Chapter Six

THE NEXT DAY, during the free prep period Ridley had before her lunch, she and a few student volunteers were working to set up the health classroom for Dana's visit. She leaned against her desk as she gave instructions to the boys who had skipped part of their lunch period to assist her.

" Tyriek and Brian, please get that big folding table in the back and set it up down here in the front. And I want you guys to move the first row of chairs back about three or four feet so they're not real close to the table. Our guests need some room to move around."

Ridley had slept well after she got home from the party and some much-needed emotional distance had restored her to a more normal state. Today she felt confident she could be around Dana without the emotional turmoil she'd experienced while talking to Dana on the deck at Karen's house. Strong attractions were sometimes fleeting and they often fizzled out before they ever amounted to anything. At least that's what she told herself. Besides, Dana hadn't given her any reason to believe she was interested in anything more than being friends.

Just after twelve-thirty, one of the secretaries summoned Ridley to the main office where Dana waited with a young man Ridley recognized as one of the other chefs she'd seen at Café De Marco. They both wore white chef's jackets and black and white checkered pants.

" I'm glad you guys thought to come dressed in your chef's outfits. I forgot to tell you that I wanted you to do that, " Ridley told them. She saw they had their names embroidered on their jacket pockets. The only difference in their outfits was that Jimmy wore black sneakers and Dana had on her black clogs.

" We wanted to impress the students, " Dana replied. " We even brought chef's hats with us although we don't always wear them when we work."

" You had one on that day I came over to watch you work, " Ridley said.

" That was because you were coming and I guess we like to put on a show, " Dana said. " You remember Jimmy don't you? "

" I sure do." Ridley offered her hand. " Thanks for coming. I really appreciate it."

" No problem." Jimmy shook Ridley's hand. " I told Dana I'd do this with her because I like helping young people and it sounded like fun."

" I hope it'll be fun for all of us." Ridley glanced at the clock. " We'd better get upstairs and get the classroom set up. The first class starts in twenty-five minutes."

Dana had four large tote bags on the floor by her feet and she lifted two of them. " Do you think you can you carry these other two for me? " she asked Ridley.

" Sure." Ridley picked them up. " You need any help, Jimmy? "

" No thanks, I've got these." Jimmy picked up two large plastic containers he'd set on the office counter and balanced them in his arms.

" What's all this? " Ridley asked as they carried everything to the elevator.

" We brought all the ingredients to make a couple of easy recipes, " Dana answered. " We're going to make a fruit salad with a yogurt dressing and a carrot raisin salad. They're both healthy things your students can make at home without too much trouble."

" I think they'll like that, " Ridley said. " I know they like fruit and yogurt."

" I brought some utensils and a few unusual kitchen gadgets, " Jimmy said. " I thought I'd show them how to use them and I also thought I'd do some carving."

" Jimmy's an artist when it comes to carving fruits and veggies into flowers and birds and any number of things, " Dana said. " He thought that would be fun."

" What a great idea, " Ridley said. " Thanks a lot, Jimmy."

" That's okay. Maybe I'll let a few students give it a try."

Ridley jumped all over that idea. " Just don't let them cut their fingers off. Our school nurse will kill me. And let me choose the students. I don't want you to get saddled with the trouble makers or the class clowns. They're always the first ones to volunteer."

Jimmy grimaced. " I didn't think of that."

" Don't worry. That's what they pay me for, " Ridley told him.

DURING THE CLASSES, Ridley sat in the back of the room under the guise of being able to keep an eye on the students like a good teacher should. As true as that was, she also wanted to sit back and feast her eyes on Dana without being obvious about it. Her position assured her that no one would take notice of the way her eyes followed Dana as she moved around the room.

Dana's physical attributes were pleasing enough, but what drew Ridley to her even more was beyond the physical. Whatever it was, it was far more compelling and it touched her where nothing and no one had touched her before. As she watched Dana and Jimmy entertain the tenth graders, she knew one thing with total conviction. Her feelings for Dana were not going to fade away with time or distance or anything else and this raw aching attraction was not going to ever leave her alone. Not ever.

The class periods flew by and before Ridley knew it, the second session had come to an end. When the dismissal bell rang, the students jumped out of their chairs, seized their belongings and stampeded out of the gym like a herd of wild ponies pushing through a broken fence.

