SIGNS OF A QUIET HEART: (MY HEART IS YOURS - BOOK 1) Read online

  Doris sighed heavily. “To make an extremely long story short, I’ve known his grandmother for over fifty years. When Toby was about five, the bloody shite hit the fan with Toby’s so-called parents, and Gina came to me in tears asking for my help. Since I owned this school, I could do anything I wanted. Toby was enrolled; all fees were waived. I was always his teacher, and I have kept my eye on him ever since. Sometimes school is a child’s only safe haven. End of story, short version. I was his protector when he needed one; now I see he is ready to pass that gift on to another child in need, sweet little Daisy.”

  Robbi’s tears started to flow. Doris gave her a gentle hug as she said, “I didn’t mean to make you cry, Robbi. Thankfully, Toby’s story had a happy ending. As educators, that is why we are here, is it not?” Then, without missing a beat, she turned and yelled over her shoulder. “I must go now. My favorite young man is taking me to lunch.”

  Robbi was in total shock. She called me Robbi. She has never done that. And she cursed in front of me. Holy shit! Or should I say shite? Chuckling to herself, Robbi grabbed her lunch out of the little fridge she kept in the closet, put her feet up, and relaxed for a bit.

  Lunch was over in a flash as the children returned to the classroom, led by Mia and Toby. Normally the group entered the room quietly; however, they were unusually excited as they gathered around the ASL alphabet poster in the middle of the large table. A grinning Daisy was in the center of the hubbub, gesticulating wildly and obviously relishing the attention.

  “Toby, what’s up?” Ms. Bennett queried. Toby, looking as enthusiastic as the children, responded quickly. “The kids discussed it during lunch, and it appears they do not want to wait until they get home to make up your name signs. They’d like to do it now. Would that be okay?” The class had become very still as every pair of kiddie eyes was on Ms. Bennett.

  Robbi clapped her hands in glee, while nodding excitedly. “Yes, let’s do it. That will be fun.” After she gave Toby an approving go-ahead gesture, he went to the board and began by writing the names ‘Ms. Bennett’ and ‘Mia’.

  “We need to think of words to describe Ms. B and Mia. What words can you think of?” The exuberant children shouted their answers all at once. Toby wrote down as many of their responses as he could.

  Ms. Bennett: tall, pretty, blonde, nice, sweet, smart, strict.

  Mia: pretty, cute, red hair, curly hair, funny, beautiful, freckles.

  Daisy proceeded by showing the children how to make the letters ‘B’ and ‘M’. After much discussion by Toby and demonstrations by Daisy, it was agreed that Ms. Bennett’s name sign would be a ‘B’ combined with the word for sweet — four fingers brushed on the chin. Mia’s new name sign would be the letter ‘M’ tapped on the cheek a few times — the sign for freckles. The children loved Mia’s sign, and proceeded to tap the ‘M’ all over their faces because that’s how many freckles Mia had. Robbi noted that every child had been fully engaged in the impromptu sign language activity. Note to self: include ASL in lessons daily.

  Toby, with an animated Daisy in tow, suddenly approached Ms. B. He signed and spoke simultaneously, which has become routine for him now. Daisy hung on his every gesture.

  “Daisy has a fantastic idea.” He gazed downward, giving her a sly wink. “Why not create a mural of ‘I Love You’ hands? The children could trace the handshape or make handprints with paint using their favorite colors.”

  The remainder of the afternoon was devoted to creating the lovely mural. Mia remarked how beautifully the children worked together, with Daisy assisting them so their ‘ILY’ handshapes were perfect.

  The class had just been dismissed, and Robbi had some quiet time to relax and reflect on the day. Daisy had made remarkable progress with Toby’s assistance. Popping her laptop open, Robbi made the decision she needed to learn some sign language. As she browsed through different websites, many thoughts flooded her head; most of them were about Daisy.

  Once in a while, if Toby was absent, out of the room, or working with another child, Daisy was content to play with the other children. She was really adjusting nicely to being in a classroom setting. There were no more tantrums; she seemed to be learning how to make her needs and desires understood. Ms. Bennett also observed that Daisy’s lip-reading skills were quite good. You always had to face her directly, speak at a normal rate — which was counter-intuitive, but very important — and an expressive face always helped. The rare occasions where Daisy would use her voice, her speech was somewhat understandable although not very clear. Ms. B had an innate suspicion that Daisy was able to speak, but perhaps had experienced some form of traumatic event, which adversely affected her in some way. She had no evidence, no concrete proof; just a gut feeling which Toby shared. They both watched Daisy like a Mama and Papa hawk.

