Read Back to You for Free Online Page B

side of the room to check on the other students.

    At three thirty, Lauren said good-bye to Janet and Delia and the children that remained before she gathered her things and headed out to the vestibule.
    Just as she placed her bag down on the counter to find her keys, the front door swung open, and Lauren looked up to see Michael walking through the doors.
    She dropped her eyes again, sifting through her purse with more urgency.
    “Hi.”
    She swallowed and gained her composure before she looked back up with a tiny smile. “Hi, how are you?”
    Stupid contrived formalities. They felt so foreign on her tongue. Especially with Michael. But she didn’t know how else to handle him.
    “I’m okay,” he answered.

    And then it came to her. She’d handle him like any other parent. Friendly, but professional. All interactions based solely on the child in question.
    “Good,” Lauren said, and this time her smile was genuine as she thought of Erin’s progress today. “She’s coming out of her shell.”
    He shoved his hands in his pockets and exhaled in what seemed like relief. “That’s good,” he said. “She’s smart, but she’s so shy, and I don’t want people to think she’s not friendly, or that she’s not listening, you know?”
    “Oh, we know she’s listening, even if she’s not quick to talk about what she’s learning.”
    This was good , Lauren thought. Natural. Safe .
    But then Michael smiled, and she felt her poise waver. “God, that’s so good to hear,” he said. “We just moved to the area, so I’m hoping she’ll be able to open up and make some friends here.” He took his hands out of his pockets and leaned on the counter.
    His proximity caught her off guard, and her stomach flipped as she instantly straightened, dropping her eyes to where his hands rested in front of her. Immediately he curled them in before gently sliding them out of view.
    “Sorry,” he said awkwardly. “I just came from work.”
    It took Lauren a second to realize he thought she was taken aback because his hands were dirty.
    “No, no, I wasn’t—” but she stopped short, because what could she say? I wasn’t looking at your hands because they were dirty; I was just trying to look anywhere but your face?
    “I work as a tin knocker,” he said, shoving his hands back in his pockets. “I can’t ever get them clean.”
    She had to get out of there.
    “Well, Erin was great today,” she said, tossing her bag over her shoulder and taking a step toward the door. “I’ll keep you updated on her progress.”
    “Oh…okay,” he said, stepping to the side to let her pass. “Um, okay, great. Thanks.”
    “Yep. Have a good afternoon,” she said with a smile, rushing past him and out the door.
    By the time she got to her car, her hands were shaking so badly that she struggled with starting it.
    Her plan was to keep it about Erin, to speak to him like he was just another parent, but as he continued talking to her, she could feel the questions forming on the tip of her tongue. What’s a tin knocker? Do you like your job? Where have you been for the past eight years?
    None of that was about Erin.
    And so she ran. She would not allow herself to speak to him on a personal level.
    But as she pulled out of the parking lot, she couldn’t help but ask herself if she was overreacting. Shouldn’t it be okay to want to hear about someone who had once been important to her? After all, they had been inseparable throughout most of high school, albeit the most unlikely pair: the school badass and Little Miss Straight-laced, best friends. It was true things hadn’t ended well, but that was years ago. It would be harmless to catch up with an old friend.
    No. She had to remember who she was talking about.
    Nothing about Michael Delaney was harmless.

    “You get selective amnesia when it comes to Del,” she could hear Jenn say.
    But not this time.
    It had been different in high school. She was a kid. But she was a grown woman now,