“Knock, knock.”

My gaze swings to the door and a genuine smile finally graces my face when I see my best friend, Tania. “Hey.”

She strolls in, looking like her perfect, manicured self, and wraps me in a hug. “How was your first day back?”

I groan. “Don’t ask.”

“That bad?”

I take a step back and resume the task of packing up my things. “Yeah, worse than I thought. They all hate me.”

Tania puts her hand on my shoulder. “They don’t hate you. They love you. Well most of them, the ones that matter. There’s just a lot of animosity right now, especially after the allegations surrounding Daryl Baker and now… Jamal.”

I shake my head, frustrated by it all. “It’s not even remotely the same thing, Tania, and you know it. Pap wouldn’t have done it if he hadn’t felt threatened. It’s breaking my heart that people are accusing him of being racist.”

“Honey, if Pap were racist we wouldn’t have been friends since kindergarten.”

“Exactly, but no one else sees that.”

“Because people are angry and they want to blame someone so they’re blaming Pap, but anyone who knows y’all knows neither of you have a hateful bone in ya. What happened to Jamal is awful, and my heart goes out to his family, but he should not have been there in the first place. This has nothing to do with race and everything to do with right and wrong. I’m certain people will see that over time.”

“You’re right,” I agree quietly.

“Heard about you going to the cemetery.”

My eyes snap to hers in surprise. “How do you know?” I haven’t had a chance to talk to her about what happened yet.

“Grayson Taylor told Terrell.”

I perk up at the sound of Grayson’s name and my tummy dips with excitement. Terrell is Tania’s older brother, and well, mine too—in every way that matters. He also works for the sheriff’s department. Actually, when Sheriff Dixon told me he was going to assign an officer to go with me I had expected him to choose Terrell. However, I’m glad it was Grayson he chose. I loved getting to know more about the town’s golden boy that I’ve always watched from afar. He’s as kind and strong as I imagined him to be, at least from what I’ve seen. He can also be pretty intimidating when he wants to be.

A swarm of butterflies take root inside of me when I think about our date this Friday. I still can’t believe he asked me, especially when I was such a stammering idiot, but he didn’t seem to notice. At least it didn’t seem like it by the way he was looking at me, like he wanted to kiss me…devour me. A flash of heat invades my body when I think about the growl that fled from his mouth.

“It seems you are holding out on me, Olivia Bradshaw,” Tania says with a knowing smile. “Spill it, sister.”

Crap! Pull it together, Liv.

I roll my eyes at her inquisition. “There’s nothing to tell. Sheriff Dixon wanted me escorted to the cemetery and he assigned Grayson the job.”

She quirks a disbelieving brow at me, knowing I’m full of it. “That’s what has you blushing like a schoolgirl?”

I shrug. “He also may have come by the market yesterday, and…asked me out,” I tell her, trying to act cool, but inside I’m bursting at the seams with excitement.

“No way! Are you kidding me, Liv?” I nod, a huge smile taking over my face. Her shriek of excitement has me throwing my cool façade out the window and sharing in her squeals. “Oh my God, I am so happy for you!” She pulls me in for a tight hug. “Finally, my girl’s goin’ on a date!”

I roll my eyes. “You say that like I’ve never been on one.”

“It’s been a while.”

“It hasn’t been that long,” I say defensively. She quirks another disbelieving brow at me. “All right, so it’s been a while. But I was collecting my pride after what a fool Clint made of me, and I’ve been keeping busy with my jewelry and other things. I’ve been content.”

“Well, now you can get busy with Deputy Taylor.”

“Oh Lord, will you stop.” I laugh and give her a playful shove.

Before we can say any more, my intercom beeps and the principal’s voice booms through my classroom. “Olivia, can you please come to my office before you head home?”

Tania’s face scrunches at the screechy sound of our boss’s voice and she drags her nails down the air, pretending it’s a chalkboard.

I bite back a chuckle and try to steady my voice. “Sure thing, Veronica, I’m on my way now.”

“The Queen Bee has summoned.” Tania mocks.

I quickly gather up all of my things. “She probably wants to talk about the note I received on my desk earlier this morning.” The thought has my good mood souring fast.

“What note?”

I shake my head. “Don’t ask.”

Tania’s earlier amusement vanishes and concern quickly takes its place. “You okay, Liv? It wasn’t a threat, was it?”

I wave away her worry. “No, no. Just name-calling. Nothing that hasn’t been spray-painted on our barn over the last week.”

Anger sparks in her dark eyes. “If you need me to give someone a beat down, you know I got yo back,” she says, getting back to her sassy self.

I chuckle. “Yes, I always know you have my back, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

She smiles and slings an arm around my neck. “Come on, I’ll walk you there on my way out.”

We walk arm in arm down the hallway, laughing about the horrible blind date she had the other night. “I’m tellin’ ya, girl, the man had no class. Not only did his beady eyes never stray from my chest but he made me pay for my portion of dinner.”

“Are you serious?”

“Hell yes, I am. I mean, who does that?”

I shake my head. “Not someone you go on a second date with, that’s for sure.”

“Girl, that man better never dial my phone number, or I’ll sic T on his cheap ass.” I giggle, knowing how protective Terrell is of his little sister. “I’ll bet Grayson Taylor pays for a girl’s meal, and also gives her a little something to remember him by.”

My step falters and my face flames at the thought. I elbow her lightly when she laughs at my reaction.

“All right, I’m done messin’ with ya. C’mere, girl.” She pulls me in for a hug as we reach the office. “Take care and call me later. Let’s hit up a movie or something this weekend.”

“I’d like that.”

“See ya, babe,” she says, laying a smacking kiss on my cheek.

“Bye, Tania.”

She gives me a feisty wave over her shoulder as she strolls out the front doors. I walk into the office and knock on Veronica Robinson’s closed door, aka ‘the Queen Bee’, as Tania likes to call her.

“Come in.”

I enter with a smile that quickly dies when I see the superintendent of the school board is with her. “Mr. Jacobson,” I blurt in surprise, confused as to why he would be here.

“Miss Bradshaw.” He nods in greeting.

“Come in, Olivia, and close the door,” Veronica says, her usually bland expression more impassive.

My stomach sinks with dread, instinct telling me I’m not going to like whatever this is about.

I close the door behind me then take the seat across from her. “I’m glad I caught you before you left. Mr. Jacobson and I have been discussing the severity of the situation.”

“The note, you mean?” I ask, wanting to clarify exactly what situation we’re talking about.

“Well that too, yes, but more so the situation that our school is in right now, after the incident with Jamal.”

“What do you mean?” Annoyance flashes in her eyes, as if she shouldn’t have to elaborate. “I’m asking because we have lost students from this school before. So I’m trying to understand what you’re meaning by the severity of the situation.”

“Listen, Miss Bradshaw,” Mr. Jacobson starts, “due to the circumstances surrounding Jamal’s death, we feel it would be in your best interest to not teach here anymore.”

My jaw drops in disbelief. “What? You’re firing me? But why? I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“I’m sorry, Olivia,” Veronica says, not sounding sorry at all. “To keep the peace at this school it’s best for everyone. A lot of people here really cared about Jamal—”