The Good Teacher Read online

  When Luke didn’t say anything, she kept talking.

  ‘I’ve often had people to stay in the past, including another family from school. My ex-husband will be fine with it.’ She took a breath. ‘My house needs a family—and you need a house. Sometimes the universe brings people together for a reason.’

  She didn’t believe in that destiny crap but it was useful to spout. Would Luke accept or had she made an absolute fool of herself?

  ‘This is the best day.’ A genuine smile spread across his face. ‘Dr Rawson called to say Gracie has been accepted on the Chicago trial and now this … I’ll check with Gracie but I’m sure she’ll say yes. You’re incredible, Mrs Walsh!’

  ‘You’d better call me Allison.’

  Allison hadn’t only lied about the destiny crap. Tony would not be fine; he’d be furious. But for once, she was taking control. Enough of her life being dictated by him. Tony couldn’t sell the house with a sick girl living inside it.

  When they arrived after lunch on Sunday, the house was tidy and the pool blue. Not quite sparkling but definitely not green. Allison had to stop herself from snapping a photo and sending it to Tony.

  Luke brought their suitcases up to the spare bedroom—now his room. Three suitcases. All their possessions. Staring at those bags, Allison knew she’d made the right decision, even if it had been partly for selfish reasons.

  Upstairs in the smallest bedroom, which Felix had used as a music studio, Gracie darted from the toy box to the bookshelf to the wardrobe. On Thursday night, Allison and Nadia had been on a shopping spree for the four-year-old. They’d packed the toy box with dolls, dressing-up clothes and hand-me-downs from Nadia’s daughters.

  ‘Look, Daddy,’ the little girl cried. ‘A special room all for me!’

  Her father picked her up and held her high above his head.

  ‘Put your arms out, Ms Gracie Branson, we’re coming in to land,’ he instructed as she made aeroplane noises. ‘Flight Seven to Wirriga Airport, are we safe to land on Gracie’s new bed?’

  Zooming through the air, Gracie screeched in delight. Luke flew her downwards and gently deposited her on top of the pink polka dot doona. Then he blew a raspberry on her tummy. The giggles echoed around Allison, bouncing off the walls, banishing the months of silence.

  For dinner, Allison had prepared spaghetti bolognaise, hoping Gracie would like it as much as her own son did. She offered Luke a glass of red wine, desperate for one herself. It was as if the house had forgotten how to hold a man in its four walls: his deep laugh was too loud in the kitchen, his footsteps echoed in the hall, his fingers tapped up the bannister. By contrast, Gracie’s sounds were soft and delightful, rising to the ceiling and hovering above them, scattering happiness like fairy dust.

  But Shona had had a point when she’d called Allison ‘a fecking kind-hearted bampot’ for taking in a student and her father. Section twenty-one of the Department’s Code of Conduct talked about a teacher’s duty of care and Allison was doing her best to care for the motherless child, but section twenty-two warned against forming personal relationships. What else was she supposed to do though? The girl couldn’t stay in those flats at Manly while they waited to find something more suitable. It was only for a few weeks, and she’d discussed it with the principal. Declan understood—his wife had been through surgery and chemo for breast cancer. He’d also suggested holding a school fundraiser to help Gracie pay for the treatment in Chicago, with Luke’s permission, of course.

  The act of cooking a family dinner made Allison feel useful again. Luke set the table and poured the wine. They toasted to Gracie being accepted onto the trial.

  ‘Is there anything you or Gracie don’t eat?’ Allison asked.

  ‘Fried food. Lollies. Sugar. Not a lot of meat.’ He grinned. ‘She’d say it’s all the best stuff!’

  The foods that Allison loved. Maybe she’d lose weight over the next few weeks.

  ‘Is Gracie allowed ice-cream as a special treat?’

  Allison crossed her fingers behind her back, hoping that she could share her favourite indulgence with this gorgeous girl.

  ‘Just tonight. We usually have sugar-free sorbet.’

  Gracie had tuned into their conversation. Now she rocked up and down on the balls of her feet. ‘I love ice-cream.’

