Thank you for the reviews.

Glad you all enjoyed the last chapter and trust me, there are more of them to come. But now to give you this one. And sorry Mrs Carmichael... you were right in your review for chapter 16... Welcome victim number three...

Chapter Eighteen
Cloud Nine

If she wasn't already going to have a million questions from Melissa and the fact that her sister lived with her, Rachel probably would have gone in with Eddie and they could have come up with some excuse together. Instead, he pulled up a couple of doors down from where she lived.

"I'm guessing that your plan is the same as last night."

"In and out before my sister has said a word to me? To right. I am sure she will question me later but it is just too early in the morning for Melissa."

"Why couldn't it be Saturday today?"

"What would you have planned Mr Lawson?"

"For one, we wouldn't be out of bed. Two, I could have treated you to lunch. You know, just generally enjoy your company outside of school."

"I'm sure the staff will go out tomorrow. Maybe I could get a lift in with Melissa."

"Sounds like a plan."

She leant forward and gave him a kiss before she threw open the car door. She had to leave soon or she would never leave.

Repeating her plan from the night before, she was glad that she managed to leave the house with only Melissa calling her name twice. Rachel knew that the longer she left the questions from Melissa, the worse it was going to be, but she didn't want that level of questioning so early and after the perfect night.

She obviously knew that Eddie was going to be in school before her and there was just this sense of excitement in her as she almost ran through the school to her office. No one had ever made her feel that way before and she found it weirdly refreshing.

Eddie was settled on the sofa, with two cups of coffee, when she entered her office and as soon as she had dumped her bags and hung her coat up, she joined him.

"One question?" He said as she picked up her coffee.

"Go on."

"How contained are we going to keep this for the moment?"

She couldn't help but smile at his wording.

"Eddie. I want to enjoy this."

"I know. And I am not about to go and shout about it in the staff room. All I want to know is, if I am discreet, could I hold your hand in the playground?"

"Not that the moment. Maybe after school though."

"Maybe I will hold you to that."

Her eyes flicked up at him. "For the moment, during school hours, let's just keep it to my office."

"So I could do this then." He said as he leant forward.

Rachel met him halfway and was glad that it was slightly more than a peak.

"Although, I might have to find some lipstick that doesn't rub off onto you." She said as she used her thumb to wipe it off his lips.

"Why? Doesn't it suit me?"

"I don't think it is that. I just worry for your reputation Lawson."

"My reputation?"

"Depends on whether you care what people might think."

"Or you don't want Steph and Melissa trying to match the shades."

"Maybe. And as much as I am enjoying flirting with you, we didn't come in half an hour early for that. These interviews today."

"I would actually prefer to take my double period of year 10s," Eddie said as he leant back into the sofa.

"I would rather be doing the ever-growing pile of paperwork as my deputy seems to have decided to stop doing his again."

"Yeah, well, I mean what are we even meant to be looking for. The job spec is quite vague." He said, ignoring her last comment.

"This is where I have done my research. I know a couple of people, old colleagues, that have employed one. Basically they work with the canteen to promote healthy eating and do classes to help the kids understand what they are eating."

"Basically trying to get kids from low-income families to stop eating junk because it is the cheapest option."

"And I know that we know that Candice doesn't serve rubbish in the canteen and we have healthy options but…"

"What the LEA wants, the LEA gets," Eddie said, interrupting her. "I just wish that they were first thing rather than this afternoon."

"Same."

"So what are you looking for then?"

"Did Rachel swallow a load of happy pills this morning?" Steph said after a rather happy Rachel and Eddie left after their morning briefing.

"She had a date last night," Melissa said. "Don't know who she was with but she basically ran in last night, got changed and left and did the exact same thing this morning. Haven't been able to ask her anything about it."

Tom almost mumbled 'maybe she doesn't want you to' but thought better of it. It was bad enough that he did have insider information about Eddie and Rachel. His eyes flicked up to Davina but he knew that she didn't know what he was thinking. No one did but he knew that she would feel just as annoyed at Melissa's words as he was.

"Eddie seemed in a good mood as well." Steph continued.

"Isn't he usually?"

"Not in that good mood."

Tom tried to hold his tongue but felt the words come out of his mouth before he had properly thought them through.

"Maybe he finally got the courage to ask her." He said.

"What do you mean?" Melissa said.

"Am I still the only one with eyes?"

"Are you suggesting that Rachel went out with Eddie?"

"Exactly that."

Melissa's laugh angered him more than it should have done.

"Tom, honestly drop it. It is never going to happen."

"Should we be giving this guy a chance? I mean, he did miss his spot."

"And you think that anyone else that we have interviewed today is up for the job?"

