Edward walked into the living room to find Joseph and Jacqueline sitting on the floor at the coffee table, excitedly writing out their Christmas lists, as his older children sat on the couch across from them.
"Those are long lists you have," he said teasingly to his youngest children. "Are you two sure you've been that good this year?"
"I have been extra good," Jacqueline promised.
He smiled at his youngest child, before looking up at his oldest who was also busy writing. "And Jeremy is working on his list too?"
"Actually, I'm working on job applications," Jeremy said, looking up from what he was writing.
"A job? Trying to make some extra money to buy a Christmas present for your girlfriend?"
"No." Jeremy was suddenly alarmed. "I guess I do need to get a present for Maura, right?"
He looked toward Judith who nodded vigorously. "You'd better."
"I will," he promised. "But that's not why I was looking for a job. I could use some extra money to pay for my car."
"I don't want a job to take up too much of your time and distract you from school," Edward said seriously. "Your mother and I both agree that your education should be the most important thing."
"I won't let it be a problem. I'm looking for something that will just let me work a few hours on the weekends."
Edward glanced over the applications for fast food restaurants and convenience stores and shook his head. "If you're going to work, I want you to gain some helpful career experience. Let me check with some of my contacts and see if they have any positions for teenagers at the hospital."
"You don't have to do that," Jeremy declined, but his father didn't listen.
"No, I think it's for the best. Wait until I see what I can do before you put in any applications."
Edward turned to his older daughter. "And what about you, Judith? What's on your Christmas wishlist this year?"
"Nothing. I don't have one," Judith said coldly as she got up from the couch. Everything her father said rubbed her the wrong way and she decided it would be better to go to her room before she let what she really thought slip.
Meanwhile, Alma was greeting Vanessa at the front door.
"Am I too early?" Vanessa asked as she stepped into the foyer "Are you still getting ready?"
"No, I'm ready."
"Oh, okay," Vanessa said. "I just thought we were going to get all dolled up and do the town."
"This style suits me better," Alma said.
When Judith walked through the room, Vanessa called out to greet her. Seeing Judith gave her an idea. "Why don't you come with us to the play? That is if it's alright with your mom." She looked at Alma for confirmation and was answered with a nod before she turned back to Judith. "What do you say?"
Judith seemed less than thrilled at spending the night out with her mother. "I don't think so."
"Are you sure? It might be fun to get out of the house. I'm sure some of your friends from school will be there."
As Judith thought over her other options of an evening with her siblings and father or in her room alone, going to the play didn't sound so bad, especially if she didn't have to spend the whole time with her mother. "Alright."
* * * * *
"Ben?" Zara called out as she knocked on the office door. When she knocked, she could tell that the door wasn't latched, so she peeked her head inside. She gasped when she saw Ben standing in his office in only his underwear. She quickly turned away. "Oh, I'm sorry. It was open."
"No, I'm sorry," Ben apologized as he quickly pulled on a shirt and pants. "I thought it was shut. I'm just glad it was you that walked in and not a higher up."
"Yeah, that would be embarrassing," Zara said as she looked in the opposite direction and tried to hide how flustered she felt.
"Okay, I'm decent," he said.
Zara turned around to face him and was relieved to see that he was fully dressed. "Should I ask why you were undressed? Or I do not want to know?"
Ben chuckled. "I just got back from a dive and was changing out of my wetsuit."
"Oh," Zara said, glad that there was a reasonable explanation. "How was it?"
"Great!" Ben beamed. "I was able to collect some useful data and I took some great pictures. Want to see?"
Zara nodded eagerly, so he brought out his underwater camera and started clicking through the pictures and describing the different organisms he had captured in each one and their ecological significance.
Suddenly he realized how much he was talking and worried that it was too much. "Sorry if I'm going on if you were just trying to be polite."
"No, this is amazing," Zara assured him.
When he felt her hand on his arm, he realized how close she was to him as she had been leaning over his shoulder to get a better look at the camera. When he turned to look at her, he could see that she was sincerely enthralled. "You should come with me next time I go on a dive," he suggested.
"Could I? I'd love that."