" That was certainly a big hit, " Ridley said after all the students were gone. " Thank you both for doing this. I try to make things interesting for the students and I like to introduce them to something outside the boundaries of their narrow little world. Most of them never venture away from the ten block radius where they live and they don't know much about anything else."

" We were happy to help, weren't we Jimmy? " Dana said.

" Oh, man, it was fun. Did you see the bird that one girl carved? Couldn't have done it better myself. They paid attention, especially when we talked about the jobs you can get in the food industry. After the first class was over, one of the boys came up to me and said he wanted to be a chef. I told him he had to finish high school first and then I gave him some advice about what he should do after that."

" They don't always show that much interest. Maybe you'd think about coming again and doing a couple of other groups? The students switch for the second half of the year, so I'll have different students in the spring."

" We could do that, couldn't we, Jimmy? " Dana asked.

" Yeah, we could do that, " Jimmy confirmed. " Just set it up and we'll be here. Do you need any help straightening up your classroom? "

" No. The students will help me tomorrow. I'm ready to get out of here." Ridley helped Dana and Jimmy carry their things out to Dana's car. It was only three-fifteen and she wanted to think of a way to spend more time with Dana although she didn't know what to do about Jimmy. Since Jimmy had just closed the trunk and they were about to leave, she came up with the first thing that popped into her mind. " Let me thank both of you by taking you out to dinner."

" Sorry, but I can't go, " Jimmy said. " My wife made me promise to come right home as soon as we were done here and I'll be a dead man if I don't. I'm not home that much in the evening, so she's kind of possessive when it comes to my free time."

" That's okay. I understand, " Ridley told him.

" I guess I'll see you another time, then." Jimmy went to the back of Dana's car and began loading the bags and containers into the trunk.

" Will you have dinner with me? " Ridley asked Dana. " I'd love it if you would."

" Uh..." Dana's face became tense for a moment and then it relaxed. " Okay, but I have to run Jimmy back to get his car and I want to put the left-over fruits and veggies away. I'd also like to change my clothes. I can't go out in this chef's outfit or they'll put me to work."

" Tell you what. I'll follow you to your place and help you take the stuff inside and put it away. Then you can change or do what you need to do. Why don't you leave your car there and come with me? I'll bring you home whenever you want me to."

WHILE DANA CHANGED, Ridley waited for her in the living room. Being in Dana's personal space filled her with a contentment that could only be described as coming home. The hopeless attraction she felt for Dana was one thing she'd have to deal with, but beyond that there was something more, something stronger and ultimately more significant. When she was with Dana, Ridley had a sense of being exactly where she was always meant to be.

She wanted and needed to be near Dana. They'd only known each other for a matter of weeks and yet Ridley couldn't change the direction her feelings had taken any more than she could change the direction of the earth's rotation.

Dana strolled into the living room wearing a pair of faded jeans and a long sleeved blue shirt with the cuffs rolled up a couple of times. Her dark hair had a slight curl to it and she deposited little whiffs of a pleasant scent here and there as she walked about the room. " I hope I didn't take long getting ready."

" We're not in a hurry, " Ridley said as she inhaled Dana's intoxicating scent. She felt as lightheaded as she had the other times she'd been near Dana and she wondered how she managed to rise to her feet and get her legs to hold steady beneath her. " Are you ready to go? "

" As ready as I'll ever be, " Dana said.

" Where would you like to eat? I've never given any thought to where a chef might want to eat or even if you enjoy going out to eat at all. It must be hard to find good places after the kind of food you make."

" It can be, but I enjoy eating out just as much as everyone else. I try to put the chef in me aside when I go out. The thing is, I haven't been to a restaurant since I moved here, so I don't know where to go or what to suggest."

" I have an even better idea. Why don't I make dinner for you at my apartment? I'm sort of famous for my chicken taco salad and you wouldn't have to lift a finger. I'd just have to stop at the store for a few things on the way."

" I like that idea. Are you sure you feel like doing it? "

" Yes, we've got plenty of time and I'd really like you to see where I live."

" That would be nice. We can get to know each other a little better."

" I'd really like that, " Ridley said.

WHEN THEY GOT to her apartment, Ridley unpacked the groceries while Dana sat at the kitchen table and observed.

" Can I get you an iced tea or soda or something? " Ridley offered.

" Some iced tea would be great."

