Page 13 of Here and Now
“Oh, I hope he has her. She’s a gifted teacher. I know she’s my daughter and there’s a bit of bias there, but she genuinely loves these kids.”
“I hope so too, then.”
Kai’s kindergarten teacher was not the best last year. She got angry at his nervous tics and found constant things to criticize him on, which then made those things worse. The school resources were worn thin, and of my many talents, tutoring is not one.
Miles smiles warmly and tilts his head. “We better get the kids their ice cream before Ethan starts a revolution.”
She grins. “He’s so much of his mother.”
“That’s what I keep saying,” Miles says in agreement.
Miles places his hand on my lower back and leads me forward. “She’ll talk for days and always about Andrea. It’s best to have an escape plan at all times,” he whispers against my ear.
I fight back the shiver that runs down my spine at his closeness. God, he smells good. It’s woodsy with sandalwood and hints of amber and sage. It’s intoxicating.
I can’t be intoxicated.
No, I need to be sober.
What is wrong with me?
I clear my throat and step out of the bubble he created. “I’ll definitely keep that in mind.”
There’s a flash of something in his gaze, but it’s gone before I can name it. “I’ll try to warn you about the others.”
I smile. “I appreciate it.”
I’ve already gotten a ton of advice from Hazel. She’s been so helpful in letting us know the area and who is who.
“You’ve already met the guys from the Disc Jocks, right?” Miles asks after we place the orders.
“I have.” Apparently Ultimate Frisbee is quite the sport in this town. There are four guys that play together: Miles, Everett, Lachlan, and Killian. Everett is Hazel’s best friend and comes in a lot to Prose & Perk to either have lunch with her or drink a ridiculous amount of coffee. “Lachlan and Everett the most.”
“Killian lives in Boston most of the time. You’ll see him a lot less.”
“Hazel mentioned that he has a big dating app business?” I ask, curious which one.
“He does.”
“That’s pretty cool.”
He laughs. “Yeah, except when he tries to make his friends sign up.”
We take the cones from a kid working behind the counter and head to the open booth at the front of the store.
“Can we sit outside?” Ethan asks.
“No way, it’s like a hundred degrees today,” Miles notes with a shake of his head.
“But we don’t want to sit with you,” Ethan says matter-of-factly.
I fight back a laugh, but Miles replies without missing a beat. “Good. You two sit over there, and I’ll hang out with Miss Penelope.”
Ethan nods, and he and Kai head to the other table. “And here I thought kids were only awful to their parents.”
Miles laughs once. “If only. I’m around Ethan a lot. My sister and I are pretty close, plus she’s married to my best friend. So, if I’m not at work or the field, I’m usually over at their house.”
“Do you have other siblings?”
