“We start on To Kill a Mockingbird on Monday, which happens to be one of my favorite books, so if anyone wants to impress me, just do well on the essays for this story. Got it?”
When half the class groaned, I shook my head and grinned. There would always be the naysayers, but I usually found one or two people who loved literature as much as I did. And that’s why I kept teaching, and why I kept coming back each day, excited to share my appreciation with them. I relished reaching students like the girl in the back corner who sat in a wheelchair as she eagerly listened to all my thoughts about the last story we’d just read.
I opened my mouth to tell my sophomore class how I sensed they weren’t as enthusiastic to start the story as I was, but the bell rang, interrupting me. I still jumped every time that happened. It was one of the few things I missed about teaching at the college level. But other than that, I was extremely content here.
“Have a good weekend,” I called above the blare of my students gathering their things and making plans with their friends.
For once, I was glad they were eager to leave, because so was I. This was my last class for the day, and I was anxious to check in with Noel to see how his day had gone.
I started sweeping up everything I wanted to take home with me when I saw someone approaching my desk from the corner of my eye.
Setting his hands on his hips and scowling from a familiar pair of periwinkle blue eyes, he hissed, “I can’t believe you just gave me a C on that paper. What the hell, Aspen?”
I sighed. “Brandt—”
“I mean, I know you said you weren’t going to show favoritism if I took your class, but really? A C? I actually tried to do a good job.”
I knew I shouldn’t because he was genuinely upset, but I smiled fondly at the memory this conversation brought. “And yet you completely missed the point of the assignment,” I had to tell him.
He opened his mouth to zing something back at me. He was too much like his brother not to fight back. But a pair of passing girls caught both of our attention as they giggled.
“Oh, my God, did you see the new Econ teacher? He is so hot.”
Brandt groaned as the other girl crowded in close to her friend and grasped her arm. “I know. I wonder what his name is, ’cause I want to enroll in that class.”
“Hell, yeah. I heard he’s the new football coach, too.”
“He is,” Brandt finally spoke up, startling them into breaking up their gossip session. When they lifted their faces and found Brandt Gamble speaking to them, they halted in their tracks and gaped openly.
I’d heard one girl last week call my brother-in-law the sophomore dreamboat, so I guess the girls must’ve been frozen with awe to find themselves under the dreamboat’s attention.
He sent them a knowing smirk. “And his name’s Gamble.” He gave a dramatic pause, waiting for it to kick in and the girls to gasp with realization before he added, “he’s my brother.”
Their gazes immediately zipped my way. Everyone at East Ellamore High knew my relationship to Brandt. Faces flushed scarlet, the girls started gushing in unison.
“I’m so sorry, Mrs. Gamble,” they started together, speaking over each other. “We didn’t mean any disrespect.”
I shook my head and waved them silent. “Don’t worry about it. I can’t help but agree with you.” I winked. “He is pretty hot.”
As Brandt snorted, the girls laughed out their relief and hurried for the exit, only to nearly collide with the topic of our conversation as he appeared on the doorway.
“Sorry about that, ladies.” He stepped aside gracefully and swept out a hand for them to pass through first. They giggled and chorused, “Hi, Mr. Gamble,” as they fled.
Brandt and I shared a look, and rolled our eyes in unison.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been called Mr. Gamble by so many people in one day before. It kind of skeeves me out,” Noel admitted, oblivious to everything that had just happened.
He reached out and ruffled Brandt’s hair as he passed his brother. But his eyes were focused on me.
“Hi.” His voice lowered to a husky pitch as he leaned in for a kiss.
“Hi.” My toes curled in my flats as his lips lingered on mine. I reached up and clutched the tie he wore, amazed by how permissible it was to kiss him so openly inside a school building. But a lot had changed in the three years we’d been together. As he pulled back, slicking his tongue over his bottom lip as if to relish the lingering taste of me on him, something fluttered deep in my belly.
I was the luckiest woman on earth to be married to this man.
“Noel,” Brandt’s sharp voice cut into our moment. “Aspen gave me a freaking C on my paper.”