Page 10 of Thinking It Over

“Have you had her long?”

My stomach flipped at his interest. “I bought her six years ago now. She was finally finished three years ago. My friend worked on her between jobs. Plus, it gave me time to source everything needed.”

He smiled the whole time as he listened attentively, then cast a longing glance at my Ford. I didn’t even give myself time for the thought to percolate before I offered, “Maybe one time when we’re not racing home, we can go for a drive.” I desperately wanted to clear my throat, even considered shuffling my feet; instead, I remained rooted and hoped I came across as casual.

His “Really?” followed by his smile broadening impossibly wide eased a whole lot of tension from my shoulders.

“Definitely. She’s worth the effort to find time,” I said. And I really hoped Jasper would think I was worth getting to know too.

Once he made his way back to the front of my car, his eyes reconnected to mine. “I’d really like that. Thanks.”

I had no choice but to swallow, needing the movement to ensure when I spoke, my words came out normally. “That sounds great. Let me look at how crazy things are this weekend, and if I have free time, maybe we can do Saturday afternoon?”

He was bobbing his head before I finished, and amore familiar surge of confidence filtered through me. The sensation eased over like a familiar blanket. I disliked feeling any hint of doubt, but especially around Jasper. I wasn’t so naïve as to not understand why. My confidence and definitely my ego had taken a hit after being burned by my ex. While maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing to keep my ego in check, I wanted my certainty back and wanted the whispers of doubt to disappear.

“Whatever works for you. I’ll make it happen. There’s no way I’d miss out on the opportunity to spend the time with yo—um, her.” A flush of heat raced across his cheeks, and I fought like hell to avoid having my reaction show across my face.

Deliberately ignoring the faux pas, I offered a wink, deciding my offer to take him out had moved beyond the need for discretion when it was the two of us. “Sounds good.” I pulled my keys out of my pocket as Jasper nodded and started backing away.

“Okay, thanks, and thanks for your support today. Have a good night.”

“My pleasure.” My eyes remained glued to him, even as he turned away. Just as he reached the only other vehicle in the lot, I called out, “Remember to not spend all your time working. You need to chill and rest too.” It was so easy to get burned out in our profession. And for young teachers especially, they could get the work-life balance so very wrong.

He looked back at me and gave a small salute, saying, “You’ve got it.” And hell if the wink he followed up with didn’t make those wings burst to life once again.

FIVE

JASPER

Somehow I’d survivedmy first week. There were practically scuff marks on my knees from the exhaustion that beat at me, but despite the tiredness, exhilaration made a solid attempt for dominance. It wasn’t winning, unfortunately. My tired eyes prevented that, but I was still pleased I’d made it through the week relatively unscathed.

“Mr. Taylor?”

I didn’t even have to glance at my seating plan to know who the freckled fifteen-year-old was. Timmy seemed to have tasked himself with being my alarm as well as the one kid who decided to ask every question going all week. He was studious, had the potential to be at the top of the class if he could keep focused longenough, and he also drove me to distraction as much as he entertained me.

“Yes, Mr. Dolan, what can I do for you?” I glanced up from the papers I’d collected while the students packed up, ready for the end of the day.

“My aunt saidTaming of the Shrewwas pretty much the same as one of her favorite moves,10 Things I Hate About You. Is that right?”

Heath Ledger flashed into my head with a mix of swooning and sadness. “Your aunt has good taste,” I said.

Timmy shrugged, saying, “She’s almost forty, so she’s pretty old.”

I slammed my mouth shut, determined not to laugh. “Well,” I continued, ignoring his comment, “the film is loosely based on Shakespeare’s play. The relationships and cast are similar, and the plot arc about finding the heroine a boyfriend or husband has obvious similarities.”

“Yeah.” Timmy nodded as he heaved his bag off the table. “I should be good watching that then, right, instead of reading the book?” He continued to bob his head up and down as though this was the best and most obvious compromise in the world.

Meanwhile, I shook my head quickly. “Unfortunately, Timmy, the text has to be read and studied. You writing about a late nineties American high school ratherthan Padua, an Italian city, would be a sure way to fail your assignment.”

His groan was echoed in a chorus around him, and multiple disappointed and disgruntled teenage faces stared back at me.

I grinned, spouting the quote, “Gracious…, I that do bring the news made not the match.” I finished with raised brows, only to receive scrunched-up noses in return. I laughed lightly, saying, “I really can’t wait to start introducing you to Shakespeare.” The bell erupted, causing a flurry of activity. “Have a great weekend,” I called out, a lightness filling my chest when a handful of students said goodbye and offered more than a grunt.

Maybe it was a little too soon for quoting random Shakespeare at them, but Timmy’s wide-eyed confusion was pretty amusing.

When the last of the students filed out, I returned to my desk and sat down heavily. I wondered if it would screw up my whole sleep pattern if I went home right now and passed out. I was sure it would take zero effort to fall onto my mattress after a quick shower to wash away the school day. A yawn slipped past my lips, and I covered my mouth, squinting before rubbing my hand over my face.

There was no way I had the energy to stay back tonight. While I had planning to do and the papers fromthe short quiz I’d collected to mark, I intended to set aside Sunday morning for that.

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