Dieter bounded on him, and they began to wrestle.
The girls rolled their eyes.
“Boys,” Amy said, in a tone of supreme disenchantment.
“Well, there’s boys, and then there’s men, ” Tabitha
suggested.
Amy sneered. “I don’t see any.”
“Mr. Fallon.”
“But he’s got…” Her hand flapped at the side of
her face.
They all knew she was referring to his scar.
“So what?” Kelli said. “He’s hot.”
“Yeah, he is,” Tabitha agreed.
Willow gaped at them, and even the boys stopped
wrestling.
“Who’s hot?” Hopper asked in bewilderment.
“Mr. Fallon.” Tabitha gave Fiona a sly smile. “Don’t
you think, Ms. Mac?”
What if he overheard this conversation? He’d be
hideously embarrassed!
On the other hand…maybe it would be good for him
to find out that even teenage girls had noticed he was
sexy despite the scar. Or even because of it.
“He’s an attractive man,” she agreed sedately.
“But…” Amy stopped, and her eyes narrowed. “You
do think he’s hot!”
“I just said…”
“I mean, you really think he is. Wow. That’s why
you keep blushing. Are you going to see him again
after we leave?”
They all stared expectantly at her.
“I don’t know…” Belatedly realizing she’d just made
a big mistake, Fiona said, “There’s nothing like that
going on. Anyway, it’s none of your business.”
“You’re blushing right now. Yes! I was right!” Amy
crowed.
“Amy, there really isn’t anything like that…”
In a low voice, Tabitha interrupted. “He’s coming.”
Fiona raised her eyebrows at her circle of students.
“Enough said. Okay?”
“Okay,” they chorused cheerfully. Lying, every one
of them. She would never hear the end of this.
“Problem?” John asked behind her.
“No problem,” she said too hastily, and turned.
The mere sight of him sent her heart skittering again.
He looked so darn good with his broad shoulders and
lean build, shaggy dark hair, a perfectly sculpted face
with hollows beneath the cheekbones, straight, narrow
nose and unrevealing mouth that, Fiona couldn’t help
noting, seemed more relaxed than usual.
“We were just talking,” Kelli said.
“Yeah,” Dieter chimed in. “Do you think the snowplow will come tomorrow?”
“It’s possible. Depends how widespread the storm
was.”
“How will we know if it comes?” Kelli asked.
“We’ll be able to hear it. Sound carries out here.”
“I don’t care if they don’t make it tomorrow,” Dieter
said. He glanced at Willow. “I’m having fun.”
“Me, too,” Tabitha said. “Except I wish I had more
clothes here.”
Troy had apparently wandered down the stairs in the
midst of the discussion, because from the outskirts of
the small group he said, “Yeah, it’s been cool.”
“I don’t want to go home yet,” Willow said with surprising force, then flushed as gazes swung her way.
To rescue her, Fiona said, “I’m in no hurry, either.
How about you, Hopper?”
“I’m good.”
One by one, the others agreed, Amy last and least
convincingly. And yet, she did agree, which Fiona
thought might be a good sign. Did she even look surprised, as if she hadn’t realized that maybe she’d been having fun, too?
Fiona smiled at John. “See what an extraordinary
host you are? We don’t want to leave you.”
“Glad to know that.” His gaze lingered just long
enough on her face to cause her cheeks to heat before
moving to the kids. “You’ve been good guests.”
“Yay us!” Kelli declared.
“Anybody want cookies and cocoa?” John asked.
He was almost flattened in the stampede that ensued.
Only Erin rose from the armchair with dignity, carefully
put a bookmark in place and strolled past the two adults
toward the kitchen.
Echoing Fiona’s thoughts, John murmured, “Fortyyear-old in a seventeen-year-old’s body.”