Chapter One

Austin Brooks walked into the school’s old library, still wiping the dust from his hands.

“You wanted to see me, sir?” His voice echoed up to the vaulted ceiling, surpassing the tall bookshelves.

Principal John Clarkson and Laurie Michaels, the librarian, sat at the circulation desk looking at the screen of the brand-new computer. Austin walked through patches of August sun, beaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows which overlooked the oaks on the front lawn of Brightrock Island’s only school.

“You look like you’ve been busy,” Laurie said, peering at Austin over her red-rimmed glasses.

“Yeah, I had to squeeze another bookcase in the office from my classroom. Stole the spare from under the stage. So what’s up?” Austin eyed John. Following the chain of command was an old habit from his time in the navy that had never let him down.

“I hired someone to fill Lizzy’s spot.”

“Hey, that’s great. Just in time with school starting next week. Who stepped up?”

The lines on John’s face seemed to deepen as he stared at Austin.

“We had to go with someone from off the island.”

Austin stopped dead. “You can’t be serious.”

John stared at him, his expression grave.

“I am.”

Austin felt his jaw go slack.

“How? Why?”

“Didn’t have a choice.”

“I could’ve—”

John held up his hand, silencing Austin, who ground his teeth in response.

“I looked at it from every possible angle. The new federal law requires we have someone certified in the new trauma-informed care now. Can’t just be anyone, and they have to be physically present. The council wasn’t happy, but they approved the decision. The teacher we’ve hired—what’s her name again, Laurie?”

Laurie and John looked about the same age, hovering somewhere near retirement, but that’s what made hiring someone from the mainland a problem. At almost three hundred and seventy years old, John had been around longer than most of the buildings on their small, New England island. People who lived on Brightrock didn’t age like they were supposed to, and hiring an outsider had never happened before.

Laurie jiggled the mouse and peered at the screen again. “Caitlyn Landry.”

“Right. Caitlyn meets the requirements, has a great résumé, and no surviving family. Laurie researched her—”

“Googled, John.”

“Thank you, Laurie. Googled her. Looks like the parents are both dead, no siblings.”

Austin folded his arms and narrowed his eyes, even though he knew he shouldn’t.

“So, how can this work? What if she…”—Austin waved one hand around in the air—“you know, finds out about us?”

“That’s where you come in.” John leveled a sharp gaze at Austin.

Austin was about to ask why him, when Laurie brought up exactly what he didn’t want to remember.

“You’re the one with the most experience with outsiders,” Laurie said.

Austin swallowed and itched to pop a knuckle, but crossed his arms in front of him. “That was a long time ago.” Not to mention how badly it had ended.

“None of us have been in close contact with outsiders as long as you were. Sailing around on a ship for four years to God knows where makes you the best bet.”

Austin shifted his weight, but still couldn’t get comfortable. “You can’t expect me to cover for everyone.”

“None of the students know until just before graduation,” Laurie said, looking over the circulation desk while taking off her glasses. “We’re pretty good at keeping secrets. You’ll just be a little insurance.”

“There’s no way an adult can live on the island for an entire school year and not find out,” Austin said, shaking his head.

“Well, I’m going to need you to make sure of that. Don’t let her get too nosy.” John pulled a Mont Blanc pen from his suit jacket and spun it on the lemon-waxed polished wood.

Austin propped his hands on his hips. “What about renewals? How am I supposed to explain when everyone disappears to a secret meeting?”

John didn’t meet his eyes, still focused on the spinning pen. “It’s done. I’ve already sent her a contract. She signed. Besides, she’s arriving on the next ferry. I need you to go pick her up and take her to her apartment.”

“Wait, she has an apartment?”

“Lizzy agreed to rent her space out. Car too. Here're the keys.” Laurie held her hand out, dangling the little cluster for him to take. Austin recognized his cousin’s apartment, classroom, and car key on a keyring decorated with a scoop of pink ice cream on a cone. He could’ve throttled Lizzy for leaving, even though everyone knew she’d been asking for a chance to get away for years, but the sooner she got her certification, the sooner Caitlyn Landry could leave. With no choice, Austin took the keys and shoved them in his pocket.

“John, I don’t like this. I don’t see anything good coming of it.”

