Grading the last of her stack of papers, Emily swept a small stand of her straightened hair from her forehead. It had been a few days after she and her neighbor had gone on their date and she was still floating on cloud nine, but she hadn't seen him since that night. He had been at work all weekend and he had texted her just that morning to let her know that he and Jack would be going on a small vacation; just the two of them.

But because of her date, which she obviously told her best friend about, all of her friends from college and all of her family members were calling and texting her, her grandmother who was turning eighty-two in a week had sent her first email to ask her about her new man.

Everyone was extremely excited. She hadn't gone on a date in years.

"Mrs. Prentiss?"

Emily looked up and spotted a beautiful blond in her doorway, her hands clutching an obviously expensive purse. "Ms.," she corrected politely. "Can I help you?"

The older woman immediately nodded her head. "I'm Jack Hotchner's mother, Haley Brooks."

Emily's jaw almost smashed into the floor.

"I hope this isn't a bad time."

The teacher shook away her shock and stood from her chair. "Not at all," she smiled, shaking the other woman's hand. "Have a seat."

Haley gave a polite nod of the head.

Watching as the blue eyed blond fiddled with the handles of her purse, Emily sat herself back down and clasped her hands. "Can I help you with something?"

"I'm sorry to barge in like this, but Jack's father was able to come to the parent conferences on Friday while I couldn't." Brushing away the bangs of her bob, Haley gave a nervous smile. "I just wanted to know how my son was doing."

Emily gave the older woman a grin. "Oh Jack is great," she gushed. "He's one of my best students."

Haley's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Your son is doing extremely well in my class," she assured her. "On our latest spelling test, he got the top score in his class."

The blond let out a breath, her hand to her heart. "Thank God. I'm so sorry for coming in out of nowhere and interrupting your day but I really needed some good news for my son."

Emily frowned, leaning harder on her elbows. "Is something wrong with Jack?"

"My husband and I only divorced over a year ago," Haley admitted to his son's favorite teacher. "He doesn't like to talk much unless it involves his daddy, and I needed to know that he was still doing well in school. He's always loved coming here and I just needed to be reassured."

Emily gave a gentle smile to the older woman and nodded her head. "Jack is fantastic," she said softly. "He's always very happy and very focused on his work. I don't think there's a thing for you to worry about." But she understood where the now single mother was coming from. Her parents had gotten divorced when she was just thirteen years old, but maybe she took it harder than Jack took it was because he didn't fully understand. He was only nine, and he still got to see both his parents. Emily's father immediately flew off to Rome and she could only see him once a year.

And, shifting in her chair, those visits usually didn't go as planned.

"Ms. Prentiss?"

Emily's head lifted, smiling to the older woman. "I apologize. I sort of drifted off there for a minute."

Haley stood, shouldering her bag and shaking her head as she smoothed down her skirt. "Don't worry. I have to get to the other teachers anyway," she nodded. Making her way to the door, the blond slowly spun on her heel. "Jack loves you, by the way. I don't think he goes a day without talking about his favorite teacher Ms. Prentiss."

The brunette blushed at the compliment, waiting until she knew Haley was far enough away from her classroom before she scrambled for her phone. "Pick up," she growled into the receiver, rushing over to the door and slamming it closed.

"Em?"

She gave a sigh of relief at the sound of her best friend's voice, and she plopped back down into her desk chair. "You will not believe who was just here."