Page 72 of Stick Break
“I was just thinking about Emma,” I say softly. “And how much I enjoy teaching her.”
Rip nods, his gaze warm and steady. “You light up when you teach, Charley.”
I blink. “I do?”
The words surprise me, but the truth of them lands heavy and hopeful in my chest. I didn’t know it showed. I didn’t know he saw that in me.
“You do,” he says again, dipping his head to brush his lips over mine in a kiss. “I’ve been watching you.”
My breath catches. “You’re kind of a creeper, Big Bear.”
“Yup.” He grins against my mouth, then kisses me again, slower this time. “Have you made any decisions?”
I know what he’s asking—if I’ve decided to stay longer. I never gave him a real answer. Maybe because until today, I wasn’t sure myself.
“Are you sure you don’t mind?” I ask, keeping my tone light even as something heavier settles behind my ribs.
“I wouldn’t have offered if I minded.”
His voice is steady, sure, but it’s his eyes that unravel me. There’s nothing casual in the way he looks at me, his gaze lingers, reading every flicker of doubt, every unspoken fear I’m trying to swallow. He sees too much, and yet I don’t want to look away.
Lyra, you are such a fool.
“I’m going to stay,” I finally say. “Just for a little while longer. I hate to quit on Emma when she’s making so much progress. I just…” I hesitate, then add quietly, “I just hate quitting…”
Rip nods slowly, and I know he hears the other meaning—my unwillingness to walk away from helping him heal.
He looks past me, his eyes finding something out the window, or maybe nothing at all. I can tell his thoughts have drifted somewhere deeper.
“What’s on your mind, Rip?” I ask gently.
He hesitates, like he’s weighing whether he has the right to speak the next truth. “I don’t want to overstep here, but... I was thinking teaching might be your calling.”
The words hit me harder than I expect. I press my lips together, biting down on the sharp swell of emotion that rises.
“I don’t have the credentials,” I say, voice quiet. “I could keep doing one-on-one sessions, sure. But to work in schools or real studios… I’d need a different kind of education.”
He brushes his knuckles along my cheek, his touch feather soft. “It’s not too late.”
My laugh is short, breathless. “It’s a lot of work.”
His eyes don’t budge. “You don’t strike me as the kind of woman who’s afraid of hard work.”
“I’m not. Believe me, I’m not.” My chest tightens with the truth of it. “I played every dive bar and open mic I could find just to get my name in someone’s mouth. I busted my butt for years.” I shake my head, eyes stinging with the edges of regret. But looking back… I didn’t even like that grind. Not the way I like this. Then, with a quiet sigh, I add, “How silly of me. To skip college just to spite my parents.”
“Silly?” he echoes. “Charley, come on. You were young. We all do crazy things when we’re young.”
“Not getting a college degree when it’s handed to you with a bow? That’s high on the Crazy List.”
He leans against the counter, smirking. “You know what I did once?”
I lift a brow. “Please tell me you didn’t eat a laundry pod.”
He laughs, a rich, low sound that vibrates in my chest. “Nope. That ridiculous trend was way after my time.” He pauses, then gives me a look so sheepish it makes me suspicious. “I, uh… once hacked into the school system.”
My jaw drops. “You did not.”
“Okay, technically I didn’t. I just watched my buddy do it. He wanted to change his grades.”
