Chapter 2

"Thanks for your help folks," Jacob said as the last of the kids filed out of the concession stand. It had been hectic all day. And the heat didn't help.

To raise money for the dance, the student government held an annual outdoor fall carnival at the Lion's Club field. They had an inflatable castle, a water slide, face painting, a bean bag toss and virtually anything else that they could use to make a little bit of money. Everyone in the county was invited and it was usually a big hit with the elementary and middle school kids.

Jacob kept the kids and parents in the concession stand moving and they made a fair amount of money. After all, it was blazing hot—even at the end of September—and they had the only soda fountain and ice machine for miles around. He wiped down the counter one more time and then stepped outside.

He smelled sweaty and greasy.

Some of the other teachers and parents were picking up trash and others were loading the dunking booth into a truck. Jacob spotted Ann Marie across the football field.

She waved and then headed over to see him.

"Thanks for your help today," she said. If she had any inclination to hug him, the cloud of oil that hung over him warded her away.

"It's my pleasure," Jacob replied.

They shared an uncomfortable silence.

"I don't suppose you're hungry," Ann Marie said. "How about we go get some real food?"

"I can't go out like this," he replied.

"C'mon," she coaxed. "My treat."

"Let me go home and shower first," he said after a minute, not really wanting to spend another Saturday night alone. "I'll pick you up at say, six-thirty."

She smiled. "I can't wait."

He turned and headed to the parking lot, some extra bounce in his step.

An hour later, Jacob was scrubbed and clean. He had to wash his hair twice to get the smell of grease out of it. He wore a pair of shorts, sandals and a nice polo shirt. He got in his truck and drove over to Ann Marie's house.

She was sitting on the swing chair on her porch. As he pulled up, she stood and walked to the steps.

Jacob got out to greet her. He could only stare. When she was at school, she tended to dress conservatively. Not frumpy or matronly, but she wore clothes that radiated authority rather than sex appeal. After all, it was hard enough to keep the attention of adolescent boys without having them constantly looking at her round breasts and curvy hips.

It occurred to him that he had never been around Ann Marie in a social setting. Whenever he had seen her, they had either been at school or a school-related function. And he had been married. He had never seen her dressed to kill.

She wore a blouse that was fitted just right to show off her ample bosom. It didn't show off too much cleavage and narrowed at her waist. The A-line skirt highlighted her full hips and hinted at just enough leg to be enticing, but not enough to be revealing. Her high heels accentuated her shapely legs and the ring around her second toe glimmered under the setting sun.

Coming down the steps, she took his hand and he led her to the truck. After Jacob opened the door, Ann Marie climbed into the passenger's seat. He closed the door as she buckled up.

Jacob got in on his side. He grinned sheepishly. "I feel underdressed now."

"Don't worry about it," Ann Marie said. "Where are we going?"

"I thought we'd drive over to the mall over at Northridge Crossing. There's a new restaurant there I'd like to try," Jacob replied.

"That's kind of far," she said.

"Yeah, well, if we go anywhere here in town, we're both going to catch hell for this on Monday."

"We're going to catch hell anyway, Jake." In a county with only one high school, there are no secrets. Everyone knows everyone else. "Mrs. Sowards asked who I was waiting for. She knows I've got a date and I'm sure she watched you pull up."

Jacob chuckled. "So she's probably calling everyone she knows, right?"

"Probably."

"Yeah, well, I'd still like to so someplace where we can have a little privacy," he said. "Besides, we have to keep them guessing at school."

They both shared a nervous laugh.

The drive took over half an hour. The two made some meaningless small talk. Where he had mostly juniors, she had a mix. Her classes were sophomore English, creative writing and somehow she had been conned into taking over as the yearbook sponsor.

He asked about her students, partially to get her talking but also to scope out some of the kids who might be in his room the next year. The drive was pleasant and with the sun going down, it wasn't too hot.