Page 15 of Forfeits

And the sun came out from behind the clouds as Aiden smiled the widest smile I’d seen in a long, long time.

“Okay. Great!”

I dug in my back pocket for a business card and passed it to him. “I feel like we’re doing a drug deal or something.”

He took the card and quickly pocketed it. “Thanks. I’ll be in touch,” he said.

I nodded, holding his gaze for a moment, then went to get Lucy, my heart doing flips and my hands getting clammy.

Was I ready to date someone? I had two weeks to get used to the idea, and I could always back out.

But I wasn’t sure I wanted to.

* * * *

Two weeks was a long time to wait when you wanted to find out more about someone. I tried to get information out of Lucy when we took the dogs for their after-dinner walk. We didn’t always go together but, when the weather was good, like it was on this evening, it was a nice way to connect.

“So, your supply teacher, Aiden. He’s a nice guy?”

“Yeah. He’s strict, though. But that’s good, because some of the kids in my class are assholes,” Lucy said, waiting while Eddy squatted on the grass.

“Wow,” I said, giving her a disappointed look and passing over a poop bag.

“It’s true! Some of my other teachers have trouble keeping them under control. But not Mr. Thompson.” Lucy gave the bag I was holding out to her a derogatory look. “Dad, can’t you do it? It’s so gross.”

“Lucy, come on. At least Eddy’s shits aren’t as big as Cocoa’s.”

She smiled. “Okay, fine.” She waited until Eddy was done, scooped the poop into the bag and tied it off, then handed it back to me. I guess I got to carry it.

“Huh. That’s…kind of unusual for a supply teacher. Usually they’re seen as easy targets, from what I remember.”

“Yeah. But Aiden’s been filling in for Ms. Kelly since April, so he’s more of a replacement.” She shrugged. “Also, he’s got this—I don’t know what to call it. But when he’s pissed at you, you know it, and you want to be good. It’s weird, but it works.”

That right there was Dom energy. I knew it well.

“Huh. Is Ms. Kelly all right?”

“Yeah, she just had to get some minor surgery or something. I don’t know. But she’s coming back next week, I think.”

“Oh,” I said, as if I’d had no idea. “That’s good.”

Lucy frowned. “No, it’s not. I’d rather have Aiden.”

I waved to Mrs. Anderson, who was walking her poodle across the street. She kept her dog away from other dog walkers because it tended to bark.

She smiled and waved back.

“But you like Ms. Kelly,” I said to Lucy, as Cocoa squatted to piss.

“Yeah. But Aiden’s cool. He plays guitar, you know…in a band.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. They aren’t famous or anything. But he plays gigs here and sometimes in Montreal, he said.”

“Oh wow. That is very cool.”

We turned the corner and headed back home. The sun would be setting soon. In a few weeks, when the time changed, we’d be taking them out in the dark.

---