Reluctantly, Rafe released Anya and drew back and when he gathered the fabric of her shirt in his hands this time it was to cover her and hide her from his gaze.
As he buttoned her shirt Anya stared up at him, her eyes cloudy with confusion. “Why did you stop?”
Rafe smiled and shook his head. “It’s late,” he said gently. “Time for little girls to get to bed.”
He saw the look of disappointment in her eyes but he didn’t let it sway him. No matter how much he wanted her he was a grown man and he knew when it was time to exercise self-control…no matter that it hurt in more ways than one.
And just so she would understand, he leaned over and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead. “You’ve had enough for one night, little one. Now go get some rest.” Then before she could object Rafe got up, gave her a little wave of farewell, then saw himself out.
Later as he drove back to his apartment, the car eating up the Autobahn, Rafe could not help but think of how Anya had gotten off easy this time. With the way he felt about her he knew that next time they found themselves together in an intimate setting like that, she would not be so lucky.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Rafe felt like groaning out loud. He was sitting at the desk in the staff room so that was not an option.
When they’d gone out on the weekend why hadn’t Anya mentioned that she would be away at a four-day teacher conference? He’d arrived at the school Monday morning, eager as a puppy. He couldn’t wait to see Anya again. Instead, all he’d seen was her empty desk. When he’d enquired after her it was only to be told that she wouldn’t be in until Friday. Four whole days of waiting and by day three it was driving him crazy.
He had to stop thinking about Anya. Sure, he liked her...a lot…but this was past normal. This was an obsession. Clenching his teeth, he dug down in the work on his desk, trying desperately to lose himself in the preparation of his lesson plans. Not that it was working. He almost wished something would go wrong with his business back in the States so he would have reason to call and chew someone out. He needed distraction, anything to take his mind off missing Anya. But no, he would get no help from that end. Just when he wouldn’t have minded a problem everything with his business was going A-okay.
Thirty minutes later, his class full of children long gone, Rafe was still at his desk but he’d gotten through most of his work and was now just working on the supplemental information for his lesson plan. He was surprised when he heard someone call his name and looked up to see the principal approaching, a woman with a familiar face close behind her. It was Mrs. Kaufman, Albert’s mother.
Immediately, Rafe stood up to greet the ladies.
“Keep your seat,” Mrs. Coleman said, waving him back down. “I just finished meeting with Mrs. Kaufman and the way she sang your praises I just had to bring her over so she could tell you herself.
Rafe shook his head. “Please, there’s no need-”
“No,” the woman said, raising her hand to silence him. “I want to speak.” A myriad of emotions flitted across her face and she bit her lip and shook her head. When she finally spoke her voice was raspy like she was close to tears. “I feel like I have a new child,” she said. “I don’t know what you’ve done to my son but he’s so different. It’s like I have my old Albert back. Thank you. Thank you so much.” This time she lost her grip on the emotions she was trying to keep under control. Rafe heard her hiccup and then her hand flew to her mouth and she bit down hard on her knuckles. Still, a sob escaped her throat and a lone tear made its way down her cheek.
And if there was one thing Rafe couldn’t stand it was to see a woman cry. “Please,” he said and despite his boss’s order he got up from his chair. “Don’t do that. I only did what any other teacher would have done.”
“No,” she said, giving her head an emphatic shake. “You did more than that. You showed interest in my son and it unlocked his heart. Now he’s not scared to love again.” She folded her hands in front of her. “There’s a difference between duty and genuine interest, Mr. Kent, and children can tell the difference.”
Mrs. Coleman smiled. “I don’t see you finding an answer to that one, Rafe. Just accept the praise and say thank you.”
“Uh, well, thank you, Mrs. Kaufman. And you’re very welcome.” And if that wasn’t the heights of embarrassment Rafe didn’t know what was. He sank back down into his chair, hating the fact that he was the center of attention. And, what was worse, it was for doing something good. Notoriety he could take but praise and tears were elements he could do without.
After the ladies had departed it took a while for Rafe to get back into work mode. In fact it was damn near frustrating to get his mind back on lesson plans. It took him another ten minutes to concede defeat. Better to just pack up and head for home where he could think on Anya in peace.
Maybe it was a good thing he left when he did because it was while at his apartment that an idea came to him. Since a simple show of kindness had made such an impact on Albert what if he were to organize a mentorship program for children who had lost a parent – or God forbid, both parents – in military combat?
The more he thought about it the more the idea appealed to Rafe and he knew that by the time he returned to the United States it would be a done deal. He’d never liked the idea of going into business just for the sake of making money and this would be a worthwhile cause to support. He could hardly way to get it set up.
But then the thought of returning to the United States made him pause. What would that mean for his new found relationship with Anya? And what was the nature of that relationship, anyway? He would almost say Anya felt for him the same way he felt about her. Still, one should never assume. When he saw her again they would need to have a serious talk.
Maybe it wasn’t a surprise that when Rafe finally saw Anya back at school on Friday the plan to sit and have a serious talk was definitely not ‘top-of-mind’. In fact, he totally forgot to lay that on the table. As soon as he spied her in the hallway his heart jerked in his chest and he strode after her, his long legs letting him catch up with her in seconds. “Welcome back, Miss Petersen,” he said and when she turned and saw him she was all smiles.
“Rafe. I went to the lounge looking for you.”
“I was setting up the classroom,” he said, his tone just shy of brusque. He couldn’t help wondering how she could greet him with such a cheery face when she hadn’t even bothered to tell him she was leaving.