Free Carolina Home by Virginia Kantra Page B

last night.”
    Allison’s thoughts scrambled like students at the end-of-day bell. Suzy Warner, Social Studies, the biggestmouth in school. Pam Gordon, mother of Lindsey. Her daughter was in Allison’s fourth period class with Joshua Fletcher.
    Her stomach sank. Lightly, she said, “Well, we were there. But we’re not seeing each other. He gave me a ride home, that’s all.”
    And flushed at the memory of Matt smiling at her, saying,
I picked you up, I bought you a drink, I brought you home
.
What am I missing?
    “Mm.”
Gail gave a little hum of acknowledgment or interest. “Bill at the bike shop said you had a flat.”
    “Er…yes.” Allison dunked her tea bag up and down. Was it only yesterday she was complaining about not being part of the island grapevine? “Matt stopped to help me.”
    Gail turned from the sink. “And you just happened to wind up at the Fish House.”
    Her hand in his shirt, his tongue in her mouth, the sound of her breathing loud in the stillness…
    Allison’s face heated. She liked Gail, a comfortably upholstered woman with a sharp brain and an easygoing disposition. But they’d known each other less than a month. Not really long enough to confide the details of that hot, groping kiss in the front of Matt’s pickup.
    “Is that a problem?” she asked.
    “Not for me.” Gail filled her mug— MATH TEACHERS KNOW ALL THE ANGLES —from the staff coffeepot. “You’re both grown-ups. Unattached. But…” She looked around the lounge, as if the two teachers deep in conversation on the other side of the room could hear.
    Allison nodded.
But.
    “It’s not a good idea for a teacher to date the parent of a student,” Allison finished for her.
    Gail tipped in milk. “I’d say that depends on the teacher and the parent. This is a small island. You can’t avoid personal connections with the students in your classroom. Ifthey’re not your kids, then they’re your neighbor’s or your cousin’s or your mechanic’s. It’s not against school policy for you to have a social life as long as you’re impartial in the classroom.”
    “So it’s not an issue if I date a parent.”
    “Not unless you make it one. It’s just…” Gail’s round, pleasant face creased.
    “What?”
    “Like I said, there’s been talk. The Fletchers are a hot topic around here. Well, especially now, with Luke showing up like that yesterday with his little girl.”
    “Who?”
    “Luke, Matt’s brother. He didn’t tell you about that?”
    Dumbly, Allison shook her head. “We just had one beer.”
    One kiss.
    “So you don’t really know him very well.”
    Allison stuffed away the memory of her own voice stammering,
I don’t know you
.
I don’t jump into things with someone I don’t know.
Her pride was pricked…along with her curiosity.
    “You’re not going to tell me he keeps the bodies of six ex-wives in the attic, are you?”
    Gail laughed. “Ha. No. Not that he didn’t have the girls lining up. Both the Fletcher boys always were hot as sin, plus Matt’s got that whole still-waters-run-deep thing going on. Even I was tempted when he came home from Raleigh, and I was already with Jimmy back then. There’s not a woman on the island who hasn’t, you know, thought about him.”
    Including the waitress, Allison thought. What’s Her Name. Cindy?
Cynthie.
    She arched her brows. “Are you suggesting I take a number?”
    Gail grinned and shook her head. “If Matt Fletcher took you to the Fish House, I’d say he’s already moved you to thefront of the line. Our Matt doesn’t date locals. Even his ex-wife…He met her in college, you know.”
    “I didn’t know. We didn’t really talk about it.” Carefully, Allison squeezed out her tea bag and set it beside her mug. There were a lot of things Matt hadn’t talked about, she thought, a hollow feeling in her stomach. He certainly hadn’t mentioned college. “What was she like?”
    “Kimberly? Smart. Rich. Blond,” Gail said, apparently unaware