As Lena was driving to the coffee shop she was racking her brain trying to figure out what Stef wanted to talk about. Although she was biased, Anchor Beach was a great school and she couldn't understand what Stef would be concerned about. She got to the coffee shop early and picked a table in the corner and waited for Stef. When she saw Stef walk in, she felt butterflies in her stomach. She smiled as they made eye contact and watched Stef walk towards her. She wanted to give Stef a hug, but was afraid it might turn her off. She extended her hand instead.
When Stef saw Lena sitting in the corner of the café, her heart skipped a beat. She had thought about this woman constantly over the last few weeks. When she felt Lena's hand in hers, she didn't want to let go. She couldn't believe how soft it was. She felt herself blush as she pulled her hand away. "I'm going to grab a coffee, what would you like, my treat".
"That's ok, Stef, I can get my own".
"No, you are meeting me on a Saturday, I can buy you a coffee".
"Thanks, Black coffee would be great".
"One black coffee coming up".
Lena watched Stef walk to the counter and noticed how good her ass looked in her jeans. She took a deep breath and reminded herself that Stef was married and only here to talk about her son's education.
Stef returned with the coffees and handed Lena hers. Lena said, "Thanks. So, Stef what did you want to talk about".
"I wanted to talk about Brandon. His father and I have both noticed that he really loves music and I know he's only 5, but we really want to nurture that. I was wondering if Anchor Beach had any kind of music program."
When Stef mentioned Brandon's father, Lena felt like she had been punched in the gut. She straightened in her chair and looked over at Stef. "Yes, we do have a wonderful music program and we can certainly get Brandon into some classes. We could have discussed this over the phone".
"I know, I just…well, I just thought that it would be better to meet in person, you know…I just wanted to make sure you know how serious I was about this".
Lena noticed Stef's shy smile and wondered if there was something more to this. She decided she needed to find out. She was getting mixed signals and wasn't quite sure how to proceed. "So, Stef, is Brandon your only child?"
Stef was surprised by the question. "Yes he is, why do you ask?"
She noticed Stef looked a little uncomfortable. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry, I was just wondering if you had any more future Anchor Beach students." She figured she better change the subject. "So Stef, are you from around here?"
"Born and raised. You?"
"I'm from the Bay Area originally, but I came down here to start working at Anchor Beach." It took me awhile to get used to the area but now I love it here. I wouldn't trade it for anything".
Stef was glad the subject was changed. "I can't imagine living anywhere else. Have you always wanted to be a Vice Principal?"
Lena laughed, "No…I got my Bachelors in Psychology but after my roommate came home from doing her internship at a school, she was an education major, I was fascinated. I decided to get my Masters in Child Psychology and get my Education degree. I didn't intend on becoming a principal, it just seemed like the next step. How about you? Where did you go to school?"
Stef was a little intimated by Lena's education and embarrassed that she never finished college herself. She took a few classes at the Community College after the academy, but after she had Brandon, she didn't have the time, or the money, to do that. "I ummmm".
"Ms. Adams, how are you today?" Lena looked up and saw one of her former students standing there.
"Jenny, how are you doing?" She stood to hug the young woman.
"Stef, this is one of my former students, Jenny Lake. Jenny, this is a parent of one of my new students, Stef Foster. Jenny, what have you been up to?"
"I just finished my junior year at UCLA and I am home for the summer working. I actually was going to see if I could talk to you sometime and get some advice about school and my career". Looking at Stef she said, "Ms. Adams was my favorite teacher".
Stef said, "That's great. Go ahead, sit down, I've got to go, anyway. Lena, thanks for meeting me to talk about Brandon's musical education. I'll see you".
While Lena was happy to see Jenny and give her advice about her future, after all that was one of the favorite things about her job, getting to see her students succeed, she was disappointed to see Stef so eager to leave. "Thanks for the coffee Stef. I'll see you another time". At least she was hoping she would see her another time.