John sucked in a breath and stood, pocketing the pen as he did.

“We’re counting on you.”

Austin felt like a trap had closed in on him. He never talked about what had happened in the navy, but of course FDR’s fireside chats and NBC gave everyone a basic idea of America’s fight against the Japanese. Maybe if they knew the details they would reconsider. Looking down at the keys in his palm, he felt like his plan to avoid everyone from off the island was slipping away. “I’m not sure I’m the right person for this.”

“Austin, you look close to her age.”

“I’m turning one hundred.”

John nodded and spoke slowly, in a patronizing tone that made Austin want to run. He ground his molars instead.

“I know, but you look her age. She’ll relate to you.”

Austin shook his head. “I don’t know about that.”

━━━━༻❁༺━━━━

Chapter Two

Caitlyn Landry gripped the weathered railing of the ferry and squinted at the dark churning waters beyond the bow. Her other hand clung to the handle of her only suitcase. Wind tangled her hair in a swirl around her head as the late August sun shone down hard on the deck. Gulls wafted overhead on the breeze and called down to where the sea slapped the hull, rocking everyone on the ferry left and right. An old white lighthouse on a rocky precipice, bathed in the golden afternoon sun, welcomed the ferry to the postcard-perfect New England bay of an almost forgotten island.

The crisp bite in the air brightened Caitlyn’s soul. So accustomed to lazy, hazy, sweltering August heat, Caitlyn welcomed the change. Harsh New England accents and the broad blue Atlantic reminded her nothing of home, which was precisely what she wanted.

A dozen yachts coasted on each gentle swell, the sun glinting off their polish and chrome. Glimpses of mansions with gray cedar shingles poked out over the high, grass-covered dunes, their stellar windows no doubt drinking in the view. Underneath her feet, the roar of the engines died to a purr. The crew began scuttling about, throwing ropes to each other as the large ferry coasted toward the land where a long wooden dock led up to a row of preserved old shops and buildings, each with a unique sign hanging above the door.

“Excuse me, miss?” An older man carrying a walkie-talkie and wearing a faded ferry polo leaned over to get her attention. His weathered skin matched the ropes she had seen on deck. Gray hair escaped under the brim of a faded, sweat-stained baseball cap that matched the polo. On his chest, white letters spelled out the name Mark. “You the one heading to Brightrock?”

Caught off guard, she stumbled over her words.

“Ah…yes. Is there a problem?” She reached for her brown satchel to retrieve her ticket.

He held up his hand, which looked more like a baseball glove, to stop her.

“We don’t get that many people who have a one-way ticket. Wanted to double check. Usually round-trip, same day.” His brown eyes studied her, intent and waiting for her answer.

“That’s right. It’s, ah, just one way.” The statement sounded strange to her ears, like an official declaration she was leaving her old life behind with no intention to return.

He massaged one hand with the other. Caitlyn opened her mouth to say something, but he nodded once and ambled away, slower than the younger crew members who were rushing about in preparation for their arrival.

Two new text messages popped up on her phone, hovering over the default background picture. Both were from Caleb. By now he’d figured out what she’d done. Guilt lapped at her gut, and she shoved the emotion aside along with all the other ones that had been haunting her. Caitlyn hit delete without even reading them and swiped to scan the information about where to find Austin Brooks, who was supposed to meet her. She hadn’t needed to. Looking out, she could see only one man leaning against a truck, his arms folded in front of his chest, watching the ferry coast into port.

With a lurch, their forward movement ceased. Caitlyn released her death grip on the rail and made her way to the edge to disembark. She expected there to be a mass exodus of shuffling feet, but the remaining passengers all stayed on board. Leaning over the rail, they took in the views and snapped pictures of the quaint shops below, but no one followed her down the metal gangway.

She was barely on dry land when the engines from the ferry roared to life behind her, and Caitlyn glanced over her shoulder to see the large, white boat already coasting out of the small harbor. The sight made her feel utterly alone, but after the past few weeks she had become accustomed to the feeling and squashed the thought like a roach in an old house. Straightening her spine, she slapped on a smile to make a good first impression and walked over to the man.

“Austin Brooks, I presume?”

