Steve hammered the finishing nail into the crown molding, contemplating the fact that Tori was picking her parents up at the airport this morning and he wanted to be there with her. He wanted her here with him even more, and he hadn’t even told her about the house yet. Soon it would be time to paint walls and order the flooring, and he wanted more than anything to offer Tori the chance to help make those decisions. But until Jerry Waterman made a decision on whether he’d return or retire, the school board’s hands were tied. Officially, Jerry had another month to make his decision.
That meant Steve needed to hold out for a while longer. If Jerry returned, Tori may not want to stay. And if he retired, the district might need to fill two positions, superintendent and principal.
“Brody, I need a hand with the upper cabinets on the other wall,” Steve yelled down the stairs. “Are you at a stopping point on the trim?”
“Be right there,” his cousin answered.
“Dad.” Kelsey ran up the stairs ahead of Brody. “How come you haven’t shown Tori the house?”
Brody walked past Steve with an ornery grin. “Yeah, explain that one to a ten-year-old.”
“I’m eleven now,” Kelsey corrected.
Brody looked at her and hit his head with the palm of his hand. “No way. That wasn’t your real birthday, was it? I thought you just wanted to party.”
“You’re a dork, Brody.”
The banter allowed Steve time to come up with an explanation. “If I showed it to her, it wouldn’t be a surprise.”
“Does Tori like surprises?”
Steve shrugged. “I’m not sure, but I hope so.”
“Are you going to ask her to be our mom?”
“Shhh. That’s a really big surprise, from everyone. No one but you and me can know that one. Can you keep it a really big secret?”
Kelsey looked over her shoulder, her eyes open wide, as if afraid she’d blown it already. She nodded.
Brody had turned his back on them and started singing, but Steve could see his shoulders moving up and down from laughter.
“Kels, go find Matt and Kyle, would you? I’m going to get lunch on soon.”
He heard the front door slam and looked at Brody. “You’re not helping matters much.”
“Hey, she started asking me questions. I sent her to ask Dad.”
“Can’t you hurry Jerry up on his decision?”
“He has another month. Besides, the board would like to see how smoothly this experiment with the attendance for CSAPs goes, too, so they’re not in a hurry to make an offer. Sorry.”
Steve lifted the kitchen cabinet above the space for the stove and Brody helped line it up and hold it steady while Steve nailed it into place. After they had fitted all of the cupboards into position, Steve leveled and secured them.
“This looks really good.” Brody stood back and assessed the kitchen area. “Personally, I don’t think you should wait.”
“You know how she is about that rule in the district policy. Why don’t you just get the board moving on changing it? Then I could ask her to marry me.”
“And who’s going to recommend we look at it? I bring it up and every suspicion about you two is out in the open.”
“You bring it up in preparation for Jerry’s decision. If you have to hire for either or both positions…”
“What are the chances we hire a super whose spouse could qualify for principal?”
“Pretty good.”
Brody looked at him like he’d lost his mind. “I’ll think it through. And you think about my advice—ask her to marry you, show her the house and voilà, happily ever after.”
“I don’t want her to stay here if she doesn’t want to.”
“Take it from one who knows, Tori Sandoval doesn’t stay anywhere she doesn’t want to be. You want her, you’d better be making an airtight plan, because you won’t find another Tori.”
“If you don’t get that rule changed, I won’t be the only one looking for another Tori.” Steve saw no point in arguing with Brody about her. He’d never met Anna, and it was just too hard to explain that the two women Steve had loved could be so much alike. Brody would never believe it, anyway.
Steve had silently observed a change in Tori in the few weeks since her parents’ return. He admired the way Tori encouraged and stood by Nicole Tiponi as her pregnancy became evident to the rest of the school. Every week, Nicole sat in church with Tori and her family, which now included Tori’s parents, as well.
Valentine’s Day came and went before Jerry Waterman announced his retirement as principal and superintendent, sending the school board into a frenzy of special meetings.
“Let’s all relax,” Tori said at the teacher meeting. “This does not mean trouble as far as the state is concerned. Our job is to continue to teach, maintain a stable atmosphere for the students and keep them in school. We’re only two weeks away from testing. Next week they’re off. Then we have one week to get their brains back in gear and then it’s test time.”
Daria looked at Tori “What will your answer be if the board asks you to stay?”
“Let’s not put the cart before the horse, Daria. They’re waiting for testing to be completed before making any decisions.”
She looked at Steve, expecting at least a glance, but he didn’t even look her way.
Lately Steve had seemed preoccupied. He came to work on time, did his job, attended the assigned events and said little else not related to business. Tori wondered if she had pushed him away too many times. Had her drive for perfection finally frightened him away? She’d lived through being alone before and she tried to convince herself that she could again, but it hadn’t been working.
She reviewed the testing schedule with the teachers and reminded them to invite students to have breakfast at school every morning of testing. “Since juniors and seniors aren’t tested, they can meet in the library for study hall during that time, but make sure they understand, they will not be allowed past the main corridor for any reason.”
The teachers began complaining.
“We have no choice in the matter. It’s state rules.”
“Yeah, Squeaky.” Daria chuckled. “We’d hate to break a rule.”
“Have nontesting students been in the classrooms in previous years?”
After a long hesitation that said everything that needed to be said, Jason Hunt chimed in. “Some. The bus students had nowhere else to be. We were just happy to have them show up for school.”
Tori shook her head and rested her head in her hands. “No, no, no. The rules may seem like a pain, but we have no choice but to follow them.” No wonder they’d had such low scores. If the state learned there were nontesting students in the classes those scores could have been trashed. “Bus students must either arrange for alternate transportation or plan to stay in study hall. No juniors or seniors will be allowed in the classrooms.” Tori answered more questions then looked across the table. “Do you have anything else, Steve?”
