All of Me

“Karen Morris, who in the world are you talking to on the phone like that?”

She jumped and whirled around. “Deborah! Girl, you almost gave me a heart attack. You can’t be sneaking up on people like that.” She engulfed Deborah in a hug. “You look good.”

“Thanks. I feel like I’ve been gone forever. It’s good to see you, cuz.” The two cousins had grown up as close as sisters. Deborah was part of a small dance company and had been traveling for the past several months. “And you didn’t answer my question. Were you and Andre talking naughty? I figured he’d be here with you.”

Karen frowned. “No!” Deborah flinched. “Sorry. I forgot you’ve been gone, and we haven’t talked in a while. Andre and I broke up a few months ago.”

“Oh, sweetie, I’m so sorry. What happened?”

Karen waved her off. “It’s fine. He decided that we weren’t socially matched.” She told Deborah about what happened at his mother’s dinner party. Estella Robertson had never made it a secret that Karen didn’t measure up to her standards, but Karen never thought she would go so far as to invite another woman to dinner—one whom her son had obviously been dating, handpicked by Estella—and seat her directly across from Andre and Karen. Karen had noticed the coy smiles and intimate gestures throughout the meal and had planned to confront him about all that, but he saved her the trouble. His response: “Well, we have more in common and travel in the same circles.”

“Girl, I know he didn’t. I would’ve put my foot up his highfalutin ass.” She cocked her head to the side. “Then who were you talking to?”

“His name is Damian Bradshaw. I met him on the cruise when Janae got married last month.”

Deborah raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. “Really? I’ve been gone way too long.” She hooked her arm in Karen’s. “Come on. I need details, and don’t leave anything out.”

Laughing, they cut through her parents’ kitchen and out to the backyard as Karen told all. Later, as she settled in for bed, thoughts of Damian filled her mind. Deborah echoed Janae’s sentiment that Damian’s feelings had to be strong for him to go to such lengths to track Karen down. Though she was beginning to have deep feelings for him as well, she still planned to proceed with caution.

But each and every time she saw him, all her warning systems seemed to take a hike. Snuggling beneath the covers, she sighed. One day at a time.

Chapter 13

Karen had enjoyed spending time with her family for Thanksgiving, but she was glad to get back home. Damian had sent her a text letting her know what time his plane would arrive the following evening. Her heart raced at the thought of seeing him again. She loved the way his eyes sparkled when he laughed, loved the way he gave her his full attention when she talked, loved the passion he had for his job. And she loved that she could be herself with him.

How had he gotten to her so quickly? It went without saying that the physical aspects of their relationship were off the charts. However, she began to doubt whether things would work out, especially with them living so far apart. Karen couldn’t go through another broken heart. Until she was reasonably sure they were on the same page and had a good chance of making it, her feelings would remain a secret.

In anticipation of the extra time she would have to spend on the safety project, she used much of her Sunday doing lesson plans—something she typically did after school—and going over the notes she had taken at the conference. She and Melissa planned to meet tomorrow to outline the suggestions and questions to present to Damian and Kyle when they got together on Tuesday. When she finished, Karen picked up the mail that had accumulated while she was away and went through the stack.

Her heart almost stopped when she saw an envelope from the school district office. She opened it with shaky fingers and pulled out the sheet of paper. Her heart raced as she read the words. They thanked her for applying, were impressed with her credentials and congratulated her on making the list. “Yes!” Her heart pounded with excitement. Then another thought occurred to her. If she got the job, how would she and Damian make their relationship work? Becoming principal meant staying put for at least two or three years. There was no way she’d turn down this job, and she was sure he wouldn’t want to give up his career, either. Great. One more thing to worry about.