The august lady looked at him over her glasses. “No, Mr. Kent. That’s not how it works here. We make sure all the children have taken their bathroom breaks and have eaten before we leave this room. Now would you be so kind as to take the boys to the rest room, please?”
Rafe suppressed a groan. He should have known this job wasn’t going to be easy. The things a man had to do to get close to a woman. Jeez.
It was when he got to the bathroom that he realized how helpless the little ones were. There were six of them and he ended up having to help them undress so they could take care of business then he had to lift them so they could wash their tiny hands. The fact that they were a rambunctious little bunch didn’t make things any easier. While he was helping one child, two of them made a dash for the hallway. In two strides he’d caught the kicking, squirming bundles and brought them to heel but not before he got a good, solid kick in the gut from one of his struggling captives.
It was a slightly winded Rafe who made his way back to the kindergarten room, six little munchkins in tow. He was only too glad to deposit them in front of their teacher who immediately took charge, helping them with their lunch bags and making sure they started with the healthy stuff. It was obvious that the children knew who was in charge. The eight girls were already seated in a neat row, munching on apples, carrots and sandwiches as they watched the boys ready themselves for lunch.
“If you need a quick break,” Mrs. Rosner said as she reached over to open a container for one of the boys, “now is the time. I’ll be here with the children.”
“Are you sure?” Rafe glanced at the group. Although they were quiet he knew that if they became restless they could be quite the handful.
The woman smiled. “I think I’ll be able to manage for a few minutes without you. Now go, but be back in fifteen minutes.”
“No problem.” Rafe nodded. Fifteen minutes was all he needed. He would use the time to run down to the teachers’ lounge to try to find Anya. This was his sole purpose for being at the school and he didn’t want to waste another minute. He had to see Anya and soon. Like right now.
He’d turned, ready to make his escape, when there was a rap at the door. He kept on moving. He would direct whoever it was to Mrs. Rosner. The visitor would not have come to see him, anyway. He hadn’t even been introduced to the rest of the staff yet.
Determined not to be held up for any reason Rafe flung the door open. The words died on his lips. There, standing in front of him, looking even more beautiful than ever, stood the woman he’d practically changed careers to pursue.
After a wait of over six weeks he was finally face to face with Anya again.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Shock coursed through Anya as she stared up into the face of the man she thought she would never see again. Rafe Kent! What in goodness gracious was he doing at Coleman School?
“Rafe,” she gasped, not able to stop herself. “What are you doing here?” Her hand flew up to clutch her scarf in an involuntary gesture of self defense. Had he tracked her down?
“Anya.” For some strange reason Rafe looked surprised, almost as if he hadn’t expected to see her. But that didn’t make sense at all. Wasn’t he the one who had sought her out? That was the only reason he was at the school, wasn’t it?
Within a fraction of a second his look of surprise disappeared, his face softening into a look of pleasure. “I didn’t expect to see you at the door,” he said. “Principal Coleman told you I was here?”
Struck dumb by his remark Anya could only shake her head. Whatever did he mean?
Before either of them could say another word Mrs. Rosner broke in. “Anya. I thought you’d forgotten about the art kit. Come in. I’ll go and get it for you.” As she spoke she was heading for the cupboard in the corner. “I see you’ve met my intern. You knew each other before?”
“Your…intern?” Eyes wide, Anya looked from Mrs. Rosner then back to Rafe who had stepped aside to let her in and now stood there, beaming.
“Yes, and he came at the right time, too. Just when I needed someone to take over since Diana left.” She turned to Rafe. “Diana was my intern last term. She’s all done with her training now."
“Oh. Perfect timing.” Rafe nodded then he chuckled. “Although I was hoping to be assigned to a slightly older group.”
Claire laughed. “Instead, you got the babies. But don’t you worry. Once you get used to them you’ll see they’re the easiest group to manage.”
He gave her a doubtful look. “I hope so.”
As they spoke, Anya could not help staring at one then the other. What in the world was going on? Since when did the school start hiring strangers off the street? Last time she’d seen Rafe almost two months ago he’d been nothing but a tourist wandering through Europe, clad in denim shirt and khaki trousers, sporting a ponytail.
She had to admit, though, that now he looked like a perfect gentleman in his pleated navy-blue trousers, long-sleeved shirt and conservative tie. And, to her surprise, the ponytail was gone. And even as she gazed at him, looking so different in his professional attire, memories came flooding back and she knew he was the same charming foreigner she’d fallen in love with.
At that thought, Anya dropped her gaze. Fallen in love? A bit too strong, maybe. All right, a lot too strong. How could she have fallen in love with someone she’d only met a few times, someone she thought she would never see ever again?
But whether it made sense or not, there it was. The erratic heartbeats, the heat rising in her face, the suddenly sweaty palms, the feeling like she was having trouble breathing. And this wasn’t a panic attack. How could it be, when even as her body gave this violent response to his presence her heart was melting into a mushy mess of pleasure. No matter that her brain was trying to rebel against the very idea, there was no denying the fact that she was glad to see him.
But that was beside the point. She had to get out of there. Fast. This man was dangerous in more ways than one.
“Here you go, Anya.”
Before the words were properly out of her colleague’s mouth Anya stepped past Rafe to grab the box of art supplies. “Thanks, Claire,” she said, her voice distressingly breathless. “I’ll get it back to you by the end of the week.”
“No rush, my dear.” The older lady dismissed her with a wave of the hand. “I have a spare one I can use if I need anything.”