  Tony and Felix also loved ice-cream. Felix could eat a whole tub for afternoon tea. Why the hell wasn’t Felix here, sitting at the dinner table tonight? He had said he’d come and meet Luke and Gracie. Tony, the hypocrite, had demanded to know who, exactly, would be living in his house. He’d been forced to calm down when he discovered it was the girl with cancer. ‘I’m not charging them rent,’ Allison told him. ‘They need their money for life-saving treatment.’ Now, she cupped her hands around the ice-cream container to cool her rage.

  ‘Sometimes I get ice-cream at the hop-i-tal,’ Gracie said.

  This girl was too young to go to hospital—she couldn’t even say the word properly. Allison’s rage changed course and crashed around Gracie’s shoulders; those tiny shoulders which carried the burden of a terrible disease. Allison reached over to hug the poor girl; she’d do everything she could to help her. Gracie should know that she was loved.

  They quickly settled into a routine. Allison took Gracie to school with her on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday so Luke could teach early classes at the gym. On Friday, Luke and Gracie went to the children’s hospital, and on Saturday the girl had a quiet recovery day.

  Luke stuck a chart on Gracie’s wardrobe. Not a star chart for good behaviour but a smiley face for each bowel movement. He put Gracie’s drugs in the high cupboard above the fridge with the paracetamol and cold-and-flu tablets. Allison stared at the assortment of bottles and packets. The steroids, anti-nausea drugs, laxatives, antibiotics—all of them keeping Gracie going. For now.

  At night, as Allison listened to different noises, she was so grateful to Luke for moving in. She no longer heard the squealing bats and her own heart hammering. Instead there were footsteps on the landing. The toilet flushing in the main bathroom. The soft conversations of a video playing on his laptop …

  A piercing scream at one o’clock in the morning.

  Allison was bolt upright before her consciousness had properly understood the threat. She reached out to turn on the bedside lamp, heart thudding, her forearms pricked with goosebumps. Where had she put her mobile? Shit, downstairs in her handbag. The Northern Beaches News had reported another break-in last week—although that robbery hadn’t been successful; they’d tried to force the lock on the back door of the gym where Luke worked.

  The house was heavy with silence. Perhaps she’d dreamt it, her body reacting to nightmarish thoughts.

  Waiting for her heart rate to slow down, she heard another sound: a shriek from outside the window.

  A bat. Definitely. She knew those noises. Shrieking and chirping and soft clicks. Go back to sleep, she told herself. She hadn’t seen the green sedan since Luke had moved in. Wondered if it had been an opportunistic real estate agent.

  The screech came again, reverberating off the corners of her bedroom. A scream loud enough to wake her deaf neighbour.

  Before she could stop to think, Allison was running down the hallway. The door to the little bedroom had been pushed open. Racing into the darkness, she was suddenly blinded as light flooded the room.

  Curled up in a ball on her bed, her whole body shaking, Gracie alternated between screaming and sobbing. Luke had switched on the lamp; his arms were wrapped around his daughter.

  ‘It was just a nightmare, honey.’ He soothed. ‘I’m here now. You’re safe.’

  Allison perched on the other side of the bed and patted Gracie’s back.

  ‘I’m here, too, Gracie. It’s okay.’

  As the girl quietened down, Allison started singing softly. ‘Five little monkeys jumping on the bed. One fell off and hit his head.’

  It was the first song that came to mind. She’d been teaching it to them in class w
ith hand signals to help them count backwards. By the time she got to number two, Gracie joined in the last line.

  ‘No more monkeys jumping on the bed.’

  ‘Silly monkeys,’ Luke said.

  ‘Can I sleep with you, Daddy?’

  Luke lifted the little girl onto his waist and they disappeared into his room. Allison turned off the lamp and went back to her own bed. Gracie had slept so soundlessly for the past week that Allison had forgotten Luke’s warning. He’d mentioned nightmares which had started after her mother’s death. Allison wondered what terrible visions plagued the girl.

  The furious phone call from Tony came on a Wednesday afternoon.

  ‘Jesus Christ, Allison. I thought you’d finally stopped now that you had the little girl living there. If you leave another note like that, I’m calling the police.’

  Allison was sitting in the staffroom, writing out a lesson plan. She struggled to get her mind into gear.