  Toby had a knack for always knowing what she was saying, but that made perfect sense; he himself had to rely on lip-reading all his life. Daisy worked with the speech therapist, Mrs. Rosenberg, twice a week for fifteen-to-twenty-minute sessions. Toby never had to drag Daisy to speech therapy; Mrs. R loved that little girl like one of her own grandchildren. Toby was allowed to take his break when Daisy had speech, although most of the time he chose to go with her. If she felt like being by herself, she would draw. She was quite an artist for a five-year-old. She would draw anything and everything in nature: flowers, trees, birds, the playground, the sky, and clouds. She often drew herself, always holding a daisy or with a daisy in her hair. There were no drawings of parent-type figures; no father, which was not that unusual, and no mother, which Ms. B thought was weird, but very telling. She had a momentary flashback and shuddered, remembering the confidential report.

  Robbi’s expression quickly morphed into a smile as she glanced at the bulletin board where the children’s art ‘masterpieces’ were hung. One of Daisy’s drawings of Toby was displayed there. Daisy wanted to hang every one of her Toby drawings, and there were plenty, but the classroom rule was clear: only one per child. Her portrayals of him were quite profound. His trademark silver streak and mismatched eyes were always present. The themes varied, and recently Toby’s shoulders had sprouted wings. They varied in size and shape but were omnipresent. Toby is Daisy’s angel ... can’t argue with that.

  Class K-1 was thriving, as well. They had easily won the ‘Clean Cafeteria’ contest for March, and were leading in points for April, so far. Of course, Mrs. Blanchard tried her best to coerce Robbi into revealing exactly how the class managed to clean their area and line up so quickly. The principal visited K-1 the day after their victory was announced.

  “You kindergarteners have beaten all the older children!” Mrs. Blanchard bellowed in her scary-principal voice, which was so over-the-top the children couldn’t help but howl with laughter. As a child, she had been an actress in London, and loved nothing more than putting on a show with her exaggerated British accent, which grew stronger with every word. “It has never been done before; quite shocking!” Suddenly, her voice sounded like the Wicked Witch from The Wizard of Oz, as she crouched down slightly so she could glare directly into the eyes of every child. “So now, boys and girls, are you going to tell me your little secret?” she cackled evilly. The children loved her theatrics and played right along, shaking their heads and yelling, “Noooo!” in unison. Little Daisy, on the other hand, had never seen the behavior before and looked scared to death. Her eyes were huge, and her tiny hands flew up to cover half her face. Ms. Bennett was about to intervene when she noticed Toby looking at the little girl reassuringly. He signed something to her, his index finger brushing his nose downward; he then shot her a hasty wink and a smile. Her expression instantly morphed from panic to wonder; her smile was pure joy. Ms. B was blown away. Wow, what the hell was that? I need to learn that sign.

  Mrs. Blanchard turned her witchy face toward Ms. Bennett, scaring her out of her reverie. “How about you, dearie? Surely you will tell me what I want to know.” Robbi coyly folded her arms across her chest, shook her head v
ery slowly, and simply smiled like the Cheshire Cat, refusing to say a word.

  “If a woman is partial to a man, and does not endeavour to conceal it, he must find it out.”

  – Jane Austen

  It was finally Friday morning, and K-1 was busy gathering their belongings and backpacks together. They were about to celebrate their big win with an amazing party at Toby’s favorite hangout, Rocco’s Pizza. The entire class went to the restaurant in one of the school’s buses. They left at 11 a.m. and had to be back at school by 3 p.m. The kids had the whole place to themselves and were able to order anything they wanted. Ms. Bennett paid for the pizza and drinks with a check given to her the day before by Mrs. Blanchard. Rocco, who surprisingly turned out to be Toby’s grandfather, generously provided all the desserts at no extra charge: ice cream, gelato, and cookies. Rocco, a still-handsome gentleman in his seventies, presided over the restaurant with a gentle, but professional, no-nonsense presence. He had recently retired, but still showed up every day. The restaurant was now being run by Rocco’s son, Tyler, who was Toby’s uncle. It was obviously a family affair. The waitresses were Toby’s cousins, and an aunt or two worked in the kitchen. Robbi couldn’t help but wonder if Toby’s dad was also a part of this lovely family.

