Elizabeth Thatcher Thornton wrote the reading assignment on the whiteboard and dismissed her class of 25 excited college freshmen on this first day of the Fall semester. It was a Tuesday in mid-August and Elizabeth was glad to finally be back in the classroom teaching her signature History of Broadway class after an almost 2 year hiatus. She had been a Professor at the Department of Theatre Arts at Hope Valley University for 4 years now. It was one of the top performing arts programs in the country and Elizabeth was proud of the work she had done to help grow the department so far. It had been a bittersweet couple of years so Elizabeth was excited to be teaching once again.
Elizabeth had always wanted to work in the theater industry. Growing up in an affluent Manhattan family, she was privileged to attend some of the best performing arts programs in the country and then NYU where she received her B.F.A. followed by her M.F.A. Blessed with a beautiful soprano voice coupled with her classical training as an actress, Elizabeth had worked her way through community theaters to national tours and finally to Broadway as a performer.
She had just started performing on Broadway when she met Jack through a mutual friend. They clicked almost instantly and after 1 year on Broadway, Elizabeth realized that she was burnt out from years of performing 8 shows a week. She continued performing for 1 more year and then she landed a teaching job at Hope Valley University out on Long Island. Elizabeth loved teaching theater and had truly found her calling. Initially, she commuted from Manhattan to Hope Valley but right after the honeymoon, she and Jack moved to Hope Valley, a small town on Long Island, NY about 25 miles East of Manhattan. Her years of performing on stage combined with her new teaching experience allowed Elizabeth to take on additional responsibilities as a faculty advisor.
Jack and Elizabeth had been dating for 4 years once he finally popped the question. Elizabeth said yes with no hesitation and they were married within 3 months. The Thatchers were not pleased that their middle daughter was marrying someone in law enforcement and this caused a bit of a family rift. Elizabeth knew that Jack's job as a police detective in the NYPD Narcotics division was dangerous but she also knew that he was just as passionate about his work as she was about hers. Both were workaholics and it was only after they finally moved to Hope Valley that she began to slow down a bit and enjoy life outside of work. Unfortunately, Jack did not share the same sentiment.
Jack continued to work long hours in one of the NYPD's most dangerous divisions, even after he and Elizabeth got married. Elizabeth got pregnant with Little Jack on their honeymoon in Aruba. While Jack was a supportive husband throughout the pregnancy, he still kept getting called away to work on intense cases, sometimes for days at a time. Elizabeth would never forget the 2am phone call telling her that Jack had been killed during a chaotic drug bust. She was 6 months pregnant at the time and that night changed everything.
Elizabeth was thankful that her best friend Rosemary LeVeaux Coulter lived next door. Rosemary and her husband Lee came over that night and ended up staying until Elizabeth's younger sister Julie could move out from Manhattan. It was Julie who held Elizabeth's hand throughout Little Jack's birth and she stayed with her sister for the remainder of Elizabeth's pregnancy and until Little Jack was 3 months old. At Elizabeth's insistence, Julie finally moved back to her life in Manhattan.
After Jack died, Elizabeth took a leave of absence from the University. She had more than enough to live on with Jack's pension and life insurance and her own savings. She was still too young to access her trust fund and since her parents did not like Jack, Elizabeth refused to ask them for financial help. And with a new baby at home coupled with dealing with Jack's sudden death, Elizabeth just couldn't find the creative spark needed to teach. In hindsight, she was grateful for the chance to spend the first year of her son's life at home caring for him. But eventually, the University had to make a decision about her position and Elizabeth realized she missed her job. So, she hired a former student named Laura Campbell to be Little Jack's nanny and Elizabeth went back to work back in January, just after Little Jack turned 1.
Elizabeth wasn't ready to teach again yet but she dove head first back into advising students and working on her latest research paper. That was last semester and now Elizabeth was finally ready to teach again. So she decided to start with her signature class only this semester along with a Continuing Education class. One of Elizabeth's accomplishments had been starting a community theater program for local children through the University's Continuing Education program. The class met twice a week to learn acting and singing techniques and at the end of the semester, the kids put on a show at the adjacent Performing Arts Center at Hope Valley University. This class was truly Elizabeth's pride and joy and she was excited to get started again.
After she dismissed the freshman class, Elizabeth headed to her office for a short break before walking over to the Performing Arts Center for her community theater group. She freshened up and had a brief video chat with Laura and 20 month old Little Jack. She then grabbed her materials and headed over to the classroom at the Performing Arts Center where the class would meet at 4pm. Her class would have 15 students ranging from 10-15 years of age. Elizabeth spent the next 20 minutes meeting and greeting her new students and their parents.
As she was about to start class, in walked a girl of about 10 followed by a tall, lanky yet muscular man. The man looked to be around the same age as Elizabeth and he had the bluest eyes she had ever seen along with thick, wavy brown hair. Elizabeth couldn't help but notice how handsome he was too. She was instantly drawn to him.