Ridley poured two glasses of iced tea, added a slice of lemon to each and set one on the table in front of Dana. " I have to grill the chicken so it can cool down before I make the salad." She opened the package of boneless chicken breasts, patted them with paper towels and spread them out on a platter. Then she sprinkled them with seasonings.

" What's that you're putting on the chicken? " Dana asked.

" It's a standard Tex-Mex spice blend. I mix my own and keep it in this spice shaker. Wait until you taste my lime vinaigrette. My mother gave me the recipe."

" I love limes and Tex-Mex." Dana searched the kitchen. " Where's your grill? "

" It's out on the balcony." Ridley opened a sliding door and stepped out onto a narrow balcony with the platter of chicken balanced on the palm of one hand. " I'll leave the door open so we can talk while I start the grill and get the chicken going."

Dana raised her voice so Ridley could hear her, the way people automatically do when they can't see the person they're talking to. " This is a nice apartment. You live close to your school and close to Karen and Laurie."

" I lived far from the school I was in last year. It took me forty-five minutes to get to work and that was only if there weren't any delays on the expressway. Now it's a short drive and if I had to, I could walk. I can also walk to Karen and Laurie's house which is nice." Ridley came inside and sat at the table. " I have to let the grill warm up."

" Tell me more about yourself, Ridley."

" What do you want to know? "

" How did you get the name Ridley? It's kind of unusual."

" I get asked that a lot. It was my mother's maiden name. Her name's Victoria Anne Ridley Kelsen. She wanted me to have her last name as my first name and she told me she thought it would be unique."

" She was right. Do you have a middle name? "

" I wish I didn't." Ridley had to pause to think. She'd never told anyone her middle name. Only Laurie knew and she wasn't sure she wanted to tell Dana. Her middle name was benign enough by itself, but when you put it together with her first and last names, it sounded terribly hokey. " It's Jean after my mother's sister." Before Dana could comment, Ridley jumped up. " Have to put the chicken on, " she said as she escaped to the balcony.

" Ridley Jean Kelsen. That's so cute, " Dana yelled.

" You think so? " Ridley hollered back. After she put the chicken on, she came back and sat at the table next to Dana. " You don't think it makes me sound like a country western singer? "

" Well... maybe just a little." The corners of Dana's mouth turned up. " I'm sorry. I just had an image of you on the stage at the Grand Ole Opry. I couldn't help it."

" See, I told you, " Ridley said.

" How long have you been a teacher, " Dana asked.

" About eight years."

" How old are you, if you don't mind me asking? "

" I'm thirty-one, almost thirty-two. How old are you? " Ridley asked even though she'd already figured out Dana had to be Karen's age since they went to high school together.

" I just turned thirty-three." Dana paused as if to consider what she wanted to ask Ridley next. " Do you find it hard working in the city schools? "

" On a bad day, I'd have to say it was close to impossible."

" And what would you say on a good day? "

" On a good day I'd have to say it was worth it."

" I'd have to say it was worth it every day, " Dana said. " How could it not be? "

" I appreciate that. A lot of the students in the inner city schools come from some pretty awful home situations and many of them live in abject poverty. A lot of them have behavioral issues and all sorts of physical and mental problems."

" God, that's awful."

" Many of them aren't healthy because their mother's were drinking heavily or taking drugs while they were pregnant with them. They probably didn't get any pre-natal care or take vitamins or eat a healthy diet, either. Thank God we have a full-time school nurse or we wouldn't know what to do about their problems or the constant physical complaints they use to get out of class. And students get injured almost every day from fighting and fooling around."

" I wouldn't want her job, " Dana said.

" Me either. Her name's Erin Lafferty. I don't know her that well yet, but so far, I like her. She knows all the students and she is so patient with them. Even though she's around our age, she's like a mother to them. You should see how she handles them when they get out of control and start acting crazy. I think she has a gift."

" I'm not sure I could deal with them at all, " Dana said. " I'm not sure I'd want to."

" Some of them are tough to handle, that's for sure, but we do have a lot of great kids in our school. They have more than their share of hardships, but somehow they rise above it all. They remind me of fragile but beautiful little flowers that push their way through tiny cracks in the sidewalk and grow even though they've been rooted in the worst possible place."

" What do you think are the biggest problems they face? " Dana asked.

