"Alright my little munchkins," Brooke called in a cheery voice.  "Let's line up!"

Her 15 bubbly, chatty Kindergarteners bobbed to their carpet dots heavy laden with backpacks and lunchboxes.  Brooke stood by the door of their classroom ready to lead them toward the pick up line, with a chirping walkie-talkie in hand. Once they were all in place, the door holder took his position and Brooke led the way out to their class's spot outside. The children sat on their mark labeled on the sidewalk ready and waiting.

Brooke stood at the front of the class, pacing, monitoring and watching for cars while listening for family names called over the walkie. One by one she took a student by the hand, walked them to their car, opened the door and made sure they were securely buckled.  After, of course, a hand shake, high five or hug.  Hugs were the most frequent choice.

Most parents chatted for a brief moment about their child's day while waiting for them to buckle their seatbelts.  That gave Brooke a chance to praise them all for their hard work, make any kind moments, or appointments on the same day.

On the rare occasion, a parent walked up to collect their own child. They knew the policy and stood waiting patiently until Brooke returned from escorting another student to make sure she saw the parents pick up their child up.

The school's procedure was a well oiled routine and was diligently monitored.  Another teacher, Kyle Larson, the heartthrob of all the single, and some married teachers on staff, had explained this method to Brooke at the beginning of the year. The school had some non-custodial parent pick up issues resulting in the school having to tighten their policies.

It was easy for Brooke to see why Kyle was seen as such a heartthrob. With his tall, lean yet muscular frame stretching to a tempting 6'3", honey blonde gorgeous locks always perfectly styled above spectacular cerulean eyes. Add to it the sparkling display of pearly whites whenever he smiled, which luckily was often.  Even Brooke froze when he first spoke to her.

Above all that, Kyle was an amazing teacher.  Conquering the first graders, he was always cheerful, charismatic, and stern when needed but was always fair. It was a great blessing their classes had recess together.

Another great blessing was the second grade teacher, Serena Douglas. It was truly a wonder Serena was unmarried.  Apparently she had been at one time, but she never gave details. She had perfectly tanned skin, luscious umber brown hair that was always tactfully pulled into a bun during school hours.  Her features were enhanced by amber brown eyes sparkling with mischief behind thin black-rimmed glasses.  She was also an amazing teacher.

Serena and Brooke became fast friends during prep week.  They went to lunch every day until Kyle claimed he was being left behind and joined them.  Their trio had quickly become inseparable. They balanced each other wonderfully, always laughing.  When it came down to business with their grade level meetings, they were able to stay on task and focus on the students needs.

Brooke had settled nicely into this school and community. Her classroom was huge and state of the art.  Coworkers had been warm and welcoming. The students were wonderful.  Parents were responsive and easy to communicate with.

On this Friday, at the end of another school week and three day weekend, Brooke found herself smiling for the first time in a long time. 

The previous months had been extremely difficult with all the changes Brooke and Melody had faced. The hasty packing, then the move from Chicago met with many tears of friends they left behind.  But settling into her mom's house was relatively easy because it was her childhood home.  Setting up a classroom anew again turned into the distraction Brooke needed from the stress.  Then Adriana's illness took its final plunge. 

Life had been a stressful roller coaster. 

There was no big memorial service since Adriana had been an only child.  Brooke still had to pay the cemetery for opening and closing the vault, so she gathered Melody and a few friends. They said their goodbyes and dropped flowers as the casket of Brooke's last parent was lowered to rest beside her dad.  Knowing her parents were together without any pain suffering had given Brooke peace. 

Finding an excellent family counselor also helped her and Melody maneuver through their grief.  Sharing memories, visiting both gravesites to leave flowers and opening talking about how Grandma was missed.  Brooke also never hid her tears from Melody.  She was determined for her daughter to know it was healthy to let out the sadness.

"Penny for your thoughts, Lovely?" a hushed yet still smooth baritone voice greeted Brooke, taking her away from her thoughts. 

Smirking, she glanced over at the dreamy eyed teacher.  He held her gaze, confident arms crossed over his chest. A slight tint of heat crawled up her neck from the way Kyle was peering at her.

Brooke shrugged. "Nothing in particular. Just everything that's happened in the last few months."

"Yeah, you've just moved here, right?" Kyle offered lightly, trying to keep the conversation going.

Brooke nodded.  "In June, but I grew up here, so in a way it was moving back home.  I actually attended this school from Kindergarten through to high school. My dad's mom taught second grade here for years."

Blonde eyebrows shot up in surprise.  "No way!" Kyle chuckled in disbelief then nudged her arm with his elbow. "Now I'll have to go find your Senior picture in the academy library, hmm?"

"Oh yeah." Brooke chuckled, rolling her eyes.  "Super exciting! You'll find more pictures of me in the Fine Arts Clubs."

