“And I do believe we’ve been spotted.” Ivy’s pace may have been reasonable, but Lily could feel the energy vibrating through her. It coursed through her arm like electricity and gave Lily a zing too.

They stepped out of the school’s wrought-iron fencing, onto the sidewalk, and turned toward home, which put them facing the two men.

Lieutenant Clarke was grinning, already lifting a hand in greeting. Mr. Marin, rather than looking at them, was glancing down at himself, probably keenly aware of the sweat soaking his shirt and dripping down his face—or at least she would have been. Not that she as the observer found any reason to wrinkle her nose at a man showing evidence of remarkable athleticism.

He looked up, over the rims of his spectacles. A curl of hair had broken free of its pomade and fell across his forehead, and she had a feeling the flush in his cheeks wasn’t solely from exertion.

But he didn’t look at Ivy. He looked at her.

Another zing, though she couldn’t entirely attribute this one to Ivy’s energy. She glanced down, but demureness had never really been one of her virtues. She’d always been too curious. And Zivon Marin made that curiosity spark to life every time she looked at him. Which she did again after only one second of reprieve.

She found him smiling, and it looked a bit bashful. Rather endearing, that.

Clarke murmured something to him, though they were too far away yet for Lily to hear. It made uncertainty flash over Mr. Marin’s face for a moment, though, before his expression cleared back into his usual stillness and he nodded.

“Gracious but he’s handsome. Even when in desperate need of a bath.” Ivy’s whisper was certainly too quiet to go beyond Lily’s ears.

Even so, she felt a bit guilty for her chuckle. At least this time she knew which of the two her sister meant.

They were soon close enough that she had no trouble hearing Clarke’s pleasant hello. He motioned toward the school behind them. “Is this where you teach, Miss Ivy?”

“It is indeed.” Ivy somehow produced the perfect smile without any effort—warm and sweet, encouraging without being too inviting. She turned to view the building too, swinging Lily around and then pulling free of her arm so she could point upward. “That’s my classroom there. The one with the blue curtains.”

Lily wasn’t quite sure how Ivy and Clarke managed it, but a second later, the two of them were side by side looking up at the cheerful window, and Lily had been nudged back. She’d tease Ivy later about shoving her out of the way. Though since she also had no need to hear all about the latest reordering of the room, she didn’t entirely mind stepping back and turning to find Mr. Marin with her gaze.