Contrary to Anna's original fears, a month was not as long as she thought. Between emails and skyping and the occasional old-fashioned postcard via airmail, the month breezed by. Before she knew it her students were sprinting for the doors, a few wishing her a happy break, and the classroom sat empty while smelling of summer.

She sighed, pushing back from her chair with its distinctive catch on the back wheel, and started taking down the posters and reminders she tacked on every available surface. As she reached for the last one, huffing to herself with the realization she may need to grab a chair, a long arm snuck over her head. With a tug the poster and its thumbtack came loose.

Anna turned around and flung her arms around John's neck. He laughed, kissing her cheek, and wrapped his arms snuggly about her waist to hold her in place. She laid her lips over his and stayed there a moment just to be sure she was not dreaming.

When John broke the kiss a wide grin split his face, "I guess that means you missed me."

"Cheeky monkey." Anna swatted at his shoulder as he helped her back to the floor. "Of course I missed you."

"Not as much as you'll miss this I'm guessing." John held up the poster they managed to crumple between them. "Sorry about that."

"It's fine. I'm not teaching Othello next year anyway. I've only got Freshman and Seniors."

"The new and the old." John flipped through the stack, "How'll you ever manage?"

"Same as I have every other year." Anna slid the stack from his grip. "By being a superb teacher."

"I assumed you'd have to be that but I was just wondering how you're expected to manage all these hooligans when you're supposed to be an adult."

Anna leaned on the side of her desk, noting John's little smirk, "What do you mean, supposed to?"

"I don't know." John stepped forward, tracing a finger down her cheek, "Snogging a man you barely know in the middle of your classroom doesn't exactly reek of dignity."

"What does it reek of?" Anna tripped her fingers up his tie to grab it near the knot.

"Desperation usually."

Anna released John's tie in a hurry and stepped sideways only to groan at the sight of Mary. "What are you doing here?"

"I ask myself that question every day." Mary nodded at John, "Good to see you again Mr. Bates. I do hope you're return trip to us didn't include any visits to the local garage."

"I managed the wrong side of the road and the wrong side of the car beautifully, thank you Mrs. Crawley."

"Ugh," Mary shuddered, "Only my students call me that and seeing as they all ran out of here like bats out of hell I think we can assume you're safe to just call me 'Mary'."

"Then I'll do that." John opened his hand to her and then Anna, "Since I'm in town and it seems like a night for celebration would either of you ladies care for dinner as my treat on a successful school year survived?"

"Unfortunately for you I'll have to decline." Mary waved a hand, "Matthew's coming to get me in ten and then we've got a weekend in Pittsburgh that I'm not looking forward to."

"That conference for his job?"

Mary nodded, "Someone decided to go and change all the laws about supplement fact panels and since he's a food and safety lawyer we're trucking up there for it." She paused, "And, at the risk of delaying whatever evening you two've probably planned to a T, might I steal Anna for a moment?"

Anna squeezed John's hand before following Mary out of the room. She led them across the hallway to her classroom. When the door closed Anna immediately tensed.

"What's going on?"

Mary wrung her hands a moment before dropping them to her sides. "The weekend in Pittsburgh's not just about Matthew's job."

Anna nodded, "You've got an offer there?"

"A couple. Well," Mary cringed, "Three. All Catholic Schools but the pay's better and the hours are-"

"You don't have to explain to me why you'd move, Mary." Anna stepped forward to rub her friend's arm, "You've got to make your own choices and so do I. We're all managing ourselves best we can."

"I just…" Mary gestured to Anna, "I want you to come with me."

"To Pittsburgh?" Anna shook her head, "No thank you. It's almost as bad as Cleveland."

"But you can't live the rest of your life in this town teaching kids who don't care about Shakespeare or Quadratic equations about that kind of thing."

"There are those who care."

"Not enough Anna." Mary sighed, "I just worry that you'll slave your life away in this dying town and nothing'll come of it. You'll marry someone with no aspirations and then teach your kids in the same classrooms without the right funding and the never ending budget cuts and-"

"Okay, Nostradamus, I don't need all the doom and gloom thank you." Anna sighed, "And I do appreciate your worry. But there's more to life than the facts you're giving me right now. Especially now that Mr. Bates has an interest in the town."

"An interest in the town or in you?"

Anna gave a little smile, "I'll go for either at this point."

Mary frowned, "Is he serious about all that stuff he gave to the city council last month?"

"Why do you care, you're moving?" Anna teased back and Mary swatted at her.

"My father is investing in this insane venture."

"Because you live here?"

"It might've been part of why he presented it as an option." Mary rolled her eyes, "Mum's from Cincinnati and they were thinking of moving there when he retired from the service but now they're thinking about here."

"But you're moving."

"I know. Funny how this place is just the black hole that sucks you into it." Mary sighed, "Anyway, I just want to make sure you know what you're getting into."

