Courted by Discipline: A Courting Romance (In Hyacinth Book 1) Read online

  Her father nodded slowly. “Need a reminder?”

  “No.” Oh, please no. Not a spanking right before school. Those were the worst kind, trying to act like everything was normal when her behind was going up in flames.

  “All right. I’ll give you a freebie this morning.” Turning back to her mother, he picked up from where he left off as Kathy forced herself to eat. Getting out of a spanking for interrupting was a miracle. Gerald despised rudeness in any form. And she agreed with him. If she had been paying attention, she wouldn’t have done it. “Kathy?” Blinking, she looked up realizing he was speaking to her.

  “Yes?” What did she miss? Had he said her name more than once?

  His lips quirked. “Your mind is all over the place this morning. I was just asking what question did you want answered.”

  “Oh, I just wondered how big the school was.”

  “Chet says the school is pretty small. But you’re used to that. The students are bussed in from twenty miles away, so it doesn’t start until nine and ends at four.” He continued, but Kathy’s mind clicked onto the four p.m. School was out at four and she had to be in bed by nine? She’d never get anything done. “—so there aren’t the kinds of events you’re used to. There’s a football team and a basketball team. And your uncle says the girls’ senior year is very important. Besides the state assigned English, math, and science, you’ll have classes to help you with your life once you graduate.”

  “Like what?” In her last high school there had been a class to introduce students to college. That would be kind of fun. At some point she hoped to marry and take care of the home like her mother did, but she also wanted to do something more. Going to college sounded like the perfect way to figure out what that something might be.

  “Home Ec is one, not sure of the others. Since you’ll be eighteen, I believe you’re also given the choice of early release, but he said that depended on a few other things.”

  Early release? Score! If given the option, she would take it.

  Without much further to tell her, Gerald finished eating and soon left for work, leaving them to clean up and attack more boxes before taking Kathy to school to sign up. They almost had the living room box-free when her mother said, “Come on. We can finish this later. It’s time to go.”

  School was about fifteen minutes away, in the exact opposite direction of her father’s work. The schoolhouse was actually quite large. A four-story, tan-brick building, she counted fourteen windows along one side and ten across another. “Do you want me to come in?” her mother asked. Shaking her head as she would prefer not to be escorted by her own mother, Kathy opened the passenger door of her mom’s SUV and headed toward the school. The grounds consisted of low-cut grass surrounding the school on all sides. It was actually kind of bleak.

  She opened the front door and walked in, looking around for any kind of sign that would tell her where to go. Her mother had thankfully timed their arrival perfectly for right after the first class started so no other students were in the halls. Looking to her right, she spotted a sign at the very end of the hallway and headed toward it. She passed several doors that had small window cut-outs right above the handles and could tell they were classrooms. Since she wasn’t close, there was no way to catch a sight of the full uniform, but it looked like jackets were included. Ugh.

  When she reached the administration office, she pushed the door open into a small room with a counter running across two sides that were slightly above waist high on her. As nobody was around, she walked up and tapped a bell sitting on the counter. A few seconds later, a door opened off to the side and a woman about her mother’s age walked into the room. She offered a closed-lip smile and cocked her head. “Yes?”

  “Hi. My name’s Kathy Bretherton. I just moved here.”

  “Ah,” she said, her puzzled expression clearing as she walked closer and bent over, digging under the counter for something. “We received your school records, Kathy, but with only three weeks left,” she said standing back up, “there isn’t much to do. All the classes are either test-taking or doing presentations. To be honest, we think your attending classes would be an issue. As such,” she added, placing a large packet of paperwork in front of Kathy, “we’ve decided that you’ll only come to campus two days this week and three next. During those times, you’ll be tested to see where you fit for next year.” She paused and an actual warm smile crossed her face. “My son Clive just returned home from college last year. He has a very promising future.”

  The last two sentences were confusing, but Kathy offered her a smile in return. “So, do you want me to bring this stuff back filled out?”

  “Yes. You can return on Wednesday; we should have the exams ready by then. At the bottom of the stack is the order form for uniforms but you can use it for next year. After all,” she said with a delicate laugh, “the choice of uniforms depends on what happens this summer.”

  Now Kathy was sure she was missing something. What did the summer have to do with uniforms? Did eighteen-year-olds wear different ones from seventeen-year-olds? “Umm, so what should I wear on Wednesday? Mom and I can make some, I’m sure.”

  The lady shook her head, though very kindly. “They are very intricate and the material isn’t available locally. All of your testing will be in here, so just come wearing something similar to what you have on after the first bell. You won’t be allowed in the hallways and you can leave school by two. Oh, do you need the bus to pick you up?”

  “No, Mom’s gonna pick me up and drop me off.”

  “All right. Welcome to Hyacinth, Kathy. You’re going to love it here.”

  Smiling, Kathy nodded and left, sure the conversation had meaning if she knew where to look for it. Maybe that was how people talked around here, in riddles. It would make the time go by quicker, she supposed, if you spent all your time trying to figure things out. Jogging over to her mother’s car, she hopped into the passenger seat. “Don’t have to make uniforms,” she said with a grin. “In fact, I won’t even be taking classes. Just testing a couple days a week.”