Kyle took a step forward, leaning in toward Brooke's ear.  "Were you a nerd, Ms. Johnson?" His thick whisper was much more flirtatious than an innocently posed question between colleagues.

Leaning back, Brooke gave him a pointed look with a quirked eyebrow.  "I prefer band geek, Mr. Larson," she whispered back, returning the dangerous yet playful flirtation.

A low groan rumbled softly from the back of Kyle's throat. The corners of his lips tilting upward as he pivoted to face her. "Have dinner with me tomorrow night?"

Hazel orbs widened in surprise.  Did he just ask her out? Like...on a date? She had never thought of Kyle as more than a friend and coworker.  Could there be more if it were allowed to develop? There was only one way to find out.  Brooke parted her lips to answer, but a gruff voice stole her attention.

"Hey, I'm here for Elise Woods," the surly voice announced, uncaring he interrupted a conversation.

Brooke pivoted toward the intruder, arms crossed under her chest, unintentionally giving it a boost through her blouse.  Behind his darkened sunglasses, Brooke didn't see his eyes flick down at the sight but the slight uplift at the corner of his lips did not go unnoticed.

"And you are?" she asked accusingly, not recognizing the man trying to pick up one of her students.

"Lincoln Flores." He casually removed his sunglasses to reveal intense forest green eyes speckled with gold. His eyes took her in, not so subtly traveling down to her toes then flicked back to Brooke's eyes.

Inside, Brooke was fighting blaring alarms of hottie alert flashing through her mind.  The charcoal gray suit he wore was perfectly tailored yet boldly showed off an undoubtedly muscular body underneath. No wedding ring or tan line, so he might be available.  Or was he? Men this gorgeous were always taken by someone.

Still, Brooke's imagination was running wild with curiosity of what it would be like to kiss those soft looking terracotta lips or have them...

No! Stop it! Focus!

Clearing her throat, Brooke nodded.  "One moment."  She turned away and crossed to where Elise sat chatting happily with Melody while waiting to be picked up.

"Hey, Elise," Brooke addressed her, bending over to talk quietly. "This man says he's here to pick you up.  Do you recognize him?"

Elise peered around Brooke then her lips broke into a wide smile.  "Yes! He's my Uncle Lincoln!"

"OK," Brooke replied, bending more to aid her student.  "Let's get your things."

Lincoln's head tilted to the side as he watched the woman, presumably the teacher he addressed saunter off toward his niece who was sitting on the sidewalk. He couldn't help but check out the roundness of her backside in the chocolate brown capris she wore. The glimpse of her ample chest when her arms were crossed was an extra blessing too.

His brows lifted as it dawned on him where he had seen this woman before.  How could he forget the fierceness in those hazel depths or the sassy attitude.  This was the same woman he bumped into at that restaurant a few months ago! It seemed however she hadn't recognized him.  Yet.  This could be fun.

"I've never seen you at pick up before," Kyle commented, sidling up closer to Lincoln, arms crossed over his chest, stepping protectively in Lincoln's view of Brooke.

Shrugging, Lincoln tried to peer around him at the curvy object of his curiosity. "I'm visiting from out of town.  My sister thought Elise would enjoy the surprise."

"Well, it's school policy to notify the teacher prior to end of school if the pick up person on file changes," Kyle explained, his voice heavily authoritative and dominant.

Lincoln smirked and took his phone out.  "OK, can I have her phone number to give prior notice next time?"

"Whose phone number?" Brooke interjected, joining the two men but standing beside Kyle, noting the tension between them as she appeared with Elise's hand in hers.

"Yours," Lincoln smirked, holding his phone out.  "For if I...need anything."

"Uncle Lincoln!" The curly haired bundle cheered, reaching her arms up.

"Hey, Squirt!" Lincoln brightened, dutifully scooping his niece up for a hug then swiveling her to his hip.

"A gentleman would have asked me directly for my number," Brooke shot back, popping her hip out and planting a fist on it. Beside her, Kyle covered a laugh with a cough.

Forest green orbs narrowed onto her before flicking to Kyle then back to her hazel depths.  A flash of recognition glistened. 

"I'm no gentleman,"  he playfully shot back with a smirk and a wink as he pocketed his phone then returned his sunglasses back to their place.

Lincoln turned then retreated with his giddy niece on his hip. The soft gasp no doubt from Brooke made his smirk enlarge to a grin as he realized she now recognized him.

****

"So next weekend we are still on for our night out?" Leena asked, taking a sip of her boba tea.

"Yes!" Brooke groaned, but it was in relief and excitement.  "My neighbor is going to watch Melody.  She has a granddaughter a couple of years older so they will have a sleepover across the street."

