Chapter 13

Diana cradled a cup of iced tea as she gazed out the window, trying to mentally prepare herself for the first day of school.

A buzzer sounded from the kitchen—Laura was up, making breakfast for her guests. Diana grabbed her canvas bag full of books and stepped out of her room. She should’ve had one more bag, but late last night, she’d realized she had left it in Steve’s truck.

“Well, hi there,” Laura said cheerfully, sliding a stack of pancakes onto a platter. “Care for one? Fresh off the griddle.”

Diana set her bag on the counter. “You know what? I actually have a couple of extra minutes.”

She poured warm maple syrup over the pancakes and sat at the table. Laura joined her, sipping coffee.

“Did you sleep well? You look tired,” Laura asked gently.

“Perfect,” Diana thought. “Bags under my eyes on the first day of school.”

She’d stayed up way too late fine-tuning her lesson plan, nerves and doubt keeping her from rest.

“I had a lot on my mind. My life’s been kind of a mess lately,” Diana admitted.

Laura nodded knowingly. “We’re all in a mess, girl. That’s just life. You just need a good man at your side, like my Percy. He was my rock through some of the roughest patches. One day, I’ll tell you my story.”

Diana gave a polite smile, but the words landed with a thud. A “good man” hadn’t done her mother any favors. Especially not her father, who had cheated for years—with multiple women. Or Scott—her ex-fiancé—who’d betrayed her trust and shattered her belief in love just months before their wedding.

“Now look at that,” Laura said, peering out the window. “We’re talking about good men, and who should show up? If I were you, I’d keep my heart open to Steve.”

“No, thanks,” Diana replied lightly, smiling at the well-meaning woman.

Still, she couldn’t help herself. She peeked out the window too.

Steve was crossing the yard, freshly shaven, and somehow even more handsome than he’d been yesterday.

He stepped through the back door into the kitchen. “Morning, ladies.”

They greeted him in unison.

“What are you doing here, Steve? Shouldn’t you be at school?” Laura asked with a teasing grin.

“I came looking for Diana.”

“For me?” Diana inhaled at the wrong time and immediately began to choke on her pancake.

Steve flashed a boyish smile. “Need the Heimlich?”

“I’m okay,” she sputtered, flushing as she gulped down the rest of her water. Heat crept up the back of her neck.

“You left your books in my truck. Thought you might need them.”

“Oh ... thanks.”

“Real eloquent,” she thought.

“Want a ride?”

“Um, sure.” Diana slid off her stool and squeezed past him to drop her dirty plate in the sink.

They waved goodbye to Laura and stepped outside. Steve wordlessly hoisted her bag into the back of the truck. The short drive to school passed in silence—no radio, no conversation, not even the windows down. The silence buzzed between them, not exactly uncomfortable, but charged with something unspoken.

Diana watched him out of the corner of her eye as he parked in the staff lot. Despite the silence, she felt connected to him after their talk the night before. There was something grounding about him. Even if she didn’t agree with him about Equal Opportunity, she had to admit—he’d opened up to her in a way that was raw, vulnerable, and real.

He didn’t know her well, but he wanted her to be safe. He cared.

And that—that—was what made him dangerous.

Because Steve’s concern felt protective. Thoughtful. Kind. But Diana had been there before. Scott had been all of those things too, right up until the mask slipped. Right up until control disguised as concern turned into manipulation, jealousy, and lies.

She had ignored the early signs with Scott because she’d wanted to believe in the fairytale. In someone who would choose her. Love her. But the truth had cut deep, and she wasn’t going to fall for it again.

“It’s not sweet—it’s controlling,” she reminded herself. “Steve is just another Scott in the making.”

They walked through the hallways together. Students called out to Steve, some waving, others offering high fives. A group of teens even clapped when he passed.

“Mr. McAllister! I’ve got you for third period! What are we doing this year?”

Steve laughed and stopped to joke with them. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

Diana kept walking. She needed to review her lesson plan one last time—not think about how Steve’s clean-shaven smile made her stomach flutter, or how easily he connected with his students.

Those thoughts were far too dangerous.

And Diana had already learned the cost of ignoring danger.