  Shaking her head in amusement, Carilyn pulled out of her parking space. “Looks like you get your desire for no school for the rest of the year. However did you pull that off?”

  “I’ve been good,” Kathy teased, “very, very good.”

  Chapter 2

  The next two weeks flew by. Testing at school was incredibly ordinary. The days she went, they stuck her in front of a computer and she just followed the directions on the screen. Her only wish was that she could find a way to meet some other students her age. Summer would be awful long without some friends. On her last day of testing, Mrs. Greenthorpe – the woman she met the first day – had her choose her classes for the next year.

  “You will need to choose four regular classes, two classes you would like to take, and three alternates just in case those classes are full. Your senior class currently has two hundred and forty-seven people in it, and as they did their sign ups two months ago, it is likely that at least one of the classes you want will be full. You’ve tested out of what Washington State expects of its students for math, so you can choose an advanced math class if you want, but you don’t have to.”

  Over two hundred people. That was twice as many as were at her old school. The number seemed rather daunting, but Kathy plowed ahead, looking at the class list. It was a pleasant thought that she didn’t have to take math next year. It wasn’t one of her favorite subjects. After choosing a literature class that sounded interesting and a chemistry course as she had to take one science, she was left with wondering what other classes to take. The regular courses included band, choir, gym – for which there were four options – and to her horror, an entire year of Sex Ed? No, thank you. She chose choir and yoga and went on to add-ons. There were tons of those, though they seemed to all center around home education. After choosing an advanced sewing class and a baking course, it was the alternates she wasn’t sure of.

  “Mrs. Greenthorp
e?” she called as she looked at the screen.

  “Yes, dear?”

  “I’m at my three alternates. But how do I know what to choose? Should they cover the regular classes? Or the add-ons?”

  “I’d pick two regular classes. Those are the ones that fill up.”

  Kathy marked three alternates and clicked finished, pleased she was finally done. Getting up, she walked out of the small testing room she had been in and up to the counter. “Okay, all done.”

  “Wonderful. Let me get your schedule.”

  Already? Well, that was good.

  “Mom was wondering about ordering uniforms. The paperwork you sent said to wait until late June.”

  “Yes,” Mrs. Greenthorpe said, walking back into the office with a paper in her hands. “You should know by then if you need to order them with the extras or without.” She handed over the paper. “Only one of your requested classes was full. You were lucky. Now, we won’t need to see you next week. It’s the final week of school and is going to be hectic. But we look forward to seeing you next year, Kathy.”

  “Thanks.” Turning, Kathy left the administration building, momentarily startled as she spotted someone else in the hallway. He was digging in a locker and looked up, raising an eyebrow at her. Realizing she was staring, she forced her feet to move forward.

  “You’re new,” he said, his eyes brazenly looking her up and down. Used to that, she just ignored it.

  “Yep. I’m Kathy Bretherton. My family just moved here.”

  “Ah,” he said nodding as he slammed his locker shut. “The new doc. Yeah, Dad told me there was one. I’m Kyle Betts and I’m glad to say I’m graduating in eight days.”

  Snickering, she nodded as he turned and walked with her down the hall. “Yeah, I’ll be saying that a year from now.”

  A snort left his lips. “Yeah, you’ll be saying ‘it’s eight days till my wedding day.’“

  Frowning and not liking the sneering tone in his voice, she stood up straight and glared at him. “I’m going to college. Marriage won’t happen for years.”

  Barking out a laugh, he turned down another hall as she paused at the doorway. “Boy are you in for a shock,” he called over his shoulder before opening a classroom door and walking in.

  Annoyed, she left the building, glad to see her mom waiting in the parking lot. Hopping into the passenger seat, she didn’t realize how angry she actually was until Carilyn put her hand on Kathy’s knee. “What happened?” she asked softly.

  Letting out a long sigh, Kathy shook her head. “Boys.”

  “Ah. Yes, that says it all, doesn’t it?”

  Deciding to forget Kyle’s words, Kathy looked down at the paper she still held. “I got my class list for next year, though.”

  “Oh good, what’re you taking?”

  “Literature, chemistry, yoga, art, advanced sewing, and baking.”

  “Art?” Carilyn said in amusement. “That isn’t quite your style.”

  “I guess choir was full. Art was an alternate. Hopefully they won’t expect me to actually be artistic.” That would be a nasty surprise for the teacher. Crafts Kathy could do. Drawing? Nope. Every time she tried, they turned out looking nothing like what she was trying to actually put on the page. “What’s left on the house?”

  For two weeks, when not doing testing, she had helped her mother start the fun of peeling wallpaper. The house looked like a destruction zone with the walls ripped up and all the furniture covered in plastic.

  “Sanding next week. Then we can finally start painting.”

  “Good. Can we paint my room peach?”

  Once they got home, Kathy put her paperwork in her room and they started dinner. Cooking was restful to her, especially as she got to do it with her mother. Some of the recipes were quite complex and what she couldn’t understand, Carilyn usually could.

