“You shouldn’t have to.” William plucked her book and notebook and tucked them underneath his arm. Then, he held the door open for her and waited for her to duck in. “So, Jack hasn’t stopped raving about your friend Emily’s bakery.”
“She’s an amazing baker.” Amy’s eyes took a second to adjust, and when they did, she took in the large, tile-floored hallway, the cream-colored walls on either side, and the high, arched ceiling. “You haven’t tried her goods yet?”
“Does licking crumbs off the counter count? Whenever he brings them home, I know I have a small window of opportunity.”
A surprised laugh fell from Amy’s lips. “You can’t just take one?”
“And risk having to explain to him why one of his students won’t be getting dessert? I’m better off licking the crumbs.”
William held another door open for her, and they stepped through and into an auditorium with rows of half-full seats on either side. In the center of the room, the stage loomed, with two bright spotlights aimed at it. Amy scanned the room and selected a seat a few rows up from the front. Then, she shrugged out of her coat and draped it over the seat next to her, along with her purse. With a smile, William dropped into the seat next to her and exhaled.
“I never thought I’d set foot in college again,” William admitted, pausing to tilt his head in her direction. “Usually, people can’t wait to be done with their education.”
Amy tapped her pen nervously against her notebook. “I know what you mean, but I need something to fill the time, or I’ll go crazy.”
“I know what you mean.” William sat up straighter and turned so he was facing her completely. “So long as we don’t end up reenacting Shakespeare in tights, it should be fine.”
Amy’s lips twitched in amusement. “Why would we reenact Shakespeare in tights?”
“I don’t know, but I’m having all sorts of flashbacks now, and I’ve got to tell you… I don’t have the legs to pull the tights off anymore. That ship has long since sailed.”
Amy choked back a laugh. “I’m sure you’d be fine.”
William’s smile grew, and it made him look even more handsome. “You’re just saying that because you want to get into Elizabethan English. You were secretly one of those students, weren’t you?”
Amy was still laughing when she spoke. “What do you mean?”
“The kind who liked it when the teacher told them to read,” William continued after a quick look around. “I bet you even read ahead.”
“Oh, absolutely. I loved having time to myself to read.”
William’s eyes widened as he leaned back in his seat and clutched his chest. “I can’t be associated with a nerd. You’re going to hurt my reputation, and I want them to think of me as the older but cool kind of dad.”
“Dad? More like grandad.”
William threw his head back and roared with laughter. “Oh, you got me there. Fair enough, I won’t tell anyone you’re a nerd if you promise not to reveal my age.”
Amy’s sides hurt as she took William’s outstretched hand and gave it a firm shake. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”
William’s hands were warm and calloused, and she didn’t want to let go.
For a long moment, neither did he, so they kept shaking each other’s hands for far longer than she thought they would.
When a man in a tweed jacket, dark pants, and salt-and-pepper hair walked in, Amy reluctantly withdrew her hand. But for the duration of their one-hour creative writing course, it tingled, and she couldn’t stop thinking about how nice it was to be unguarded around William.
Or how easy it was to talk to him.
He and Eric couldn’t possibly have been more different, and Amy appreciated William all the more for it.
She needed more friends in her life, and she had a feeling William Johnson would fit the bill.
Chapter Nineteen
“I’m sure I would’ve loved the course,” Emily said with a smile. “They don’t have any other slots, huh?”
Amy shook her head. “No, I’m sorry. Maybe you could look into an online option.”
“And miss all the fun I’d have with you and William? Maybe I’ll catch you both during the next course.”