  The children excitedly scrambled onto two long benches bordering a large rectangular table. The small group of girls, Kiki, Lola, Wendy, and Nell were content to sit together with Benjamin, Jonas, and Richie. Naturally, the other three boys were vying for the seats on either side of Daisy. Samuel got one, and Luis the other. Jack, the sweet-faced, blond boy with Down syndrome, lost out; he was simply not quick enough. Samuel, seeing Jack’s crestfallen expression, immediately got up and poked Jack repeatedly, pulling his arm toward the bench. “Jackie, Jackie, sit in my seat ... sit.” Jack did as he was told with the widest smile on his face. Sammy patted Jack’s back, exclaiming, “I sat next to Daisy yesterday, Jackie. Today is your turn.” Jack’s smile was huge.

  Robbi didn’t know what she wanted to do first: explode with pride, her lessons on sharing obviously learned, or burst into tears at the touching scene. She ended up doing a little of both, filled with gratitude to be working at the unique school. If that incident had happened at her former school where the kids were in high school and did not have special needs, there would have been punches thrown, some bloody noses ... and that was describing how the other jealous girls would have bullied Daisy. The high school boys probably would have pulled weapons.

  Daisy, oblivious to the attention next to her, was looking around the room in total awe. Robbi pondered, as she watched her closely. I’ll bet it’s her first time in a restaurant.

  After four large pies and numerous drinks were delivered to the tables, Ms. Bennett got up and strolled around the restaurant. She had met Tyler briefly when they all arrived, but was waiting for things to quiet down so she could approach him for a quiet conversation, as well as to express her thanks. She walked toward him slowly, checking him out. Oh, my God! Not my usual type, but extremely hot! Robbi laughed to herself, recalling the previous month’s hallway conversation when Mia expressed the same observation about Toby. Tyler was quite tall, perhaps 6’ 2”, very long, black hair pulled back in a ponytail, scruffy facial hair, extremely well built, and one arm heavily tattooed.

  He looks like he could be an extra on Sons of Anarchy. Forget being an extra; he could be the STAR! He is WAY hotter than Jax! Holy crap, my lady parts are waking up from a deep slumber. Hmmm, is that his bitchin’ Harley parked out front?

  It was as if Toby had actually aged twenty years, maybe twenty-five; there were a few flecks of gray near his temples. Robbi half-expected any older male relative of Toby’s to be fully gray, considering he seemed to be prematurely going that way at twenty, with that huge silver streak through his jet-black hair. She was almost at the counter and started gnawing on her lower lip nervously. She looked down at her hands, hoping her manicure was still intact when she noticed in horror she was wearing her mother’s gold wedding band. She wore it every day, but should have thought to remove it before meeting this stunning man. Shit! He’ll assume I’m married.

  Robbi tried to snap out of her momentary hot-man fog as she reached the counter. Tyler had two small silver hoop earrings in one ear, and a small diamond stud in the other. She could feel his eyes on her; they were a deep cobalt blue, both of them, unlike Toby’s. I can’t recall EVER seeing eyes so blue. They were intently meeting her gaze, moving down her body, quickly back up to her lips, and then finally returning to her eyes. His look could have technically been called a ‘leer’, but it was so lightning-fast and his smile was so warm, it felt more like a compliment. She looked heavenward for a split second, sending a quick ‘Thanks, Mom’ to the woman who always advised her to look pretty — code: sexy — whenever she went somewhere special, and never to forget the heels. Not that a pizza party with kindergarteners technically was ‘somewhere special’, but Robbi took great care to wear something cute and semi-sexy, yet still said, ‘I am a teacher, a professional; take me seriously, or else.’ Why is he staring at me like that? He’s making me nervous. Wow! He is beautiful.

  Like lightning, little Kiki accosted Robbi at a break-neck pace, hollering “Ms. B! Ms. B! Wichie laughed at me. He said I talk funny.” Her mouth was turned down, lower lip trembling as her eyes overflowed with tears. Immediately, Robbi squatted down so she could look directly into the little girl’s forlorn countenance. Tyler had not moved a muscle; his eyes were glued to Robbi, whose hand reached to tickle Kiki’s cheek softly.