"Point taken."

Rachel did actually agree with Eddie. This guy, Adam Fleet, had missed his spot and the fact that he was still hanging around the school made her wonder why he was still in the school. Eddie slowed down his pace so that she was the first one to enter the canteen.

"Adam Fleet?" She said.

The man, sitting at one of the tables in the canteen, looked up from his papers and did a double-take, something that she did as well. Part of her couldn't believe that he was sitting there.

"I know you, don't I?" She said.

"Amanda Fenshaw?!"

She knew that Eddie was probably glaring at Adam now for the use of her old name but she hoped that it would only be that once. The problem was Adam did know her as Amanda. She gave a quick glance back at Eddie to tell him that it was alright. Adam was getting out of his seat as they got closer.

"I really don't believe it. Of course, it is you. Adam Fleet. Fat Adam."

She heard Eddie snort as he was probably trying to hold in a laugh. She gave a quick apology to Adam before they hugged. It was weird to see him after all those years.

"Good to see you too!" He said before they pulled away. "Do you work here?"

"I'm the Head Teacher. And this is my deputy, Eddie Lawson."

Rachel was glad when Eddie and Adam shook hands but she could tell that Eddie was just a little jealous.

"But… Rachel Mason?" Adam said as he turned back to her.

"I had to change my name. It's a long story."

"So no wonder Melissa was acting all weird when I met up with her. I did wonder what she was doing this far north."

"I just thought you still couldn't keep an appointment."

"No, she nabbed me in the corridor as I was having a quick look around. She hasn't changed and neither have you."

She wished that he hadn't said that. She knew that he just meant in looks but she knew that she'd had a personality change as well. The person that he knew from school wasn't the same person she was now.

"Look, we have a little bit of time now. Do you want to have that interview?" She said as she looked at Eddie.

Eddie nodded at her and she was glad that it seemed like he was still okay to have the interview as well.

"That would be great," Adam said.

"Don't want me to get Tom?" Eddie whispered to her as they sat down.

"Unexpected old school friend. I think I can be seen as impartial."

"At least none of the staff have been interviewed for the role this time."

"Are we ready?" Adam said, his tone had changed from just a few moments ago.

"Yeah, we're ready," Eddie said.

Rachel was glad when Eddie read her look right. She knew that he didn't particularly like Adam but they both couldn't deny that he had some good ideas and the dish that he had just made for them was delicious. He obviously knew his way around a kitchen.

"I think we will probably discuss this more later, but if you want the job Adam, I think there might be a place at Waterloo Road for you."

"Thank you," Adam said.

Rachel smiled at him but her smile started to drop as Melissa joined them. Eddie was quick to read her again and moved to stand by her side.

"Were you surprised?" Melissa said.

"Well, you could have told me that your sister was the head," Adam said.

"I didn't want to ruin the surprise."

"You could have mentioned it to me as well." Rachel said.

"As I said, I didn't want to ruin the surprise. Are you in the area then Adam?"

"I will be. I've just got the job."

Rachel looked up at Eddie and wondered whether they maybe should have discussed it properly.

"We will have to go for dinner," Melissa said. "To catch up?"

"Definitely."

"Rach?"

She knew that Melissa had picked it up from Eddie. She had never called her Rach in the past and there was a part of Rachel that didn't like that it came out of her mouth so easily, like she had called her it before. Rach was Eddie's thing.

"I suppose we do have a lot of things to talk about." She said.

"Eddie, would you like to join us?" Melissa said.

"I don't know. I… It will depend on when." Eddie said.

Rachel hoped that he knew that he would be coming along. Just to support her. She could not deal with a night of her sister talking for her, especially when she knew Adam would bring up her name change again. Plus she didn't like the glint in Melissa's eyes. It almost made her hold on to Eddie's arm or his hand. Something subtle to say that she wasn't about to let her sister set her up.

"You have my number now. We will have to check our diaries and set a date." Melissa said, more to Adam.

"Definitely."

Tom usually wouldn't have been in school so late. If he could concentrate at home, he would have done his marking there but since the Kellys had moved in next door, his home life and school life weren't separate and the hour or so that he spent at the school, was an hour or so of bliss.

He knew Davina would be doing something similar as he started to pack up to finally make his way home.

It was subtle in the way that they were but he could tell that he was right to think that it was Eddie that Rachel went on a date with. For some reason, a smile rose on his lips as he watched as Rachel fixed Eddie's shirt.

Was it just obvious to him because he knew more of what they had been through together?

"You definitely know more than you are letting on," Davina said as she joined him.

He turned to her before turning back to his bosses.

"I'll tell you on the way home, but not a word to anyone. Okay?"