The tall blond studied her, his arms still folded in front of his broad chest, his chiseled face cold and unwelcoming.

“Yep.”

Caitlyn stuck her hand out in greeting. “Caitlyn Landry. Nice to meet you.”

Austin looked down with a small sneer on his face, reminding her of a schoolyard bully. A scar on his chin made him look like someone she didn’t want to mess with. Caitlyn was about to take back her hand when he took it in his own.

The warm, strong hand swallowed hers. Up close he smelled clean like aftershave and something spicy, grounding her to the present. The firm, calloused handshake ended too soon, but the sensation of his skin touching hers lingered. Caitlyn shook her head to clear it and watched Austin to see if he had the same reaction.

Austin looked surprised, but with a slight frown, as if he hadn’t expected—or appreciated—whatever had just happened.

“Well, thanks for meeting me here. Laurie Michaels said you’re the new assistant principal. Congratulations.”

His frown deepened. Caitlyn felt her smile falter before she reminded herself whoever had pissed in his cornflakes, it wasn’t her. Still, it wasn’t a great sign.

“Where’s your stuff?” he asked, eyeing her bag with suspicion.

Caitlyn wanted to give him a smart remark but instead opted for a pleasant smile for her unpleasant new boss.

“This is everything. Laurie said the place was furnished.”

“It is.”

“Okay, great.” Caitlyn smiled again, waiting for him to make the next move. According to Laurie’s email, Austin was supposed to be her welcoming committee. So far, if this was it, she was pretty much screwed. Caitlyn would’ve considered getting back on the boat if she’d had anything worth going back to.

“Well, at least you know how to pack,” Austin said, reaching down to take it for her.

Caitlyn pulled back.

“I’m good. Thanks, anyway.” While it might not look like much, it was everything that was left from her life before.

Austin shrugged like he couldn’t have brought himself to care even if she’d flung herself in the ocean.

“Is the apartment nearby?” she asked to break the awkward silence.

“Yep, sure is.”

He led her down the brick sidewalk. Closer now, Caitlyn memorized all the shops as they walked past Kate’s Diner and over to the Two Scoops Ice Cream Parlor. The small gray cedar-shingle building faced the harbor with a bright yellow door, flanked by two half barrels overflowing with flowers that swayed in the sea breeze.

Caitlyn followed Austin past the entrance and the large picture windows that looked in on a few tables and chairs in front of a counter that held an array of flavors behind glass.

At the corner of the building, the bricks continued straight, following the road toward a small gas station, but Austin turned down an alley where a red Ford Escape sat parked next to a staircase that led up to the second floor of the ice cream parlor.

He spun around. “Catch,” Austin said, tossing the keys he had been twirling. Caitlyn reached out instinctively and felt the metal hit her palm before fumbling a few times with them. She looked down into her hands. A car key and fob sat next to two other keys, one brass colored and one silver. A key ring adorned with a scoop of pink ice cream held everything together.

“Classroom, apartment, and a car?” Caitlyn asked, looking up, unsure.

“Yep,” Austin said, opening the door to the Escape. “The teacher you’re replacing didn’t want to take it with her.”

“Laurie said I wouldn’t need a car.”

Austin sighed and looked like he was grinding his teeth instead of biting her head off.

“Look, on small islands, this isn’t that weird. It’s too much trouble to get cars on and off the mainland. Did you have a car?”

“I sold it.”

“Great, so this works out. Let’s head up to the apartment. Can I get your bag, or do you want to be stubborn?”

“I’m not—”

“Look, I’m going to feel weird if you’re lugging this thing up there while I watch, so I’ll ask again. May I please carry your bag for you?”

He looked irritated, like this whole welcoming committee thing was taking far too long.

Caitlyn bit her lip.

“Um, thanks. That’d be great, I guess.”

Austin grabbed her luggage before bounding up the exterior stairs, taking them two at a time, to another yellow door. Caitlyn followed at a much slower pace and walked into the small living room that led to an eat-in kitchen with exquisite furnishings.

Austin set her bag down and held his hands out wide. “So what do you think?”