"Into how?"

"There's his ex-wife for starters."

"Met her already."

"And the business side of it."

"Gave him some pointers there."

"And-"

"Mary," Anna grabbed her hands, "How do you know any of this. When he came last month he was a stranger to you."

"I've talked with my father since then and found out they're old friends."

Anna closed her eyes to shake her head and sigh before gripping Mary's hands tightly a moment. "I appreciate your worries about me, I truly do, but I'm an adult. I make my own decisions… most of the times better than the ones you make."

"You can't be serious." Mary scoffed, "You gave up a business offer from Evelyn Napier and now that man is rolling in it."

"You gave up the chance to marry him to be with Matthew and move to Pittsburgh." Anna opened the door, "Funny how it all works out, isn't it."

"Don't try and one-up me Anna Smith," Mary called at her, "I know where you sleep and I'm not above those pranks we pulled at the Academy."

Anna waved her off and returned to her classroom. She stopped in the doorway to see John speaking with a man about his height with a gray swatch of hair and busy eyebrows that intimidated move people when he used them to look down his prominent nose at them. They intimidated Anna.

She stepped quietly into the room but the man turned to face her, his voice deep enough to comfort and frighten. "Ah, Ms. Smith, I'm glad you're still here."

"I practically live here, Mr. Carson." Anna pulled at the fingers of her left hand, "How can I help you?"

"Mr. Bates here was just telling me about some of his business plans for the community in the coming months and I proposed that perhaps he might be willing to offer spaces to our seniors aspiring for business positions as interns."

"I'm sure the work won't be ready in time for this year, surely." Anna looked at John, who only shrugged.

"We've got a few construction teams putting in bids and we'll know their projected outcomes by the end of this week. If all goes well with the three we're favoring at the moment we could have at least two of our factories and one of our business centers ready by September, maybe October at the latest."

"And you're looking for interns?"

"Part of the business model the city council approved was because we'd want to source local labor."

"All of it?"

John shook his head, "Not all. Our office managers and factory heads'll pulled in from other locations for the time being. We need efficiency to get it all up and running but within two years we want ninety percent of our employees at these locations to be local."

"It's not a benefit to the town to have you here otherwise." Mr. Carson turned to Anna, "I'm sure you'd know some of the students you'd recommend to Mr. Bates for his program."

"I know a few who'll have interest but I think they should know a bit more about it first." Anna pointed toward John, "As should we."

"I think I could draw up a prospective proposal for you and submit it by the end of next week, once we've got our timeline all set." John shook Mr. Carson's hand, "It's been a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Carson."

"Likewise, Mr. Bates."

After he left the room Anna turned to John, "What was that?"

"He came down the hall and at first accused me of trying to steal from your room." John gave it a once over, "I've got a thing for your posters of famous mathematicians and authors but I don't think I'll go for your papier-mâché model of the Globe Theatre over there."

"A student made that for me and I thought it rather good."

"I didn't say it wasn't. It just won't go with the décor of the room where I'm staying."

"Oh?" Anna folded her arms over her chest, "And where exactly do you think that is, Mr. Bates?"

"There's this lovely little place about twenty minutes outside of town where a beautiful woodland fairy lives." John pulled her closer, settling on the edge of her desk. "I thought I might risk falling under her spell and stay there."

"Did you now?" Anna looped her arms over his shoulders, standing between his legs. "And what if she thinks otherwise?"

"I can stay in the rental car."

"She won't allow that." Anna kissed him but pulled back in a hurry when the desk creaked. "I forgot how old this was."

"How old is it?"

"See that nick there?" John moved to see the chunk of missing desk. "I put that there my junior year."

"Oh shit."

"Yeah," Anna sighed, "Funding for American education is deplorable."

"If I watch the news correctly then I'd say the answer is to take from your military defense budget."

"As a former member of the military and someone still serving in the Reserves I take umbrage to that." Anna gathered her bag and a few things before leading John out of the room. "Personally I think if they took our union dues and stopped spending over a billion dollars in the education lobby and just funneled it back into our schools we'd be much better off."

John held up his hands in defense as Anna flipped the switches and closed the door. "Guess that teaches me not to mess around in American politics."

"It's the world's business, so they say." Anna arranged her bag and slipped her arm through his. "Though I'm more concerned about the dinner you promised to treat me to."

"I did promise." John bit the inside of his cheek, "But what if I took you to a lovely place and promised not to set your kitchen on fire again?"

"Does that mean you're cooking for me?" Anna shivered, "I'm all excited now."

"I thought I should since the last time I tried I almost burned down your house."

"It's more durable than that." Anna went out to the parking lot, unlocking her car and setting her things inside. "But since my fridge looks about as bad as it did when Mary and I shared a house, we should go to a store first."