  ‘What’re you talking about? I didn’t leave a note.’ She hadn’t driven down to Curl Curl since Gracie and Luke had moved in. Occasionally, she still rang Tony’s mobile, just in case the woman answered it, but uncovering her identity no longer seemed quite as urgent as it had a few weeks ago.

  ‘Luckily I was the one who found it in the letterbox, not Felix or …’ He stopped and sighed. ‘Don’t bother denying it. I can recognise your handwriting. Please don’t threaten Helena like that.’

  ‘I told you I didn’t write it!’ Allison snapped. ‘Maybe Helena wrote it herself.’

  ‘Now you’re sounding truly crazy. Clearly you’re not coping. You need to see a psychologist. And if it happens again, that’s it—I’ll involve the police.’

  After hanging up on him, she glanced across at the four teachers chatting in the corner. Had they heard the heated exchange? After she’d interrogated Elena, they all knew about the marriage break-up. They’d given Allison their condolences and support—apart from Elena, who avoided her as much as possible. And now most of them knew Luke was staying with her for a few weeks. The other kindy teacher had pursed his lips and muttered: That’s a bad idea. While Samantha from the front office winked and said: He’s a house guest who’ll be easy on the eye. But Allison wasn’t into taut gym bodies; this was about helping Gracie and Luke. And having them in the house was helping with her own grief. Luke understood how life could take a sudden curve from green meadows into a dark forest of despair. As if she’d fancy him. Or any other man. More than two decades in bed with Tony, and she’d expected it to be forever.

  Allison could handle the silly innuendo in the staffroom, but it would be another matter should any of the teachers discover she’d been watching Tony’s house. And if the police got involved, would she lose her job? She hastily gathered up her papers, said goodbye to her colleagues and drove home.

  As she entered the house, Luke had his backpack over his shoulder ready to go. Allison had forgotten that she’d promised to look after Gracie while he filled in for another instructor. Luckily, she’d made it back in time.

  ‘Gracie’s upstairs with Felix and Darcy,’ Luke told her. ‘They’re showing her how to play the guitar.’

  That was sweet of Felix. Her son didn’t seem too put out by the visitors; he’d grown up having other people in the house. He talked to Luke about the gym and the best exercises to build his quads and his calves. He let Gracie play a simple game on the Xbox. The little sister he’d never had …

  ‘We’re going in the pool, Mum,’ Felix called from upstairs.

  Maybe Allison would have a swim herself later, after she’d debriefed with Nadia. Except that she couldn’t. Her friend didn’t know about the stalking so how could she tell her now about Tony’s threat? Wandering outside, she watched Felix somersault into the pool. Gracie stood on the edge, giggling as the big splash hit her legs. Time for Allison to check the levels. The pool was like another child needing constant attention; if you neglected it for a day, it went feral.

  Felix and Darcy rated each other on their somersaults then climbed out of the pool and padded towards the back door, towels hanging off their hips.

  ‘Dry your legs,’ Allison called to their receding figures. ‘Don’t go upstairs dripping wet.’

  When she dangled the test strip in the water, Allison was pleased to see everything in balance. And the water temperature felt perfect for a swim.

  After a quick dip with Gracie, she began preparing dinner. Chopping up the chicken for the stir-fry. Remembering to use the vegetable oil, not the sesame oil; Gracie’s chemo drug had triggered allergies that she hadn’t had before.

  Darcy popped his head into the kitchen. ‘Thanks for having me this arvo. I’m off now.’

  ‘Lovely to see you, Darcy. Say hi to your mum.’ Allison’s farewell was automatic after all these years. Although Darcy’s mother hadn’t offered any support since Tony had left. Maybe that was a good thing. The boy’s mother was extremely strict and judgemental—she’d have something to say about the marriage break-up. And an opinion on whose fault it was.

  At the other end of the kitchen bench, Gracie hummed to herself, drawing a picture of a horse.

  ‘Mummy’s horse,’ she said.

  Allison glanced over and gave a quick smile. In her head, she was writing a note to Tony: I’m going to keep the house and I can manage the pool. And I don’t need you anyway. Luke’s around far more than you ever were. He has domestic talents that you do not possess and he does all his own washing. And he cooks healthy food, not just barbecues. Yes, she sounded petulant. No, she’d never send it. But just thinking the words made her feel better.

