He found himself wanting to protect her and go back in time to erase whatever hurt her. At the very least, he would be careful not to offer to get her coffee again.
*****
"I think a big field trip right away would be a great way for the 6th grade and 1st grade buddies to get to know each other. We talked about the zoo. What do you think?" Lucas asked.
Aria pulled herself back to the conversation. She had been watching Lucas spin and tap his pen on his notebook. A simple action, but she found she liked watching his hands moving. Strong fingers, but with some delicacy, like a piano player's. What would it feel like to have those fingers running through her hair? She knew with certainty they would be gentle but firm.
"Sorry, what?" Aria started when she saw Lucas looking at her curiously.
"The zoo—a big field trip right away—Am I boring you, Aria?"
"No, of course not. My mind just drifted. I think it might be best to do some smaller activities together in the classrooms before we throw them all together for a day-long field trip. Do some get-to-know-you activities to help them get comfortable with each other, that sort of thing."
Lucas sipped his coffee as he considered. "I see what you mean. Okay, how about we plan the field trip for three weeks out? In the meantime, we can arrange a couple activities together each week in school."
"That sounds reasonable. I'll..." Aria stopped in mid-sentence. The last person she wanted to see at this moment in time was currently walking through the door of the coffee shop. She looked around frantically. There really was nowhere to hide, short of cowering under the table. The restroom was across the coffee shop, in a direct path in front of the new arrival.
*****
Lucas was puzzled by Aria's reaction. "Aria? Is something the matter?" Aria was trying to shrink down in her chair, leaning forward with her hair covering her face. "Aria, what is it?"
"Shhhhh. It's my..."
"Aria, what a nice surprise! I didn't expect to run into you here."
"Hello, Mother. I didn't expect to see you here either." Aria tried a half-smile. Her mother looked expectantly at Lucas, who was standing and sporting a complete smile.
"Mother, this is Lucas D'Angelo, a colleague from school. Lucas, my mother, Helen Spencer."
Lucas extended his hand to Helen. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Spencer."
"Likewise," Helen said, smiling at Lucas and then at Aria.
"Well," Aria started. "We had better..."
"Ms. Spencer, would you like to join us for a cup of coffee?" Lucas offered.
"That's very kind of you. I would love to!" Helen set her jacket on the chair and went to the counter to order.
*****
Aria turned to Lucas. "What are you doing?" she hissed.
"Having coffee with two beautiful, interesting women," Lucas said. "What are you doing?"
"Trying to figure out if I should strangle you or run away. This is a terrible idea."
"Good manners are never a terrible idea." Lucas folded his beautiful hands together and grinned at Aria. This outing was turning out to be even more fun that he had hoped. He couldn't believe he had had second thoughts about doing this. Now he would get more insight into Aria, courtesy of a little mother-daughter interaction, which was clearly the last thing Aria wanted at the moment.
"So, what are the two of you up to?" Helen asked, after she had settled herself with a non-fat coconut milk latte. Lucas noted that it was a large, and saw that Aria had noticed, too. It looked like Helen was settling in for a while, but Aria was clearly less than thrilled about it.
Aria answered her mother. "We're doing some planning for the school year. Lucas is the sixth-grade teacher at Lakewood, and his students are buddies with my students."
"We're going to do activities together each week to help the kids build friendships," Lucas said. "The older kids get the experience of being mentors to the little ones, who benefit from the company and care they get from the older ones. It's a win-win."
"That sounds wonderful!" Helen said. "I wish they had had something like that when Aria was at Lakewood."
Lucas tried to imagine a little blonde Aria, running around the Lakewood playground. He couldn't quite get there, especially since the person in question had her arms crossed and looked cool and aloof.
*****
After a few more minutes of conversation, Helen stood and picked up her coffee. Aria prevented herself from sagging with relief that she was leaving. "It's been lovely to meet you, Lucas. I would like to hear more about the ideas you're working on for Lakewood. Why don't you and Aria come to dinner tomorrow night?"
Aria's eyes widened. "Thank you, Mother, but I don't think that will be possible. I have prep to do, and I'm sure Lucas has a lot going on as well."
"You have to eat, don't you, and this way you can save yourself the time spent cooking."
"Some other time..." Aria said, looking frantically at Lucas, who betrayed her and said, "I would love to come to dinner, Ms. Spencer. Thank you for the invitation."
Aria, who knew defeat when she saw it, resisted the temptation to stomp on Lucas's foot. "Fine. Thank you," she said through gritted teeth.
Helen smiled. "Six o'clock then. Do you like lasagna, Lucas?"
"Absolutely!"
And just like that, Aria was plunged deeper into this thing that might or might not be a thing with Lucas. Could she not get away from this man?