"Professor Thornton?" he asked.
"Yes, I'm Professor Thornton but my students usually call me Miss Elizabeth." she replied.
"Very well then." he smiled. "My name is Nathan Grant and this is my niece Allie. She will be one of your students this semester."
Elizabeth motioned for them to follow her to the teacher's desk and she handed Allie a short questionnaire and asked her to find a seat and complete it. Allie smiled and nodded and then gave her uncle a hug and kiss good-bye. Elizabeth just about melted at the sight of Nathan and Allie embracing.
"So 5:30 then?" asked Nathan as he gave Elizabeth a crooked smile.
"Yes! We will typically meet in this room unless I tell everyone ahead of time that we will be using the small theater. I'm looking forward to getting to know Allie."
"She is so excited about this class. She's always loved the theater but I wasn't sure if she was ready for a class like this until now. I'm very curious to see how she progresses with your guidance."
"I am as well. I really should get class started now. I'll see you in a bit?"
"Yes of course. I'll see you later." Nathan said as he walked out of the classroom.
Once he got to his car, Nathan took a minute to get his bearings. He had no idea what had just happened but he could not stop thinking about Elizabeth Thornton. For some reason, he found himself drawn to her. She had to be the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and those piercing blue eyes he could picture with his eyes closed.
"Calm yourself Nathan," he said to himself. "The class bio said Elizabeth Thatcher Thornton so she is probably married though she isn't wearing wedding rings."
Nathan had noticed an aura of sadness about Elizabeth and he wanted to know why. "Maybe it will come up in casual conversation," he mumbled to himself as he put the car in drive and headed the short distance to his house. Nathan also had no way of knowing that at that very moment, Elizabeth was having similar thoughts about him while she taught her class. She also couldn't get him out of her mind and it was a bit mind boggling to her.
Elizabeth always used the first day of class to allow her young students to introduce themselves. It helped build a rapport which would come in handy once they started performing and it also allowed the students to practice their public speaking. It was one of the reasons why she had handed each student a questionnaire upon entering the room. When it was Allie's turn to introduce herself, the young girl stood up and began to speak, using her questionnaire as a guide.
"My name is Allie Grant and I am 10 years old. I've loved the theater for as long as I can remember and my uncle and I visit the city as often as we can to see shows. He's a fellow theater lover so I'm very grateful for that. I've never performed in a show before but I can sing and dance a bit. I've been a member of my school dance team for the past 2 years. My favorite Broadway show is Les Miserables and my favorite color is blue."
"Thank you Allie," smiled Elizabeth as the young girl sat down. She was very curious about how Nathan seemed to have custody of Allie. At dismissal time, one of the parents commandeered Elizabeth with a bunch of questions so she could only wave to Nathan from a distance as he picked up Allie. She was hopeful to learn more about him next time.
Elizabeth went straight home after class and immediately showered her son with hugs and kisses. "Thank you Laura! I'll see you tomorrow at the same time."
"Of course Elizabeth!" said Laura as she grabbed her bag and headed out for the night.
No sooner did Laura walk out than Elizabeth heard a light knock on her kitchen door.
"Come in Rosie!"
Rosemary entered her best friend's familiar kitchen while carrying her 3 year old daughter Abigail Rose who happened to be a mini clone of her mother.
"Hi Rosie! Hi Abby! Look Jack it's Auntie Rosie and Abby!"
Rosemary set Abby down. Jack smiled and immediately grabbed Abby's hand and pulled her into the small corner of the kitchen that had been set up as a play area.
Meanwhile, Rosemary grabbed a seat at one of the counter stools while Elizabeth started to prepare dinner. This was Rosemary's last week off before starting rehearsals for the Broadway revival of Anastasia where she had been cast as Countess Lily. It was a principal role but the majority of her stage time was in Act 2 with 3 showstopper numbers.
Rosemary and Elizabeth had been best friends since being classmates at NYU. The 2 women had climbed up the theater ranks together but had never performed together. Rosemary's goal had always been to star on Broadway and she intended to continue doing that for as long as possible. Rosemary was married to Lee Coulter, Chair of the Department of Theatre Arts and Executive Director of the Performing Arts Center at Hope Valley University. Lee and Elizabeth worked together quite often as he was her boss yet also a key collaborator of the community theater program.
Elizabeth handed Rosemary a glass of Merlot and then poured one for herself as she prepared a simple dinner of cheese ravioli and a salad for herself and Little Jack.
"So how was your first day back teaching?" asked Rosemary.
"It was so wonderful. Just like riding a bike. I can't believe I had taken such a long break. I'm grateful for how I've been able to ease back into my responsibilities but, I have missed being in the classroom and I am glad to be back. I've got History of Broadway for the freshmen and then my community theater group for the kiddos. Next semester I'll add back a few more classes."
