Page 18 of Pick Me This Time

“Children will be welcome for all the events except the celebration here. For those who have kids but no family or friends in town to take care of them, I’ll coordinate with the seniors of this year to find us some qualified babysitters for them to choose from. Sound good?”

“Excellent,” Darla said, her hand racing across the notepad she was holding as she took notes. “If you don’t mind, I’ll coordinate with the seniors. Thanks for offering, but I volunteer at the library. I know a couple girls who might be able to help us out and who will definitely be able to point us in the right direction if we need more.”

“Great,” I said. “As for caterers, anyone have any ideas?”

Thankfully, one of the guys took it from there and the group came together pretty nicely after that. I breathed out a sigh of relief, listening carefully for areas where I could be of help but glad that they seemed to become more organized as the minutes ticked by.

Sterling seemed to have used the time I’d bought him to get his head in the game, and he stepped up after that. Quickly and efficiently delegating tasks, he ended the meeting sooner than I’d expected it to be done and got up.

Some of the others hung around to make small talk, but he simply nodded his goodbyes and hurried out of the room. I’d just turned to talk to one of my favorite teachers, but instead, I waved at her and took off after him, hurrying to catch up.

His long strides ate up the hallway and I almost had to run before I finally reached him. “Hey, Sterling. Would you wait for just a minute?”

Slamming to a stop, he turned to look at me, mild surprise flickering in his eyes before he sighed. “I’ve got somewhere to be. What’s going on?”

For just a second, my tongue was glued to the roof of my mouth. This was the first time in ten years that he was looking right into my eyes with less than two feet between us, and I felt like the floor had dropped out from under me.

Rendered speechless by the twinkling depths of those brown pools, I just stared at him until I noticed a slight crease appearing between his brows. “Daphne?”

“I. Yes.” I cleared my throat, closing my eyes for a beat to recover and then flashing him an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry. I zoned out for a minute. What were we talking about?”

“You asked me to wait?” he said, his voice so rough and yet smooth at the same time that just having this simple conversation with him made me wonder what he was like in bed.

Jeez, Daph. Get a grip!

“Oh, right.” I tried for a wider, more relaxed smile. “Right. Yes. My mom is looking for chaperones for the homecoming dance. Do you think you might want to help?”

“No,” he said crisply. His phone started buzzing in his pocket and he pulled it out, glancing at the screen before bringing his gaze back to mine. “I have to take this. I’m sure you’ll find lots of people willing to volunteer.”

Without another word, he slid his thumb across the screen and answered the call, turning on his heels and walking away from me. My jaw slackened as I watched him go, a sharp breath escaping my lungs just a second before my head started shaking.

Wow. I’d given him a pass the other day because of the flight and stuff, and then I’d even felt guilty because I hadn’t considered that it was his first time home since his mother’s death. Now, however, I knew better.

The Sterling North I’d had a crush on way back when, the guy people had nicknamed our North Star in Allisburg, was officially gone. Whoever the asshole was who had taken his place, I didn’t know him, and right then, I was very sure I didn’t want to.