"I liked the domestic sound to that." John pointed at his car, "I'll follow you there then?"

Anna shrugged, "You could leave it here."

"You mean like how I left my car at the garage last time I was here?" John laughed, "I almost just got an Uber here since I was pretty sure I wouldn't need a car."

"Why didn't you?"

"It's not exactly in the route of your average Uber. Or Lyft or any of the other ones I looked into before I finally just got the rental." John pointed at the car, "It won't get vandalized or anything if I leave it for the night will it?"

Anna shook her head, "The worst anyone's ever done around here is sneak a cow onto the second floor of the school."

"Sounds disgusting."

"It's worse because while the cow can climb up stairs it can't climb down so they had to bring in a crane." Anna pointed to the side of the building, "If you look there you can see where they had to saw out part of the wall to get the crane in."

"The worst thing we ever did was take apart the headmaster's car and leave the pieces labeled in his office."

"I only ever hazed cadets." Anna unlocked the door for John. "But it was just boot camp. Waking them up at three in the morning, yelling at them, and then forcing them to give me leg lifts until one of the guys cried."

"Until he cried?"

"I think that part was unintentional but I just made him switch to pushups." Anna pulled out of the lot, "It's what the military does."

"Drive you mad?" John shuddered, "I thought, for a time, I might consider doing it for the rest of my life but then I realized I was an idiot for thinking that."

"Why?"

John shrugged, "Because I realized I used the military as an escape from my wife and you shouldn't treat something that poorly."

"Some people think the military is full of baby killers and brainwashed patriots."

"Or violent killers with a license to do it." John nodded, "I once had a bloke in a bar splash his Guinness all over me because he thought I shouldn't be drinking with civilized people."

"Was that when you got out?"

"No, that was about a year before I did. When I did get out it was because I didn't want to disrespect the efforts of those dedicating their lives because they believed in what they did."

"You believed it."

"Not like that." John sighed, "But then Robert got me into his company and I found my niche."

"I thought it was your company."

"He sold me the branch he was managing in Dublin."

"Not very well if I remember Mary giving her father grief about it when he visited us in Leeds."

John winced, "He's got too big a heart to manage his money well and he makes some decisions based more on instinct than knowledge and that can be dangerous in large doses."

"So you bought that arm of the company?"

"And it's what you see now." John laughed, "I think Robert got the best end of the deal because he still kept stock in my company and then cashed out last year to retire and live in the lap of luxury with his wife."

"I think you'd go mad without anything to do."

"More than likely."

Anna parked the car, "Ready to surprise me with dinner?"

John grinned, "I think you'll enjoy it."

They went through the store together, Anna feeling an ease walking with him as they shopped like any other couple. But that was the moment her thoughts changed. Toward the checkout line he stopped, frowning at her.

"Are you alright?"

"Not here."

They paid for the items and moved them to the car. Anna climbed into the driver's seat and waited for John to situate himself before turning to him. "What are we doing?"

He frowned, "I thought I was making you dinner but I might be wrong. That's a distinct possibility."

"I mean about us? If there even is an us."

"Would there not be?"

Anna shrugged, "I don't know. I like what we've got so far and unless you experienced something I didn't then I know we both enjoyed sex but there's a lot more to relationships than that."

John nodded, "Do you want a relationship with me?"

"I think so but you're here, there, and everywhere so I wonder if that's the smart choice." Anna paused, "Not to mention I've only known you a month and I already have this impulse to invite you to live in my spare bedroom."

"What brought this on?" John held up his hands, "I'm not dismissing what you're saying in any way. I just want to know if I did something to give you the wrong impression or-"

"It's not that." Anna pointed to the bags in the backseat and then the supermarket. "We were in there walking around like a couple and I realized I want us to be that but I don't think we are. Not in the sense that we've ever said it or that we necessarily need to say it but I don't think I want to introduce you at a party as the guy staying in my house that I shag sometimes."

John let a grin slip, "Only sometimes?" She scowled slightly and he recovered, "I'm sorry, that was flippant."

"A little."

"Anna," He placed a hand over hers, "I don't know what we have or if we could call it normal but I've told you things I don't discuss with people. Things about my business, about my intentions with this town, about my life before all this… I don't want to say anything as foolish as 'you're the one' but I don't think I would do those things unless I felt something for you."

John stroked over her hand, "Something more than just a sexual attraction but, I assure you, that's there too."

Anna smiled at him, "I know and thank you."

"So," John nodded at her, "Do you want to be my girlfriend?"

"I think I'd like that." Anna turned the car on, "Now we'd better get going before that ice cream melts in my car instead of my mouth."

"I wanted it to maybe melt somewhere else." John whispered under his breath and Anna smiled.

"There might be time for that later." She held up a finger, "If you can make something decent and not burn my kitchen down."

"Challenge accepted."