Wisdom Tree by Mary Manners Read Free Book Online Page A

dotted by sparkling sequins, and in the distance, cicadas sang a melancholy tune. Jake sipped tea and allowed his mind to wander to thoughts of Carin O’Malley.
    After their meeting, he’d walked her to her car while Corey sulked over the journal. The breeze was warm beneath a brilliant sun, and the lot was deserted except for his Jeep, her powder-blue sedan, and the van Patrick and Julie used to haul their brood.
    “Thanks for taking the time to come today.” Jake paused as they reached the car. He leaned against the bumper and turned his face to the sun. “I’m sorry Corey’s been so much trouble.”
    “It will be better now.” Carin’s voice soothed his worry. She smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind one ear as the breeze freed it from a silver clip.
    “I sure hope so.” Jake cleared his throat, trying to focus on Corey instead of the sandalwood scent that clung to Carin’s skin.
    “I know so. I have a sixth sense about these things.”
    Jake shifted his weight against the rear fender. “So, you’ve done this before?”
    “I…” She paused, bit her lower lip, and then seemed to shift gears. “What middle school teacher hasn’t?”
    “Hmm…” He thought for a moment. “Most of them?”
    She shrugged. “The ones I know go the extra mile.”
    “Well, I’m thankful for you. As you can guess, Corey needs something that, so far, I haven’t been able to give him.”
    “What happened to Corey?”
    “Not just Corey…us.” Jake lowered his voice. “My folks—our folks—died last January.”
    “I’m so sorry, Jake.” Her eyes flashed with shock, then narrowed. Jake caught a glimpse of tears as she dipped her head and turned slightly. “But that…explains things.”
    “We’re just trying to get our bearings. It’s taking longer than I expected.”
    He watched her swipe a tear from one eye with the tip of her finger.
    “Well, I’ll help as much as I can from my end.” Her voice was thick, the southern lilt more defined.
    “I appreciate it.” Jake jammed his hands into his pockets. “And I’m sorry about the…confusion.”
    “You mean the caretaker thing?” She shrugged slightly.
    “Yeah, that.”
    “No harm done.” She turned back to him and wiggled one foot, clad in a strappy sandal. “I still have all my toes.”
    Jake laughed and opened the car door for her. “I guess I’ll be seeing you?”
    “I’ll keep you posted…on Corey’s progress, I mean.” She slipped into the driver’s seat and reached for a tissue from a box on the console. “It was nice to meet you, Jake.”
    “I’m here every Sunday and plenty in between.”
    “I’ll keep that in mind.” She dabbed her eyes, then offered a slight smile as she slipped a key into the ignition. “See you soon.”
    A barking dog a few yards down drew Jake back. He sipped tea and pictured Carin sitting on her own back porch, grading papers with one of her infamous green pens, as she twirled a strand of sleek curls around a finger. Maybe between papers she paused to gaze up at the same starlit sky he admired.
    Does it look the same to her…like an ocean of wishes just beyond reach?
    Maybe he’d pay her a visit later this week…check up on Corey’s progress. Jake smiled at the thought and drained his glass. He leaned back in the chair, propped his hands behind his head, and sighed.

     
     
     
     

5
     
    “So this is your battleground?” Jake leaned in the doorway to survey the seventh grade classroom. Oversized paperback dictionaries were stacked in neat piles along a bookshelf on the far wall, and workbook pages filled colorful file bins beneath a window that ushered in brilliant afternoon sun. Carin’s neat handwriting graced one side of the dry-erase board with a list of this week’s vocabulary words. The letters were printed with a flourish, and on the far side of the board, she’d outlined the steps to a well-constructed essay.
    “Hello, Jake.” Carin looked up from a desk covered in a sea of