Page 40 of Love Notes

No, this will be a disaster.

But I nodded, because Mr.Carver had saved my life when I was in high school.Not only were his classes a safe space for me, but he’d steered me onto a career path that had provided me with a real future.If there was a chance I could do that for Elena…

Except I’d had Mr.Carver as a teacher, and Elena would only have me, and that seemed like putting her at a disadvantage to start with.If the guys were here, they’d kick my ass for even thinking it.And if Adam—well, Adam didn’t know, did he?He loved my work, but maybe he’d agree with me that Elena would be better off with a teacher who could read a measuring tape without fucking it up.But I still wanted to try, because Mr.Carver thought I could do it, and I owed everything I had today to him and the chance he’d taken on an unhappy kid fifteen years ago.

“I can do that,” I found myself saying before I could second-guess myself.Or third or fourth-guess myself.“For a trial, just to see if it works.”

Mr.Carver smiled like I’d made the right choice.

I hoped for both our sakes, and Elena’s, that I wouldn’t prove him wrong.

AFTER MR.CARVERand Elena left, I fished the note that Adam had left me out of the pocket of my work apron and sent a picture of it to Sam.Then I studied the scrawl for a moment, like an archaeologist staring at some ancient, unknowable language carved in stone, wishing it would give up all its secrets.Then I went to the cabin and heated up the leftover pasta bake for lunch.I ate in the kitchen with the cat parading around my ankles, trying to convince me she was starving even though she’d already had one of the pouches of food Adam had bought for her.I appreciated Mr.Carver’s offer to help out with the stuff I’d need to figure out to pay Elena, but my dyslexia and dyscalculia weren’t things I liked to have front and center.Haider was the only person so far I’d felt comfortable enough to check over my accounts, and Rebecca helped when it came to ordering supplies, because I didn’t like feeling useless.And it was really hard not to feel useless when someone else had to correct all your mistakes in front of you.

The crunch of tires on gravel made me smile, but when I looked outside it wasn’t Adam’s hire car pulling up, it was Rebecca’s little red hatchback.

“Shit.”

I dumped the rest of my lunch in the sink, but I wasn’t quick enough to escape without being seen.

“Ryan,” she asked, stepping up onto the porch.“What the hell are you doing in there?”

“Just using the kitchen,” I said because the best lies were the ones closest to the truth.“He’s not here, and he said I could.”

“You’re not meant to be bothering him!”She clutched a Tupperware container to her chest.“Shit, I hope this doesn’t lose us a star on our review.Oh God, is there acatin there with you too?Is it that mangy stray?”

“Hey,” I said.“She’s not mangy.”I held the door open for her.“And she’s not very stray anymore either.”

“Ryan!What if he’s allergic?”

“He’s the one who let it in,” I said.I eyed the Tupperware.“Are those cookies?”

“Oh, you’ve tracked dirt in,” she said.“Let me get the broom and—”

“Becca,” I said, because if she made it as far as the cleaning products in the laundry room, she’d pass way too many clues that I wasn’t living in the workshop like she thought.“It’s fine, okay?I can clean up.Also, Adam found out I was sleeping in the workshop and said I could stay.”

She drew a sharp breath.“Really?He’s okay with that?”

More than okay with it, by the sounds he made when he came.But I fought that thought off and did my best not to blush.“Yeah, it’s fine.”

She looked at me narrowly, like she was right on the verge of figuring it out.

“Mr.Carver was here earlier,” I said to distract her.“He wants me to take this kid on.Sort of an apprenticeship, though it wouldn’t be official.He said he’d help with the paperwork, but—” I shrugged.

Rebecca set the Tupperware down.“Well, of course I can help with that!After all the insurance for the cottage, Chris and I are experts at dealing with official bullshit.”She leaned against the counter and folded her arms over her chest.“I can’t imagine you with an apprentice.”

“Well, me neither.It probably won’t work out.”

“Why would you say that?”

“I’m not ateacher.”

“You taught me how to lay flooring.”

I raised my eyebrows.“You remember how I had to pull it up and redo it, right?”

“Well, yes, but presumably mini-Ryan actually wants to learn how to do things properly, and not half-ass it and have his big brother fix it for him.”

“Her,” I said.“Mini-Ryan is called Elena.I think she wants to make a boat.”

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