  “Well, my sweet girl, Richie obviously does not know that YOU have the biggest, most beautiful brown eyes in the whole, wide world. I think you’d better go tell him that right this minute, okay?”

  Kiki’s face brightened as she firmly planted her hands on her hips. “I’m gonna tell Wichie wight now!”

  “You do that, my lovely girl,” Robbi cooed, then cupped Kiki’s chubby cheeks in her hands and kissed her firmly on the top of her head.

  Kiki stormed off in search of the little boy, who suddenly was wearing a guilty and apologetic expression on his face. Robbi threw Richie a stern glare, and then returned her gaze to Tyler who was displaying a look of admiration and awe.

  “Wow! That was quite impressive,” he stated with a charming grin and gentle bob of his head.

  “Hi, Mr. Daniels. I’m Roberta Bennett, Robbi. Toby works with me. It’s really nice to meet you.” She reached for his hand and grasped it firmly, then gently lay her left hand on top of his. Instant connection, electric. Robbi’s dad had relied on his double handshake often; he said it worked wonders, but warned her to only use it if you felt the person was worthy of your trust.

  Tyler released the pent-up breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. Perhaps that could explain the unfamiliar lightheaded sensation he was experiencing. For a brief moment, he was back in middle school, auditioning for a dramatic role in a play. In his eager attempt to impress a girl, he realized, as he made his entrance onto the stage, he had completely forgotten to memorize the required lines. Nervously, he managed to stammer a weak response to her greeting.

  “H-hi there, Roberta Bennett ... Robbi.” He glanced down at her hand, then back up and met her gaze. Leaning over the counter, he graciously returned her hand-squeeze, and then put his other hand on top of hers. His hands were quite large and, although calloused, felt surprisingly soft and gentle. He took a deep, calming breath as his confidence roared back.

  Oh my God, I love hearing my name on his lips. Even Roberta sounds sexy, and I hate that name.

  “First of all,” he said with a devastating smile, revealing perfect teeth, “please call me Tyler, and I already know who you are. Toby talks about you and those kids all the time.” He continued, but the smile suddenly disappeared. “And secondly, I am not Mr. Daniels.”

  Robbi’s expression of surprise and embarrassment made Tyler chuckle as he maintained the grip on her hands in strong reassurance. His hands are so warm
. It’s a four-handed hand sandwich.

  Tyler continued. “I apologize, I just couldn’t resist. Obviously, Toby never mentioned to you that his last name is really D’Angelo. He decided to go by Daniels about five years ago in an attempt to distance himself from his father.

  Robbi was a bit shocked. “Really? Oh, I had no idea.” She removed her hands from his and instantly regretted doing so, mourning the loss of his heat. She folded her arms across her chest. “Toby doesn’t talk about himself much.”

  Tyler nodded in agreement. “That’s an understatement. Maybe one day I’ll fill you in on our family history; that is if you have the time.” He paused and took a deep breath, looking directly in her eyes. He was obviously waiting for her to answer, but she was lost in two deep, dark, shimmering pools.

  “Maybe we could talk some night over dinner? I know a great pizza joint.”

  Robbi’s expression was mildly surprised, but it must have also registered something negative, which came as a shock to her since her stomach did a flip-flop, which was not entirely unpleasant.

  Tyler closed his eyes as his face crumpled. Dropping his head into his hands, he whispered, “Fuck. Me.” When he brought his head back up and his soulful eyes met hers, they were so full of embarrassment, and perhaps even sadness, that she melted on the spot. Well, on the inside she may have melted; she did not allow herself to show it on the outside. He had just turned her insides into pure sexy goo.

  I have to maintain some sort of feminine advantage, don’t I?

  She waited for him to speak first. He finally did, and his voice was a husky whisper. “Did I actually say that out loud? I did, didn’t I? Sorry, I am such an asshole. My brain operates at ten miles per hour while my mouth tends to go ninety, which at times could be a good thing, but ... this is not one of those times.” Again, he paused for a second or two, but got no response from a stone-faced Robbi. He sighed, nervously biting his lower lip.