Chapter 3

After finishing her lunch in the teacher’s lounge, Kat had headed to the restroom before returning to her classroom for the rest of the afternoon. As she passed a supply closet, she noticed that the door was cracked open, but there was no janitor in sight. She knew the cleaning staff never left the door unlocked or open in case kids wandered inside and played with things they shouldn’t, and as she was about to shut the door, she saw movement in the corner.

Her heart stuttered. A rat? Maybe a raccoon that had gotten in last night? Or had a kid gotten inside? She walked in, flicking on the light overhead, and scanned the room. She saw a flash of pink in the corner. Kat was about to reprimand whoever had decided playing in the supply closet had been a good idea when she saw that the child in question was huddled on the floor, her head in between her knees, completely still and quiet, even as Kat approached.

“Emma,” she breathed, kneeling in front of her. She touched her shoulder gently so as not to startle the girl, who looked up but didn’t say anything. “Emma, what are you doing in here?”

Emma stared at her, like she didn’t understand the words. The girl’s face was pale and tear-streaked.

“Come on, let’s get out of here,” Kat coaxed. She tried to draw Emma up, but the girl pulled away and curled in on herself.

Kat was at a loss. Should she carry Emma from the room? But surely that would only make things worse. The girl looked like she’d seen a ghost or something.

“Emma, we need to get out of here. This isn’t a nice place to talk.”

Emma shook her head and mumbled something under her breath. Kat leaned toward her, trying to make out the girl’s words.

“Can’t leave,” Emma mumbled over and over to herself. “It’s not safe.”

Now Kat was on high alert. She pulled out her phone and texted Silas to let him know what was going on before sitting down in front of Emma, taking her hands from her face. “What’s not safe? Can you tell me?”

Emma just shook her head.

“Maybe we can figure out how to stay safe together, if you’ll tell me.”

Emma looked embarrassed suddenly, biting her lower lip as she gazed up at Kat. Kat waited, hoping she’d tell her what was wrong so Kat could figure out how to help. But instead, Emma just hugged her knees tighter and kept shaking her head over and over again. When she started crying and telling Kat she wanted her dad, Kat knew she couldn’t do anything else for her. She was able to get her to stand so she could take her to the nurse’s office.

Now, standing in front of Gavin, Kat struggled to find the words to explain what she’d seen. She didn’t really know, if she was honest. She’d never seen a child so petrified, like she’d scream at her own shadow. She glanced at Emma sitting on the bench, seemingly normal and unafraid now.

“When I found her in the closet, it was like she was in shock,” Kat explained. “She kept saying something about it not being safe. I don’t know what happened, or what she saw.”

Gavin’s face was drawn, and he looked absolutely exhausted. She knew his divorce had been finalized in the last few months; she couldn’t imagine having to care for a daughter who seemed so scared all the time.

She restrained herself from reaching out and taking his hand, reassuring him. He seemed so lonely standing there in front of her, like the weight of the world was on his shoulders.

“Did she say anything else to you?” His voice was almost toneless.

“Not really. When she started crying, I took her straight to the nurse. I didn’t know what else to do.” She hesitated a moment before asking, “Has this happened before?”

He sighed, pushing a hand through his dark hair, which had grown long and almost unruly lately. He still wore a beard, but it only emphasized his high cheekbones and chiseled jaw. Kat had never had an opinion about guys having facial hair or not, but she had to admit, it worked on Gavin Danvers.

“Emma hasn’t been the same since we left Boston. Not since her mother…” He shook his head. “She’s had episodes like this, where she hides and refuses to come out. But when I try to get her to tell me what happened, she says nothing happened.”

Kat frowned. “It just happens out of the blue?”

He shrugged. “As far as I can tell. I think it may be linked to what happened with her mother.” He grimaced, his expression darkening. “Actually, I know it is. There’s no other reason for it.”

Kat almost asked what had happened with his ex-wife, but she stopped herself. It was none of her business. She’d heard whispers that Teagan Danvers had had issues, but nothing beyond that. Besides, Kat was hardly family or even a close friend. She was Emma’s teacher, and that was it. She didn’t have a right to pry, no matter how much she wanted to understand not only the situation, but the man in front of her.

Gavin leaned against the wall. “I can’t do this again,” he murmured, almost to himself.

God, her heart broke for this man. She knew all too well what it felt like to watch loved ones hurt and not be able to do anything about it. She’d been the one to take care of her mom in her final days. She imagined Gavin had cared for Teagan in a similar way, giving up on his own hopes and dreams to try to keep another person living just another day. One more day, one more hour, one more minute, your life passed you by because another person needed you more.

Now, though, Kat was at a loss. She didn’t know how she could help Gavin, or if she could help him.

You can’t save everyone, her grandmother’s words echoed in her mind. Sometimes you have to just save yourself.

He stood up from the wall and said, “Thank you for all your help. I think I need to get Emma home now.”

She wished she could do something, but instead she replied, “If you need anything, let me know. Please.”

Gavin gazed at her, his dark eyes drinking her in. He reached toward her and touched her hand, but then seemed to think better of it. “Thank you, Kat. For everything.”

The moment seemed to enclose them in an intimate bubble, where it was only them gazing at each other, hoping for something different to happen. Hoping and wishing that life wasn’t simply a series of hard knocks to be gotten over, but instead had beautiful, bright spots blooming in between that could provide succor during the difficult times.

His gaze moved to her lips, and her heart sped up. They were at school and she was his daughter’s teacher and the last thing she should want was for him to kiss her right here and now, but she wanted him to. She wished he would.

But instead, he flicked is gaze away and the moment splintered. Reality intruded, hard and relentless.

“I should go,” he said.

She watched as he and Emma walked out of the school, her bright, blonde hair a stark contrast to his darker features.

“Hey, you all right?”

Kat turned to see Silas next to her. She hadn’t even heard him come up to her. She couldn’t help but look back at Gavin’s retreating figure before sighing.

“I guess. I wish I could help somehow.”

Silas didn’t say anything for a moment. He stuffed his hands in his trouser pockets, looking at his feet. “Is it your responsibility to help?” he asked quietly.

Kat didn’t know how to take that question. “No, not really. But I want to anyway.”

He frowned a little. “I hope you know what you’re doing, is all.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just that sometimes people aren’t what they seem.”

She sighed. “And now you’re talking in riddles.”

“Have you noticed the way he looks at you?” When she didn’t reply, he added, “He looks at you like he wishes he could make you his own.”

She couldn’t help it—she laughed. Gavin might have once been interested in her—really, how could anyone tell?—but at this point, they were solely platonic.

“So you’re warning me?” she asked, trying to sound amused. “Otherwise he’ll take me off to his lair and have his way with me?”

“No, just, be careful.” Silas’s tone was edged in frustration. “I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

Her heart softened. At least she could understand where Silas was coming from. She patted him on the shoulder, “I will be. I have to go, though. Talk to you later?”

She didn’t care if Silas approved of her relationship with Gavin or not. She wanted to help Gavin and Emma, and if there was a way to do it, she’d figure out the way to accomplish just that.