Chapter 6

The rest of the night passed quickly. Jacob and Ann Marie stayed for a little while and helped clean up after the dance. Neither acknowledged the unspoken expectations that everyone else seemed to have for them. Nor did they dance. Jacob figured that this night was about the high school kids, not their teachers. They were among the last to leave. He walked her to his truck, then drove her home. He got a good night kiss and then left, as was his custom.

Monday came and went. The kids—and even a couple of the other teachers—gave him some good-natured ribbing about his "date" with Miss Armstrong, but none of them pressed the matter.

On Tuesday, near the end of third period, there was a knock on the door as he was in the middle of his lecture. He called for the person to enter and found a sophomore with a nervous smile standing there holding an envelope.

"This is from Miss Armstrong," she stuttered. Everyone's head shot around at the words, their eyes all wide.

"Thank you," he said taking the envelope. Inside, he debated about what to do.

I really should wait until everyone else is gone, he thought. But maybe she wants a response now.

The student at the door stood there, as if waiting either to be excused or to be given a return message. There were some whispers around the room. With a sigh, he tore open the envelope. Two note cards fell out. The "yes" box on the one he gave to Ann Marie was checked.

Jacob drew in a sharp breath when he read the other card. His face turned crimson red. His hands began to tremble. His pulse raced.

Barely able to hold his pen steady, Jake checked the "yes" box on the second card, somehow managed to seal it into another envelope and sent it back to Miss Armstrong. The rest of his lectures were off as lurid thoughts ran through his mind, all of them involving Ann Marie.