“Nothing.”
“That’s it, then.” The teachers gathered their schedules and threw away the napkins and paper cups from their refreshments. “How are you feeling, Tracy?”
“Great. Just can’t believe how tired I am.”
“You look wonderful. I hear Nicole finally came to see you. Thank you for taking time to share your pregnancy experience with her. That’s one area I’m little help in—counseling.”
“It was a little odd at first, but I’m glad I did. Sounds like she’s still struggling with whether to keep it or give it up for adoption.”
“I’m sure it’s not an easy decision. I’m encouraging her to listen to God’s direction.” From the corner of her eye she saw Geoff and Steve talking. No one seemed to be in any hurry to leave today.
Tracy finished her water and tossed the cup into the trash. “I’d better get going. Have a good evening, Tori.”
“You, too.” Tori began cleaning up, catching bits of the ensuing conversations.
Daria discussed basketball with Fred’s replacement, Victor Montoya. Larisa stood in the hallway talking to Corey Claiborne about joining the drama club to help with the artwork for the sets. Why he hadn’t joined on his own was a wonder. She guessed he liked the feeling that someone noticed and appreciated his talent.
“We drove past your new house last weekend. Looks like you’re almost ready to move in,” Geoff said to Steve.
“Not quite,” Steve said in a hushed tone.
“That’s a nice area. We’ve been looking around for a piece of land….” Geoff didn’t seem to realize that Steve’s attention wasn’t on their conversation. Finally Steve asked him to stop by next time they were in the area and he’d show him the house. That seemed to satisfy Geoff, and soon the rest of the teachers filed out of the cafeteria. Tori walked down the hall to the office wondering how she had missed the fact that Steve was working on a house.
“Tori.” Steve closed the door to the main office and locked it behind him. “We need to talk.”
She turned her back to him, trying to hide her tears.
“I wanted to surprise you. I didn’t plan on you finding out this way.”
“I’m surprised,” she said, blinking the moisture away.
He moved closer and Tori held up her hand to stop him. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was waiting for the right time.”
“Well, this wasn’t it.” She bit her lip. “Despite the restrictions, I thought we had a relationship building. And you couldn’t even tell me you’re settling here.”
“That’s exactly why I didn’t tell you. I didn’t want you jumping to the wrong conclusions. I started all of this last spring, before we even met. I needed to rein-vest the money from the sale of the house in Maryland.”
She rocked back gracefully on the heels of her black pumps and sat on the corner of her desk. “All the more reason to have told me up front. I wouldn’t have thought anything of it then. But now…” She hugged her arms to her body. “…Now it looks like you’re trying to trap me here.”
“I wouldn’t do that. You’ve had a lot on your mind. You asked me to keep my distance, and…” He looked at her with a critical squint. “And I didn’t want to frighten you away with exactly the impression you have.”
The phone rang, and Tori considered letting it go, until she noticed the time. “It’s either Bette wondering where you are, or my parents wondering if I’m coming for dinner.”
He looked at his watch and then out the window. His was the only vehicle in the parking lot, which meant he must be late getting the kids again. Tori answered the call, turning her back to him. “No, thanks, Mom. I have some leftovers, and I need to proofread my thesis tonight.”
She shook her head. “Yes, Steve’s still here….” She was quiet. “We had a teacher meeting,” she said, slightly irritated. “No, I’m not bringing him over to meet you tonight.” She’d come close to losing her temper, but was hanging on by a thread. “Because,” she said, closing her eyes. “Because he has to pick up his kids, and I’m sure they already have plans for dinner.”
Steve smiled as he considered accepting, just to meet them. She must have read his thoughts, as she shook her head no. “No, Mama, not tonight.”
He looked at her with amused wonder. When she finally ended the call, he called Bette, letting her know he would be there in a few minutes. “We’re staying at the new house tonight. It’s missing all the comforts of home, but I’d like to see what you think of it. Kelsey has been dying to invite you up for supper.”
Tori crossed her arms in front of her, that look of defiance in her eyes. “How’d you keep them from telling me?”
“I told them it was a surprise, which it was, in a way. I’ve been putting off choosing the paint and the flooring.” He placed his hands on her waist and pulled her to her feet. “I’ve been praying about us since the day I met you, Victoria Sandoval. As many times as I’ve tried to convince myself that the last thing I need in my life is another career-oriented woman, God shows me over and over just how much I need you.” He looked at his watch again. “And as much as I need you, I really need to go get the kids. Won’t you please come with us?”
“Another night, maybe. There’s a lot to think about….”
Steve backed away reluctantly. Much as he hated to, he had to leave her to think all of this through on her own.
After the kids were in bed, Steve looked out the vaulted windows of the living room at the lights in the valley. He thought back to the day he’d met Tori. She’d had her phone clipped to her hip, a chip on her shoulder and a determination to stay in her successful school doing a terrific job and climbing the ladder to the top of a school district somewhere in her dreams.
He had resented those dreams until he’d seen for himself what a difference God’s gifts made when used to their fullest. He couldn’t believe her strength and composure in the face of adversity. Not once had she turned her back on someone in need, a job to be done or taken the easy way out of any situation. He looked around the spacious home he’d built and realized he, too, had struggled to regain control over the past few years. He came here to spend more time with his kids, and ended up working a full-time job and going back to school. One more test and he’d be done, but he resented the hours earning it had taken away from his kids.
“Daddy, I’m scared,” Kyle said as he padded across the unfinished floor in his pyjamas. “Will you come sleep with me?”
“Sure I will,” he answered, lifting Kyle into his arms. Suddenly he was very thankful that Tori had turned down his invitation. “That’s what a daddy’s for.”