“Okay, I’ll ask her, but I’m not seducing her, and I’m not removing my shirt.” He directs the last part to Kiera, and I grin.
“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And the seniors thank you, too.” I’m so giddy with excitement, I’m practically bouncing in my chair. “And if there’s anything you need help with, just ask me.” It’s the least I can do.
“I wouldn’t mind getting more pointers about working with elementary school kids. And we should talk about the production sooner rather than later.”
“I can definitely do that.”
“I have to pick Whiskey up at the vet after school—”
“Chloe can go with you,” Ava says. “And you can talk about all those things afterward.”
Landon unfolds himself from his chair and gathers up his empty lunch containers. “Sounds like a plan. And then I can make you dinner.”
He strides from the staff room before I can respond.
“What the hell just happened?” My head feels like it’s spinning after the abrupt turnaround of that conversation.
Kiera grins. “I believe you got yourself a date with the hot teacher.”
7
Landon
Well,that was easier than expected.
Several hours later, I’m still thinking that as the final bell rings.
I don’t mean that being a teacher is easier than I’d expected. Because it isn’t. And anyone who says otherwise is an asshole.
I have a whole new respect for kindergarten teachers. I probably owe mine a huge apology—if she’s still alive.
What I hadn’t been expecting was how easy it was to get Chloe to agree to go out on a date with me, especially after she made it clear she wants to stay single.
“Oh boy, what happened in here?” Chloe asks after the last of the kids are skipping down the hallway to the front entrance.
She surveys the damage, then picks up a picture book from the floor and heads to the bookshelves in the corner. “A hint for tomorrow…get them to start tidying up about thirty minutes before the end of class. And if they’re finished in time, they get to listen to a story. The longer they take to clean up, the less time there is for the story.”
“Great advice. Thanks.”
“How about I put away the books, and you can clean up the art supplies?”
“You’ve got yourself a deal.”
I gather the plastic plates from the tables and carry them to the sink. Fifteen minutes later, everything is back where it belongs.
“How long have you been teaching?” I ask Chloe as we walk to the staff parking lot. The cool wind tumbles dried leaves across the ground.
“About five years. I got my art degree, but then I realized I didn’t want to be a starving artist. So I returned to school for my teaching certificate, and the rest is history.”
“But why kindergarten? Why not be a high school art teacher?”
“I thought about doing that. I taught teens as part of an extracurricular program at the art center near where I lived. But as much as I loved doing it, I wanted to work with little kids more.
“I still teach art classes for teens, but I save that for the summer when I have more time.”
“Teaching during the school year and volunteering at the seniors’ residence must keep you busy.”
“It does—especially since I volunteer with the seniors several times a week.”