Squeals of joyous laughter echoed through the mall's central playground.  Melody scrambled, ran and giggled her way around as always, making nice with the other kids in the play area.

Friday afternoons at the mall were rare for Brooke.  Usually she was too tired from the school week or neck deep in laundry she wanted to get a headstart on, but Melody was growing and winter sales had begun.  Leena was all too eager to join for a shopping excursion.

When Melody saw the playground after visiting several stores, she asked to play and the women needing to sit were happy to comply. Armed with boba and blended coffee, the long time friends watched the growing girl.

"How did she get so big, so fast, Brooke?" Leena sighed with a nostalgic smile on her crimson colored lips. The makeup store had been a mutually required stop.

"I know," Brooke answered thoughtfully.  "Didn't I just move with her four month old self yesterday? Now she's in my kindergarten class and turning six in a couple of months!"

"It's gone so fast," Leena mused.

"Tell me about it! She's been asking for a baby brother!"

Both women broke out into hearty, belly shaky laughter.  Heads turned toward them like they were nuts except for Melody who just glanced over with a wide smile tilting her pink lips before resuming her play.

"You'd better get on that," her friend teased with a wink and elbow nudge.

Brooke rolled her eyes and let out a soft groan.  "Yeah, because I have offers lined up around the corner!  Although...Kyle asked me out today."

"You've gotta put yourself out there, Brooke."

"When do I have time, Leena?" she snapped, feeling annoyance build in her belly.  "It's not that I'm unwilling.  People don't understand it's hard for a teacher to meet new people who aren't teachers. The majority in my profession are either female or already married. I wouldn't mind a little fun for a change, you know? Someone to show me a good time and build my confidence back up.  I don't see that happening with Kyle."

A wide smile broke across her friends lips.  "And...if I happen to know of someone?  Would you be willing to give him a shot? A good, fair, honest chance?"

"Of course, I would!" Brooke admitted, throwing her hands up for extra effect.  "As long as he's not egotistical, judgemental or holds a bias against single moms, he would get a fair chance from me."

"It's a deal then," Leena smirked as she pulled out her phone. The light clicks revealed she had started texting.

****

"Ahh, yes!" came the roar of cheers throughout the bar.

High fives, back claps and glasses clinking filled the air as fans celebrated their teams win.   Trenton and Lincoln had met up at the favorite nautical restaurant bar for the baseball game.  It played on several flat screens around the perimeter.  Patrons and fellow fans cheered enthusiastically along with the mass of fans all bleeding blue.

"That was a good game," Trenton mused, tipping up his beer for a long celebratory drink.

Lincoln finished his sip then replied on a satisfying exhale, "Yes, it was."

"I'm glad you made it up this weekend, man."

"Me too.  I needed a weekend away."

In his pocket, Trenton's cell buzzed. The subtle eye roll was missed by his friend. "So uh..." Trenton began, clearing his throat.  "You sticking around through the whole weekend?"

"Nah." Lincoln groaned after another sip.  "I'm planning on heading out tomorrow afternoon.  Elise is having a friend over to stay the night.  I don't wanna get caught in a girls sleepover."

Both men laughed and clinked their glasses.  "I can understand that," Trenton offered.  "If you uh, change your mind though, a group of us are going out tomorrow night to a spot in San Dimas.  You're welcome to stay at my place so you avoid the gaggle of girls."

Genuinely thinking it over, Lincoln took another sip.  "What kind of spot? Club? Restaurant?"

"It's a nightclub.  Line dancing, actually.  We go at least once a month."

Lincoln nearly choked on his beer.  "Line dancing? Seriously?"

"No, no." Trenton rolled his eyes.  "They play current music, man.  It's not a honky tonk." After a scoff from his friend, Trenton added the boom.  "And uh, that friend of mine... the single one who just moved back this summer... she's going."

"The one who was supposed to meet us last time we came here?" Lincoln inquired with a quirked eyebrow.  Trenton nodded.  "So that's what this is about.  Trying to hook me up with your friend? Again?"

"She's pretty awesome."

"To have to put up with you," Lincoln smirked.  "She'd have to have amazing tolerance and resilience."

"And tendencies to be stubborn," Trenton confessed.  "In all seriousness, she's a great person and worth a fair shot.  I think you two would get along."

Eyeing his friend, Trenton took another sip.  Usually not one to play matchmaker, Leena texted a summary of Brooke's confession feeling ready to rejoin the dating world and do something for herself.  Also that Brooke wanted to have fun, be treated well and rebuild some confidence.  Lincoln was the first guy friend Leena thought of. 

"It could be mildly amusing," Lincoln groaned.

Trenton smirked.  "So you'll come with us?"

With an eye roll as he brought his beer to his lips again, Lincoln nodded. Somehow, he knew the night would be interesting.