Page 88 of Substitute for Love

As much fun as he was having in Egypt, Gabe was surprised how much he missed teaching. Finding treasures was one thing,but interacting with wide-eyed students and piquing their interest in history—it sounded just as fun.

“Tell Doreen I’ll think about it. Oh! You’ll never guess what we found yesterday!” Gabe practically bounced up and down.

Avery was snuggled under her blankets, petting Emmett, who lay sprawled out beside her. She grinned sleepily. “What? A mummy?” she teased.

“Nope! Better. An earring!” Gabe held up a grainy picture of the discovery, the glimmer of ancient gold shining through the dust and grime. “Isn’t that cool?”

Avery squinted at her screen, then tapped it to zoom in. “An earring? That’s amazing! It’s like, super old, right? How big is it?”

“It’s pretty huge,” Gabe chuckled, thinking back to the moment he found it. “I about had a heart attack when I saw it gleaming through the sand.”

Even in her pajamas, with her hair piled in a messy bun and no makeup, Gabe couldn’t stop staring at Avery. He reached for his phone and snapped a screenshot, so he could look at her later when he missed her.

“I mean, I’d bring this priceless artifact home to you,” Gabe said, smirking, “but I’d probably get in serious trouble for that. I do have something else to give you, though. Better than jewelry.”

Avery raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Better than jewelry? Better than Adult Lunchables?”

Gabe wrinkled his nose, laughing at the memory of their shared substitute teacher lunches. “Well, not better than being with you in person. But this is as good of a simulation that I can get. Ready?”

Avery nodded. “Ready.”

Gabe puckered his lips dramatically and leaned toward the screen, kissing his phone. Avery giggled and mimicked the gesture.

Being in love was seriously amazing. Better than treasure. Better than anything Gabe had ever imagined.

“I can’t wait to kiss you for real,” Gabe said, sighing. Being apart was hard, but being here—pursuing his passion while still having her—made him feel like the luckiest guy on earth.

“I’ll be right here,” Avery promised, her voice soft and steady. “Waiting for you.”

As the weeks passed, Gabe immersed himself in his work in Egypt: deciphering old maps, digging under the relentless sun, and sometimes spending hours staring at nothing but endless sand dunes. Real Indiana Jones stuff. His hat came in handy.

Even in those quiet, scorching moments, he thought of Avery. Her smile, her laugh, the way she was making a life for herself back home. Most every night, she texted him a story from her latest substitute teaching job. Dang, he missed those kids.

Thanks to technology, it was like she was still with him, sharing her world while he uncovered the mysteries of ancient Egypt. One evening, just after sunset in Egypt, they video chatted again, Avery cozy in bed.

“So, how’s work been lately? Still subbing?” Gabe asked, lying back in his tent, a cool desert breeze brushing against him.

Avery nodded, her face lighting up. “Yeah, it’s been good. I’ve been in and out of different classes—taught a few art classes again. I think I’m getting the hang of it. I moved beyond stick figures, even.”

“Wow,” a hint of sarcasm in Gabe’s tone. “Way to go, Miss Williams.” Avery laughed.

Emmett barked in the background of her video and jumped into the shot. “Hey buddy!” Gabe said into the camera. “Remember me?”

“Aww. He misses you. Look at him,” Avery said.

Gabe smiled, his dimples appearing. “Man, I miss him too. And you, obviously.”

“I miss you more,” Avery said. “And I miss those dimples.”

“Umm. No. I miss you more.” He traced her outline with his finger.

“How many days until Christmas?” she asked.

“Too many,” he said.

Chapter 31: Avery

Wednesday, December 23, 10:00 AM

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