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“Three years.” I shrug. “I thought we were going to get married. That was the next step for me, not breaking up. So basically he broke my heart and shattered my dreams.” I don’t know why I’m telling Tyler all of this. It has to be breaking some confidentiality agreement between teachers and parents—the HIPAA of educational relationships.
“If he broke your heart, why do you hope you get back together again?”
I give him a pointed glare. “You’re very nosy, Mr. Dixon.”
“Tyler,” he corrects me. “And I’m not nosy. I’m just trying to get to know Krew’s teacher.”
“Most parents don’t care about my personal life.”
“I’m not most parents.”
No, he’s not.I catch a glimpse of his strong arms as he reaches in front of me to grab another string, and I make a mental note to keep my eyes on the prize.
Literally.
He tilts his head toward me. “How about I tell you something personal about me, and then you tell me something personal about you? Then we’re even.”
Oh, this game sounds dangerous.
“I’ll start,” he says before I even have the chance to tell him no. “I own my own landscaping business and property management company. I like being able to work outside, and I like that I can set my own hours so that I can be there for Krew whenever he needs me.”
That explains the large biceps. I picture him wearing work gloves and throwing those heavy pieces of sod around like it’s no big deal. Oddly enough, he’s shirtless in this fantasy.
Stop picturing him shirtless, Meg!
I shake my head.
Eyes on the prize.
“Now it’s your turn.” Tyler nudges me with his elbow, and I freeze. I’ve never been nudged by a parent before.
I clear my throat. This is a normal parent-teacher conversation. Parents nudge teachersallthe time.
“I own an Etsy shop,” I say. “You probably don’t even know what Etsy is.”
His brows bunch together. “Etsy. Does that stand for Energetic Teachers Sell Yams? You own a shop that sells yams?”
I shake my head as I laugh. “No. Etsy is an online marketplace where you can sell handmade or vintage specialty items.”
“Yams aren’t a specialty item?”
“I guess they could be, but that’s not what I sell.”
“Then what do you sell?”
“Digital signs that people can print out and hang in their house.”
He gives a big nod. “Right. Like the Gather sign.”
I bite back a smile, secretly loving that he knows what the Gather sign even is. “Yes, like that. Although, I hope my signs are a little more unique.”
“How did you get started in something like that?”
“Nope. It’s your turn to tell me something personal.”
His shoulder bumps me this time. “Oh, you’re a rule follower.”
I bump him right back. “To a T.”