When she looked away from the camera and into his eyes, he felt like he stopped breathing. He hadn't realized until that moment how much he had missed her. A long moment passed as he wondered if he should say something or do something, but Zara broke the connection first.
Zara turned away and cleared her throat as she tried to ease the tension. She turned her attention to the papers she was holding and turned her focus to the reason she had come to Ben's office in the first place. "Anyway, I wanted to drop off these press releases," she said quickly. "When you get a chance, look them over and let me know if you need me to make any changes."
Without making further eye contact, she left the papers on his desk and hurried out of the office.
* * * * *
The audience in the auditorium applauded as the play came to an end and the student actors returned to the stage to take a final bow. Of all the members of the audience, Alma's applause was among the most enthusiastic. The play was a success and she couldn't have been more proud of the students and how hard they had worked.
All evening, Alma had been reminding herself to just focus on the kids and try not to think about Mason, but when he joined the cast on stage, her eyes were drawn to him.
"Is that the teacher you worked on the play with?" Vanessa asked quietly as she leaned towards Alma. "He's a dish!"
"Vanessa!" Alma scolded. "He's my colleague and we're both married women!"
Vanessa scoffed. "Oh, please. Logan is the most attractive man in the world to me, but that doesn't mean I don't have eyes, hon."
As soon as the curtain call was over, Alma was in a hurry to leave, but she couldn't escape unnoticed as several of her former students stopped her to say hello and to introduce her to their parents.
Vanessa took the opportunity to spend some one on one time with her niece. "Why don't you show me around the school, Judith? Fill me in on what I need to know before Jenn starts here next year."
Engrossed in conversation, Alma forgot all about Mason until he came up behind her.
"Alma!" She turned to see him smiling at her. "I'm so glad you decided to come. I wasn't sure if you were going to make it."
"I wasn't going to," Alma admitted. "But I'm glad I did. You were right, I can see it did mean a lot to the kids."
"It means a lot to me too." When Alma scoffed, he insisted. "No, I mean it. I couldn't have pulled this off without your help and it wouldn't have been right to have opening night without you."
"I'm sure you would have managed."
Mason frowned at Alma's coldness towards him. He could tell there was more to her words than just modesty. "Is everything alright? Did I do something to offend you? If I had known you were here I would have pulled you up for the curtain call."
Alma shook her head and started to walk away. "That's not necessary. I just came so I wouldn't let the kids down."
As Alma walked out of the auditorium and outside into the cool night air, Mason followed after her.
"Is that it? After all the time we've spent working together I thought we had become friends. Has something changed?"
"If you're searching for a mother figure, you can look elsewhere," she said sharply.
Mason was confused. "A mother figure? What are you talking about?"
"Nevermind," Alma said as she continued to walk away, but Mason wasn't letting her escape so easily.
"No, I want to know. What did you mean by that?"
Alma sighed, wishing he would just let it go.
"I overheard you tell Mrs. Neilson that I reminded you of your mother."
Mason chuckled awkwardly. "Oh, that? That was just a stupid comment. I didn't mean it as a looks or age thing, you are a lot younger than my mother, for sure, but you just have some similarities in your personalities. You both share some qualities that I admire. I'm sorry, it was a dumb thing to say. I certainly never thought of you as a mother figure. For the students maybe, but not for me."
"I may have overreacted," Alma admitted. "I don't know why I was so upset. Maybe I was feeling emotional about my substitute position ending and generally feeling unwanted."
"You shouldn't feel that way. I hope tonight proved to you that you are far from unwanted."
The sound of his voice and the kind words he was saying to her were too much to handle, so she just shrugged and looked away.
He leaned in closer so that she had to look at him. "I mean it."
When she looked at him again, their eyes locked, and before she knew what was happening, she was leaning into him and their lips met.
As soon as it happened, Alma was overcome with regret and she pulled away.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let that happen," she said as she ran away horrified.
"Judith, is everything alright?" Vanessa asked as she came out of the restroom and saw Judith standing next to the glass doors in front of the school. Her expression was stricken and her face pale.
Judith just nodded, but after what she saw outside, she wasn't sure if anything would ever be alright again.
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