Even though he was still in the back of her mind, Elizabeth decided not to mention Nathan just yet. She couldn't figure out why he was in her thoughts still and she didn't want Rosemary the serial matchmaker to get overly excited. Plus she knew nothing about Nathan other than the fact that he seemed to have custody of his niece.
"Elizabeth, I'm so glad to see you getting back to your regular schedule. Your face lights up when you talk about teaching so I know how much you love it and I'm just happy to see you happy. Maybe in time you'll find some other things or people to make you happy as well."
Understanding the not so subtle hidden message, Elizabeth just smiled back at Rosemary and then walked around the counter to hug her friend. The ladies chatted for a while more and then Rosemary and Abby headed back next door. Elizabeth enjoyed a not so quiet dinner with her son followed by a quiet evening once Jack fell asleep. She wrote in her journal a bit and even wrote about Nathan and Allie since she still couldn't get them out of her mind. However, writing did help her fall asleep.
The next morning, Elizabeth went to her pilates class at the gym and followed up with 30 min running on the treadmill. During these early morning visits, Elizabeth would bring Jack with her and allow him to play in the childcare room. The gym had really great babysitters supervising the kids at all times and it allowed Elizabeth extra time with her son. When she finished her workout, Elizabeth picked up Jack and then headed out to the car. She noticed something was wrong immediately. Her passenger door was badly dented and scratched. It looked as if someone had taken a screwdriver or other tool and tried to manipulate the lock. Elizabeth always took her wallet and phone into the gym but she sometimes left her small handbag on the floor of the car. It was missing.
Shaking, Elizabeth walked back into the gym and asked the front desk clerk to call the police. Jesse Flynn, the gym manager, had overheard from his nearby office and came out to the desk. "Oh no not you too Elizabeth," he said with a frown.
"This has happened before?" she asked.
"Yes, this is the 3rd case in our parking lot in the last 2 weeks. Always early morning and usually a wallet or purse. I think someone had a laptop taken as well. There are a couple of detectives already on the case so I'm sure they will add this to their list of burglaries."
Clara, the front desk clerk, hung up the phone and mentioned that the 2 detectives on the case happened to be at the police station this morning and were on their way.
"Elizabeth, can I get you and Jack something to drink while you wait?" asked Jesse.
"We are good thanks. I have water bottles for both of us."
Elizabeth walked over to the Cafe area and sat down with Jack. About 10 min later, she watched as 2 tall dark-haired men in jeans and sportcoats walked into the gym and chatted with Jesse and Clara. Jesse finally motioned over to Elizabeth and she was stunned when Nathan Grant turned around and looked right at her. His badge and gun holster were visible on his belt. He smiled and walked over with the other detective.
"Well hello again Professor Thornton! Sorry to have to meet again under these circumstances. This is my partner Detective Gabriel Kinslow. We've been trying to track this robber for a few weeks now." smiled Nathan.
"Hello Ma'am. Can you show us your car and the damage to it?" asked Gabriel.
"Certainly and please call me Elizabeth." she said as she stood up with Jack and led Nathan and Gabriel to her car.
Elizabeth showed them the damage to her car and then watched as Gabriel took out a small electronic tablet and began to take notes. He asked her a series of questions about how long she was away from the vehicle and what was missing. While this was going on, Little Jack was content in his mother's arms at first. Then he started to fuss because he wanted to get down and run around.
"No Jack not here. I'm so sorry Detective. Please continue." she said to Gabriel as Jack continued to fuss.
Nathan wasn't trying to stare but he had been watching curiously and finally stepped a bit closer to Elizabeth and Jack and made a funny face at him. The little boy giggled and said "More!" so Nathan made another silly face. Now Elizabeth and Gabriel were laughing too.
"Is there an alternate contact person in case we are unable to reach you?" asked Gabriel.
"No, my work and cell numbers should be just fine. It's just me and this little guy."
"Very well then. We will try our best to recover your stolen purse. The list of items you provided will help us identify it as yours. If you want to get that door fixed, insurance should cover it. And I would suggest keeping any valuables out of sight when the vehicle is unattended. Also, please make sure to use your alarm at all times." said Gabriel.
"Normally in these types of cases we don't recover everything but stranger things have happened. Right now we are focused on finding the culprits and arresting them. You are the 7th case we've seen in town so Chief Avery wants this dealt with quickly as do we." added Nathan.
Elizabeth watched as Gabriel printed out a copy of the police report, signed it, and handed it to her. He also handed her 2 business cards, 1 for him and 1 for Nathan. She smiled and nodded her thanks at both men and then watched as they walked back to the nearby unmarked police cruiser. She was grateful that her ID and credit cards hadn't been taken.
After she got Jack settled in his carseat, Elizabeth climbed into the driver's seat and took a deep breath. Her heart was also racing. Whatever it was about Nathan Grant, he was having some type of impact on her because for the 2nd time in as many days, the man had entered her head and wasn't leaving it too easily.