Caitlyn looked around at the small space adorned with plush tan chairs with blue and white pillows in front of a white coffee table. Behind them, two large windows framed with white sheers looked out over the picturesque harbor where white yachts dotted the blue of the water like clouds in the sky above. The kitchen was all white except for the stainless appliances. A small white table and chairs sat next to the kitchen in front of another window that looked out onto the same scene. All of it felt light, airy, and very expensive.

Caitlyn bit her lip and looked at the light wood floors covered by a rug she hadn’t noticed. The money from the house and furniture had paid off some of the debt collectors, but there were still more she owed.

“This is…I mean, it’s beautiful, but I can’t afford this.” She glanced up at Austin, sorry she had to disappoint him, but to her surprise, he grinned at her. His smile could’ve knocked her flat. Without the cold, calculating look, his face transformed from someone you didn’t want to piss off to one of the most handsome men she’d ever seen.

“Oh, you can,” he said with a quick nod as if that settled everything. “Besides you don’t have a choice. This place is the only option.”

━━━━༻❁༺━━━━

Chapter Three

Caitlyn slapped down the papers and fidgeted with the pen in her hand as she had for the past twenty minutes. She wasn’t a new teacher by any means, but excitement mixed with anxiety still spiked before the first class of the year. As usual, she’d barely slept the night before and had arrived far before dawn to triple-check everything.

She hadn’t needed to. The room had practically been ready when she arrived. All the decorations had been left behind, extra supplies in the closet, and even a filing cabinet with carefully labeled activities for later units. All of it suggested whoever had left the position had loved their job, but Caitlyn felt out of place. Having everything saved a ton of time, but it also felt like she was living someone else’s life. Rather than a vacant space where she could leave her mark, Caitlyn felt like she was living in someone else’s perfect house, always wondering if she was putting things back where they belonged.

Even the furniture was different. Caitlyn ran her hands over the unmarred top of the new desk. Her old green metal desk had been army surplus from after Vietnam that had somehow found its way into the Louisiana public school system.

The top of it had been partially torn off, and one drawer squeaked every time it opened, no matter how much WD-40 or graphite she dumped on it. The right side looked like someone had kicked it in so that one leg buckled at almost a right angle. If one thing in education didn’t keep well, it was furniture. Although maybe that wasn’t fair. The chunk of old metal had made it, but it was a world away from Caitlyn's room now.

Four chimes of a sterile digital bell rang in the ceiling above her. On instinct, she moved to the hall. In her old school, security had been paramount. Standing at the door in between classes had been less about greeting the students and more about liability.

Ready for the onslaught, Caitlyn was met with silence. No trampling feet, no din rising up through the stairwells. She looked down the long hallway of the second floor. Glossy, painted lockers without dents lined the walls. The polished linoleum gleamed in the morning light that was coming in from the windows on either side. The high, ornate ceilings, which had exposed beams polished to a shine, made her think of the cathedrals back home.

Caitlyn looked at the wall across from her. Unlike the schools she knew, manufactured from cinder block and metal, this was crafted. There was a baseboard, chair rail, and up high, crown molding like at the plantations she and her mom had visited a long time ago. The walls between were painted a light cream color. But teachers still weren’t coming out of the rooms.

Caitlyn searched out the window in the hall to see what the grounds looked like from up here and to maybe catch a glimpse of the incoming kids. Perfectly mowed green grass and oak trees created a landscape in front of her, obscuring the view of the sea that she knew was just beyond. Hoping to get a good view from a bad angle, she strained her neck to try to see the front.

“Hey, you good?” a voice from behind asked, making her jump.

“Yeah, just trying to see where the kids are.”

“Oh, don’t worry. They’re coming,” said the teacher.

The halls remained silent. “You sure about that?” Caitlyn asked with a frown.

The tall, elegant lady let out a laugh. “Oh, yeah. They’ll be here. I’m Connie Farrell. Secondary English.” She stuck out a thin, manicured hand, a wood bangle dancing around her wrist. Caitlyn took it, surprised at the strength.

“It’s just so…quiet,” Caitlyn said, staring back at the window.

The teacher grinned. “Yeah, we’re kind of different around here. Small population and all that.”