" I don't have to think about that. It's poor parenting or no parenting at all. A lot of students were born to mothers who were children themselves and many of them are on their own as soon as they learn to take care of themselves. The worst situations seem to happen when the parents are addicted to alcohol or drugs or they're incarcerated. Then there's abuse. Physical and sexual abuse is bad enough, but how can you begin to deal with emotional abuse? "

" Good Lord. Is it bad? "

" Bad enough and more frequent than I would ever have thought. Some students have one or two parents or somebody who cares about them, but many don't. It's common for grandparents or aunts to be raising them and I don't even want to tell you about some of the foster parents we come across. Erin told me that the city has thousands of kids who need homes and they can't place them, let alone be too fussy about who takes them in."

Dana grimaced. " God, I never knew that."

" I've had students tell me a parent was murdered in front of them or their mother died of AIDS or she's living out in the streets because she's a drug addict and--well, you get the idea. You name it, I've heard it. Every day I see students who act out because they can't keep up with their school work and some of our students can't read above a third or fourth grade level. A lot of them struggle for three or four years in the ninth and tenth grades until they finally give up and drop out completely."

" How do they get to high school without being able to read? That's shocking in this day and age and aside from that, you don't stand a chance without a high school education."

" You don't stand much of a chance with one. And another thing that drives me nuts is that they keep having unprotected sex. Teenage pregnancy is a bigger problem than ever and so are sexually transmitted diseases. I go over all those things in my health classes and the nurse gives them classes, but they still don't get the message. Erin brings the public health department in to do voluntary STD testing."

" What happens if they have something? "

" The health department comes back to the school and treats them. They don't have to tell their parents, either. It's all confidential."

" Are some of the students HIV positive? " Dana asked.

" Yes, I'm sorry to say and I only know that because Erin told me, but I wouldn't know who they were unless they told me themselves. Erin said it's against the law for her to share that kind of information with anyone and she said that if a student told me, it would be against the law for me to tell anyone else."

" Jesus..." Dana drank some of her iced tea.

" I know. It's awful, isn't it? "

" Maybe you do reach some of them, but you just don't know it. I watched you with the students today and I saw how much they liked and respected you. You're calm and patient with them and you're a good role model."

" Teenagers are difficult to understand, but I happen to like them." Ridley shrugged and smiled as she remembered her mother's reply when she told her she liked teaching teenagers more than younger children. " My mother says I know how to relate to them because I'm still a teenager at heart. She's only teasing me, I hope."

" That sounds like something my mother would say." Dana drank some more of her iced tea and continued, " I admire you. You're an inspiration for the rest of us and I think it takes a special person to do the kind of work you do."

" I don't know about that. It's just..."

" I mean it, Ridley. People like you make the world a better place."

" It's just something I've always wanted to do--to make a difference."

" So why did you choose to teach in the city schools? Wouldn't it have been easier and safer to teach in the suburbs? "

" Yes, but these are the kids who need the most help and I don't want it to be easy. I know it would be better for me in the suburbs, but it's more challenging and interesting to teach in the city schools." Ridley got up and went out onto the patio to check on the chicken while she kept on talking. " The Catholic schools are better, but they should hand out tickets to heaven as a perk, because the salary and benefits stink. I get paid well in the city and I have excellent benefits." She came inside with the platter of grilled chicken and set it down on the table. " My mother's always asking me why I don't get a job in a nicer school district and if she knew what the city schools were really like, she'd have a conniption fit."

" Most people don't know what they're like. I know I don't, " Dana admitted.

" Most people don't want to know."

" You're right, but I'd like to hear more about it."

" You will if you hang around with Laurie and me. Now that the chicken's done, why don't we move into the living room while it cools? " She poured Dana some more iced tea. " We'll be more comfortable in there and I want to wait a while before I put the salad together."

Dana followed Ridley into the living room. She settled on the sofa and stretched her legs out in front of her, her feet crossed at the ankles. " Nice living room."

" My mother helped me pick out the furniture and decorate." Ridley sat in a chair next to the sofa, tossed a throw pillow on the coffee table and put her feet up. " There, that's better. Tell me something? What made you want to move back to Philly? "

" This area feels like home to me and I've always loved South Street. That's where I wanted to open my restaurant." Dana had a far away look in her eyes.

" You could have opened one in Chicago, " Ridley said.

" Yeah, I know, but I wanted to come back here, " Dana explained. " Tell me more about your family? Where does your mother live? "

" She lives in Bucks County, near Newtown Square. That's where I grew up. My father died a few years ago so she's alone except for me and her sister my..."

