Page 53 of Broken Dream
Plus, what if Ralph did see something? What if he’s already reported it to administration?
Jason could lose his job.
On the other hand, if this surgery he’s talking about works, he won’t need to teach anymore.
I wonder how old he is.
Do I dare ask?
I take a sip of water to avoid choking on the piece of sandwich.
“I have a large family,” I say. “They do a lot.”
“What else does your family do?” he asks.
I rack my brain before answering. It’s a lot to keep track of. “Well, my cousin Gina is an artist. Her sister is the one who’s the baker. My brother Dave works with my uncle Talon in our apple and peach orchards. My other brother Henry helps run our nonprofit foundation. My cousin Donny is a lawyer, and my cousin Diana’s an architect. Oh, and three of my cousins are married to bona fide rock stars.”
He nods, taking another sip of wine. “You do have a big family.”
I’m not sure what to say to that, so I take another bite of my sandwich and chew slowly.
I’m still not completely sure why he’s here.
He says he wanted to celebrate.
Why with me?
“How old are you?” I blurt out before I have a chance to stop myself.
“Almost thirty-six,” he says. “In fact, my birthday is next month.”
Thirty-six. I do the math in my head. He’s got more than a decade on me. Thirteen years.
When I was born, he was already a teenager. Probably learning how to shave. I bet his jawline was just as magnificent then as it is now.
It’s not a small difference. But…it’s the same as my parents. And it worked for them.
What am I thinking? I can’t be with this man. He’s my professor. There have got to be rules forbidding anything from happening between us. We may have shared a quick kiss, but that was just us getting caught in the moment.
Wasn’t it?
I blink a few times. “Oh. Well, happy birthday, then.”
“Yeah. It’s weird.” He gazes wistfully out the window. “I don’t think about birthdays much anymore.”
“Why not?”
He doesn’t answer right away.
Just when I’m convinced that he’s going to change the subject?—
He puts his glass down on the table. “I just haven’t felt like acknowledging birthdays, I guess.”
“Oh.”
I’m tempted to ask why, but if he wanted to tell me, he would’ve put it in the answer to that last question.
“Birthdays are huge in my family,” I say. “My mom’s cakes are legendary. And then of course Ava—she’s the baker—is also great with cakes and breads of any kind. There’s always a great big celebration, and everyone in the family comes. Even those who live out of town try to make it in.”