Mrs. Farrell wore tan slacks that were loose, in a high fashion sort of way, with a white blouse tucked in and cinched with a small, expensive-looking belt. Her chestnut hair curled into a frenzy of tangles as if trying to escape from the knot she had pulled it up into. Despite her relaxed posture, her eyes were keen and sharp like a general. The whole effect was that of a teacher who had been in the game for a while and knew what was up.

“I can see that,” Caitlyn said.

“Where did you say you were from again? I know you said in the faculty meeting, but I’m afraid I was working on my Romeo and Juliet unit.” She winked.

“Louisiana.”

“Public or private?”

“Public.”

“Wow.”

Caitlyn wasn’t sure how to take that, so she just said, “Yeah.” The hallway was still quiet and empty. A few voices of children had started to drift up the staircase from down below.

“You couldn’t have found a more different public school—or place for that matter.”

“I wanted different. Needed a change.” No need to get into why. Caitlyn shook off the unpleasant memories clawing to the forefront of her mind and focused on Connie.

“Well, you got it. Let me guess. Your old school was overcrowded? Yeah,” she said when Caitlyn nodded, “that’s not going to be a problem here.”

Connie had that same grin on her face, one of those smiles people had when they had a secret and found it amusing. Caitlyn liked her immediately.

A door opened down the hall.

“Here’s one now,” Connie said, turning her attention to a skinny boy wearing Chuck Taylor sneakers and a blue hoodie. “Hey, Jimmy.”

Jimmy smiled back before looking at Caitlyn as he walked into the classroom a few doors down from Connie.

“I’ve taught him and all of his brothers,” Connie said. “He’s one of my favorites from that family.”

“I like collecting siblings too. Feels like I’m completing the set,” Caitlyn said. “How long have you taught?”

Connie turned back to her and gave her an enigmatic smile. “Since God was a boy.”

The door to the stairs opened again. A small boy who looked to be middle school age walked through, leaning forward to counterbalance the weight of the enormous black backpack he was toting. He started toward them, then stopped when he noticed her. Caitlyn smiled back at him.

The student looked from her to Connie and back, before turning around and searching the other side of the hallway. His shoulders fell as he shifted from his left to right foot.

“Good morning, Charles,” Connie called out to him. The boy turned back to her, his face full of hopeful determination.

Despite the weight of his massive bag, he walked right over. “Good morning, Mrs. Farrell. Do you know where Ms. Brooks is now?”

Caitlyn frowned at hearing the name and made a mental note to ask Austin if they had been related.

“Nope, because she’s taking the year off to go to the mainland.”

“I’m taking her place for the year,” Caitlyn said with a bright smile of encouragement. “Good morning, Charles. I’m Ms. Landry.”

It was clear this was not the news the boy had been hoping for. His shoulders sunk even lower than before, and his look of despair rivaled utter devastation.

“Say hello, Charles,” Connie prompted in a patient teacher voice.

“Hi,” he said before turning back to Connie. “Do you know when she’ll be back? She is coming back, right? I’ve been waiting to be in her class for so long.”

“Ms. Brooks will be back next year.” Before Charles could speak, Connie kept going. “We’re going over our summer reading in second period today. You do have it, don’t you?”

“Yeah, but—”

“Go to class, Charles. Have a great day,” Connie said with an amused smile, looking past him down the hall to where more students were coming up from below. “Good morning, everyone.” The bangle danced around her thin wrist as she waved to kids and teachers that had finally emerged.

It was more than clear Charles wanted to press, but the veteran move had worked, and with great reluctance, he turned toward Caitlyn and headed into the room.

“Good morning. Please find your seat, and follow the instructions on the board,” Caitlyn said in her most enthusiastic teacher voice. If Charles’s reaction was any indication of how all the students felt, that didn’t bode well for her first day.

The child had almost sunk into the floor—and not because of the weight on his back. “Okay,” he said, trudging past, all of the wind knocked out of his sails.

“Don’t take it personally,” Connie said, leaning over. “All the kids liked Lizzy. I’m sure they’ll love you once they get to know you.

Caitlyn stood taller with a bright smile as the next student approached, wondering in the back of her mind if anyone missed her at her old school like Charles clearly missed Ms. Brooks.

━━━━༻❁༺━━━━

Jet Lagged

Eskay.Kabba

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