Page 12 of Sweet Torment (The Sweet 1)

“Lie. Not to me, Duke. That’s not who we are.” I say the words as though I have confidence in who we are but that’s not true. I no longer have a clue where my relationship with him stands.

“It’s not a lie. I want you to do well so you can get as many scholarships as possible. Then go to college to pursue your dream and become a huge success. I want the best for you and I’m happy to help any way I can.”

I know he wants me to do well but I in no way believe he’s stoked about spending this time alone with me. “Regardless of the way you feel about doing this, I appreciate your help.”

“I know you do.”

I take out my calculus folder. “You better not laugh at my notes.”

He smiles as he looks over what I’ve written. “Hope you haven’t chosen a career where calculus is required.”

“Don’t worry. I wouldn’t do that to myself.”

“Decided on your major yet?”

“No. It’s hard to make that kind of choice when all you really care about is being a photographer.”

“If you want to be a photographer, be a photographer.”

I wish it were that easy. “Mom and Dad say the business is too saturated in Lynchburg for me to have success here. They’re strongly encouraging me to go into education because it’s a stable income.”

I come from a family of educators. Mom teaches second grade. Dad teaches history and coaches high school baseball. Everything is already set in motion for Owen. Dad is retiring in May and Owen is going to roll right into his position in August.

I’m the odd one of the family. I have zero interest in a career that involves teaching.

“What do you think about taking your parents’ advice?”

“I think I will be miserable if I go into education. I also think spending the next four years at college will be a waste of time and money when my career path doesn’t require it. But I’m sure you can imagine how well that went over when I told Mrs. and Coach Bliss that I didn’t think I needed to continue my education.”

“Your plan isn’t their plan, so they believe it’s a terrible idea.”

“Exactly, but I’m not stupid. I know I need to keep my options open until I decide for sure. That’s why I’m working so hard to pull up my calculus grade.”

I’m not sure how deep the dent was when my parents were forced to take money out of their savings. That’s why it’s so important I get scholarships. I want them to keep what they set aside for my education to replenish what they spent on out-of-pocket expenses.

“Scholarships always come in handy, so we’d better get to work on pulling up that grade. Show me what you’re having on your next test.”

Properties of exponents. Functions and graphs. Variables. Coordinates. Everything Mr. Garrison has to say about those things makes my head spin. But Bram slows the chaos of confusion in my brain. He breaks the equation into smaller pieces that my mind can comprehend.

“Have I explained this problem so that it makes sense to you?”

“For the first time ever, it actually does.”

I’ve always known Bram was smart but hearing him talk about this stuff makes me realize just how intelligent he is. And it’s super sexy.

He circles the answer to the problem he just went over. “You understand all the steps I took to come up with this answer?”

“I do.”

He scribbles a practice problem on a sheet of notebook paper and slides it across the table in front of me. “Want to try this one on your own and see what happens?”

“Sure.”

He gets up and goes to the fridge while I work on the problem. “Want a coconut water?”

I spin around so I can look at him. “Bram Windsor. You do not drink coconut water.”

“I definitely don’t, but you do.”

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