" Don't tell me, your aunt Jean? "

" Yeah, that's right. You're paying attention, " Ridley replied with a hint of teasing.

" Of course I am. I'm all ears and I'm sorry I interrupted you. Go on."

" We have a house on the Jersey shore in Long Beach Island and my mother spends a lot of time there. Her parents left it to her."

" I used to go to Long Beach Island. Where's the house? "

" It's in Loveladies. That's in the less populated North end of the Island."

" I think I remember where that is. I wish somebody would leave me a house on Long Beach Island. I used to love going there. It's a lot less crowded than other parts of the shore."

" You love it there? " Ridley was struck with a brilliant idea. " Then I've got a suggestion. Karen and Laurie and I go down every year over Columbus Day weekend. Why don't you join us? All we do is hang around, eat and drink and have a good time and I know I can speak for them when I say we'd all love it if you'd come along."

" I don't know. Are you sure I wouldn't be a fifth wheel? " Dana asked.

" A fifth wheel? What do you mean? "

" I just assumed that you--that you must have a girlfriend."

" A girlfriend? Me? "

" Yeah, you, Ridley Jean Kelsen. You are a lesbian, aren't you? "

" Definitely. I was born one as far as I can tell." Ridley didn't want to reveal the fact that she'd questioned Laurie and had already ascertained Dana's sexual preference, so she posed the next question as nonchalantly as possible. " Are you a lesbian, too? "

" Uh-huh. Always have been, just like you. I almost made a comment about Loveladies being an appropriate place for you to have a shore house, but I didn't want to say it without making sure you were a lesbian. I didn't want to put my foot in my mouth."

" Well, I would have thought your comment was funny and as for the girlfriend part, I don't have one. I'll just be the four of us that weekend."

" In that case, maybe I will think about going. I'd love to spend time with Karen and Laurie and I'd love to go back to the shore." Dana appeared to be considering the possibility for a few moments. " I'll have to make sure Tracy doesn't mind if I go. We said we could take time off if we wanted to, but neither of us has done that yet. Are you all going down together? "

" No. I'm leaving on Friday after work, but I could wait until Saturday morning if you want to ride down with me." The idea of sharing a long ride with Dana and having her all to herself on Friday evening was very appealing, but she didn't want to apply any pressure. " Laurie and Karen are leaving Saturday morning and you could probably go with them if you wanted to or you could drive down by yourself. It's up to you. We're all staying until Monday. We usually come home in the late afternoon or early evening."

" Let me talk to Tracy first and I'll let you know."

" I'll call you later this week and you can let me know if you're going. If you decide you'd rather drive down alone I can give you directions then." Ridley got up. " Stay here while I make the salad. I'll call you when it's ready." Ridley no sooner left the living room when she poked her head back through the doorway and asked Dana, " Do you like avocadoes? "

" I love them."

" Excellent." Ridley disappeared again. A matter of seconds later, she stuck her head in the doorway again. " Do you mind a little red onion? "

" Not as long as we're both having it."

After setting the table with the salad set her mother had given her as a gift, Ridley made the salad dressing. Then she created a bed of Romaine lettuce in the large serving bowl and arranged slices of avocado, cherry tomatoes, black olives and a small amount of thinly sliced red onions on top of the lettuce leaves. After spreading the cubes of chicken around evenly, she sprinkled cheddar cheese and crushed tortilla chips over the entire salad. Satisfied with her creation, she drizzled the dressing all over it. She placed the pitcher of iced tea with lemon slices on the table, inspected everything one last time and called Dana.

Just for fun, Ridley stood next to the table with a folded dishtowel over her arm and when Dana walked in, she pulled Dana's chair out and bowed at the waist. " Table for two? "

" Why thank you." Dana smiled as she took her seat. " I see you believe in good service, like I do." She tilted her head up. " I think I like it."

" It's your turn to be fussed over for a change. Allow me to serve you some of my special salad."

With a flourish, Ridley used tongs to fill Dana's bowl and then she took her own seat and helped herself. " There's extra salad dressing if you need it."

Dana took a bite and chewed it thoughtfully. " This is really delicious. I'd like to have the recipe. Would you like to come and work for me--be my salad chef maybe? "

" Not unless you're planning on offering only one or two salads on the menu because that's all I know how to make. Well, three if you count plain old tossed salad. I'm afraid you'd live to regret it if you hired me because I'd crack under the pressure."

