Chapter 121

• The tall man was lean, had fair skin, silver eyes, and short brown hair that was faded at the sides. He regarded me with a charming gaze and had thin lips that curved to the side in a bedazzling grin. I recognized him from school events.
• “Jake’s dad, right?” With another smile—because I deserved an award for the number of times I had smiled today—I offered my hand. “It’s fine. I’m an easy scare.”
• He laughed, taking my hand, and I noticed the one-sided dimple on his left cheek. On a regular day, I always tried not to let my eyes stray from a parent’s eyes. And a regular day was allthe time. For as long as I had worked as a school teacher. For three years.