  “A roast?” she asked in surprise as she spotted it on the counter. They usually only ate roast on Sundays.

  “Your father called this morning to say he was bringing a colleague over for dinner. I figured pot roast with potatoes and carrots was a good, simple meal. If you’ll get that ready, I’ll start on dessert.”

  That was always the best course. Kathy was a bit of a bungler at dessert. It was one of the reasons she had chosen baking in school. Surely having her grades depend on it would force her to become good at it. She was more a ‘little bit of this, a little bit of that’ cook. Pastry usually had to be more exact.

  Once the food was in the oven and the dessert was in the fridge, her mom pointed at the kitchen table. “Gerry won’t be home for an hour and forty minutes. Why don’t we just sit and relax?”

  From anyone else’s mother, that would probably sound either like a great gab fest or be a warning that a talk was coming. Kathy knew the former was out – gossip was a bad word in her home, so that left the latter. Filling two glasses with juice, she joined her mother at the kitchen table.

  “Honey, Hyacinth is different,” she started kindly.

  “Okay?” That was an odd way to start a conversation. “I know everyone has the same values we’ve got.”

  “Well, not everybody,” she said, shaking her head. “Your father would like to think so, but the fact is this is a small town and just like all small towns, there is the good and the bad. Gerry grew up in a large city so has always idealized small town life. I, however, grew up in a small town. I know what it’s like.” She leveled her soft brown eyes on her daughter and smiled. “Everything you would find in any city on earth, you will find to some extent here. It will just be more likely to be covered up. Yes, I do think most of the families are into the values we hold dear, but that doesn’t mean everyone is perfect. There will be students you find friends, and others you hope to never see again.”

  Ah, it was that lecture. It had been a few years since they had moved to the last town and now Kathy remembered the same kind of talk. “You’ll find friends, dear. It just takes time.” Yep. That was where her mother was going with this.

  “I know, Mom. I met a jerk today. But there’s over two hundred in my class so I’m sure I’ll find a group to hang with.”

  “Two hundred?” Carilyn said in surprise. “Where do they hide them all?”

  “Twenty miles in any direction?”

  “Right. Well, anyway, honey. I just want you to remember if you need a hug, just let me know.”

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  With that out of the way, the conversation turned to one of her favorite subjects. “So, your birthday didn’t get the celebration we normally give it with our move and all, so we are celebrating it this week. Know what you want?”

  “A new player. Mine’s almost dead.” Kathy’d had the same mp3 player for years. Her parents only allowed her to listen to it in the hour before bed, so it had lasted longer than most, but now it couldn’t even hold an hour’s charge before it died.

  “Mmhmm, anything else?”

  Grinning, Kathy started in on her list and the next hour flew by as her mother nodded and asked more questions. “All right, that’s quite the list,” her mother finally said when she had mentioned about fifty things she wanted. “Is there anything else?”

  Yes, there was, even though Kathy knew she wasn’t likely to get it. But, she said the words anyway. Who knew? Maybe her father would relent this year. “I could really use a car, Mom. I mean, you don’t really want to drive me to and from school every day next year. Plus,” she rushed on, “when I find a part-time job, you would have to drive me to that too. This way I could drive myself everywhere I wanted.”

  Carilyn’s eyes softened. “You know your father is against the idea.”

  “Yeah.” Flumping in her seat, Kathy sighed. “I just think it would be easier.”

  Reaching over, her mom patted her hand. “I’ll mention it. Just don’t get your hopes up.”

  “Thanks.”

  The scent of pot roast slowly filled the air and as they got up, Carilyn to check the roast and Kathy to gat
her the plates to set the table, they heard the garage door open. “Your dad’s home.”

  “There’s my girls, beauty one and beauty two,” he said warmly, walking into the kitchen. “Dinner smells wonderful. Leyton will be here soon. He went home to pick up his wife.”

  Leyton turned out to be a pharmacist at the hospital, his wife Jude, the head of the PTA. They were both in their seventies with smiles on their faces and wrinkles to match. As soon as they all sat down at the dinner table, Leyton looked over at Kathy. “How are you liking Hyacinth, young lady?”

  “Fine so far,” she admitted. “I’ve only really met one other person my age.”

  “You’ll have to come to the picnic next week,” Jude said, her eyes lighting up. “Everyone local will be there. Our granddaughter Jaylee will be a senior next year. We’ll introduce you. You definitely want to be in with the right group at school. Jaylee’s a good girl and would be the perfect one to introduce you to her friends.”

  The right group? Sounded like every high school was the same. Sighing to herself, Kathy was glad when the conversation turned to things she didn’t care about so that she could zone out as she ate.

  “Kathy?” Gerald’s warning tone caught her attention and she glanced up in confusion.

  “Yes?”

  “Leyton asked you a question.”

  Blushing because she had just committed what her father would consider a sin, she turned toward his friend. “I’m sorry. Sometimes I daydream a lot.”

  The older man smiled, his eyes twinkling. “I was just asking when your birthday was.”

  “Oh, I turned eighteen a few weeks ago.”

  Jude clasped her hands together. “Oh, you are going to have a great summer. I think it’s so good when courtship begins during the—.”