" We could teach you more salads and you'd get used to the pressure, " Dana said.

" I wouldn't count on it. You've heard of two left feet? I've got two left hands. I'd ruin your shiny new kitchen or chop a few of my fingers off."

" That would be terrible. That kitchen means a lot to me."

" You're hilarious. I set myself up for that one, didn't I? "

" You did."

" I think I'd better keep my teaching job. My fingers mean a lot to me." Ridley dug into her salad and ate with gusto, a lingering smile on her face.

" Now I can ask you another question, " Dana said. " How is it, being a lesbian in the school district? Are you out at work or do you have to be careful? "

" I'm the gym teacher. I'm supposed to be a lesbian, " Ridley said, her smile getting broader. " Even if I wasn't, most everyone would automatically assume I was."

" I see your point, but in your case it's not all that obvious."

" Not to the untrained eye you mean. I'm new so I'm not out to that many people yet, but I will tell the ones who matter to me as I get to know them better. Some people will probably suspect it, but I've found most people won't ask or bring it up. At any rate, it's not something I have to worry about in this school district."

" What do you mean? " Dana asked.

" They have policies protecting students and staff from being harassed due to their sexual orientation and they're serious about it. An organization in the city helped them to develop the policies and train the staff to do sensitivity trainings in all the schools. Karen was involved in that process and I volunteered to be one of the trainers at my last high school."

" Wow, I didn't know that about Karen. You guys are something and I'm impressed that the school district would do that. It makes me think things are actually changing."

" They are changing, " Ridley said. " I respect the school district for having those policies although I know they were motivated in part by some successful, multi-million dollar lawsuits against other school districts for failing to protect gay students. And get this, they named October gay and lesbian month on the school calendar. There it was in black and white, or green and gold to be exact. Some parents raised a stink about it."

" That doesn't surprise me. What happened? "

" Essentially, the school district said it was too bad if they didn't like it. Not in those words, of course. I'm sure they said it more diplomatically."

" Things really are changing, " Dana said.

" I'm starting a gay-straight alliance at my school. I did it in the last three years and I loved it. Erin said she'd do it with me and we talked one of the guidance counselors into helping us. We invite gay and straight students to come together hoping they'll learn to respect each other and understand each other's issues."

" Now I admire you even more than I did a minute ago. People like you change the way people think and the way they feel about other people. Your principal supports that? "

" Absolutely. A couple of homophobic staff members were quite upset about it. They said the students were too young to talk about such things and one even said she thought it might make some of them 'turn gay', if you can believe that."

" I believe it--as if that could happen."

" I know. One of the teachers told me they went to the principal and complained so I went and talked to her myself to ask her what she thought I should do-- if I should do it or not."

" What did she say? " Dana asked.

" She said she told them they could work someplace else if they didn't like it."

" Wow! Good for her, " Dana said, stabbing a piece of chicken.

" I think she was sincere, but I also know she would hear it from administration if she stood in the way of having it because those are the kinds of thing the district wants the schools to do." It had been some time since Ridley felt this at ease talking to someone other than her mother or her close friends. Everything about being with Dana was comfortable and easy except for the physical attraction that never left her alone.

When they finished, Dana put her fork and knife on her plate and wiped her mouth with her napkin. " That was a great salad. Do you need help cleaning up? "

" No, there's not much to do. I'll clean up later."

" Would you mind taking me back? I've got some things I need to do."

" I said I'd take you home whenever you wanted me to." Although she hated to let Dana go, Ridley remembered her promise. " I had a good time and I enjoyed talking to you. Not that many people show an interest in my work."

" I enjoyed hearing about it. In fact, I enjoyed the entire day." Dana threw her a wink. " I think we're becoming good friends, Ridley Jean Kelsen."

" I believe you're right, Dana De Marco."

Being friends and nothing more wasn't what Ridley had in mind when it came to Dana. Given the attraction she felt for Dana, she knew friendship would ever be enough not unless her feelings changed dramatically. Just knowing they both existed on the same planet was enough to drive Ridley crazy. It was all too intense and way too soon, she thought. " Let me get you home. I have tests to grade and lesson plans to prepare."

Dana stood. " Tomorrow, I'll talk to Tracy about going to the shore."

" You do that. I'd really love it if you joined us."