  Staring out past Gracie into the backyard, Allison admired the pleasing colour of the pool. Who needs you, Tony? And then she noticed that the gate was partly open, caught on a pair of goggles. Allison rushed out to shut it. Even though she taught four-year-olds, having one in the house was an adjustment. She was used to teenagers at home.

  When Luke returned from the gym, he poured Allison a glass of soda water and frowned at Gracie’s pictures.

  ‘Look! It’s my cubbyhouse, Daddy. Remember?’

  Another part of their life that had burnt to the ground.

  Instead of answering, Luke began tickling Gracie’s tummy. Her laughter filled the kitchen. A distraction from her dead mother.

  ‘Two dads from school came to check out the gym this evening,’ Luke told Gracie. ‘Do you know Zack and Ty? Their daddies.’

  ‘Ty’s nice.’

  ‘And Zack?’

  Gracie pulled a face in reply.

  ‘Is he mean to you?’ Luke asked.

  ‘It’s okay,’ Allison answered before Gracie could speak. ‘He’s an unusual boy but it’s under control.’

  When she called out for Felix to set the table, the only reply was the strumming of his guitar. Allison had to walk all the way upstairs, knock on his door, and wait for the song to finish. Just like she’d done last year, when they were a family.

  ‘Please can you come down and lay the table?’

  ‘All right,’ Felix grumbled. ‘You don’t have to yell at me.’

  Over dinner, though, he was chatty to Luke. He seemed to be at that age of gravitating away from women—away from his mother, at least. Presumably he didn’t know about the letter. Tony wouldn’t be so cruel as to tell him, would he?

  Gracie was the first one to finish her dinner, hungry after the swim. Her cheeks were flushed. A healthy colour for a change. Or maybe sunburn. Shit, Allison had forgotten to put sunscreen on her this afternoon. Her skin was so sensitive.

  In the kitchen, Luke was packing the dishwasher and putting everything away. (See what I mean, Tony? Far more helpful than you.) He picked up the soy sauce, the sweet chilli and the oil and turned to the cupboard. Stopped and stared at the label of one.

  ‘Ally, did you put sesame oil in the stir-fry?’

  ‘No, I used the vegetable oil.’

  But the bottle in his hand was sesame. Oh God, how had that happened? She’d
been too distracted by Tony’s phone call and his threats. The note she’d been writing in her own head.

  ‘I’m so sorry, Luke. I was … will she be all right?’

  Was the redness in her face a reaction? How severe would it be?

  Luke reached for his daughter, lifted her t-shirt and checked her torso. ‘The hives are starting. Let’s get to the hospital, honey.’

  ‘I’ll come with you.’

  Luke spoke calmly to his daughter but the look he gave Allison was one of pure fear. Ignoring her offer, he took Gracie in his arms, grabbed his keys and disappeared out the front door. In seconds, Allison heard the deep throttle of the Jeep accelerating up the street.

  What had she done?

  9

  Allison waited in the lounge room; the television showed a wildlife documentary but she was too tense to concentrate. Felix sat with her, tapping away at his laptop. She guessed he was playing a game rather than doing his homework—she hadn’t kept up with his assignments this term.

  ‘I could’ve killed her.’ Allison spoke aloud the words that were on repeat in her head.

  ‘Gracie looked okay when they left,’ her son tried to reassure her. ‘I reckon Luke will ring soon.’

  She’d taken them into her house to help them, and now she’d harmed Gracie. What sort of person was she? Vague. Irresponsible. Unreliable. Foolish. If Gracie had an anaphylactic reaction and died, she would never forgive herself.

  ‘I was distracted because I had a horrible phone call from your father this afternoon,’ she said.

  ‘Seriously, Mum, you can’t blame him for everything,’ Felix said. ‘You always tell me to take responsibility for my own actions.’

  So much for the reassurance. A scolding from her own child. Allison probably deserved it. Why hadn’t Luke rung? Forty minutes now. Gracie would have been treated straight away.

  With shaking fingers, Allison pressed Luke’s number. It went through to his messagebank.