Page 25 of Single Dad's Fake Bride
"Also her idea. She said she wanted to try writing her own poems after we studied Robert Frost."
I studied his face, searching for some indication of where this conversation was headed.
"Is there a problem with any of this?"
Any teacher wants to feel supported by the parents of the students they're teaching, but for some reason I wanted that from him more than other teachers.
Most likely, it was my strange fascination with his praise the other day, so I tried to push it down.
"The opposite."
He took a long sip of his coffee, then set the mug down carefully.
"Have you always had a way with children?"
The question seemed to come from genuine curiosity rather than polite small talk.
I considered how to answer honestly without revealing too much about my own complicated history.
"I never planned to teach," I said finally. "It was more of a necessity than a calling."
"What did you plan?"
"Writing. Fiction, mostly." I felt the familiar pang of that abandoned dream. "But that doesn't pay the bills."
"Where did you grow up?"
The shift toward personal questions made me wary, but something in his tone suggested he was asking becausehe genuinely wanted to know, not because he was making conversation about my skill set.
Eloise was miles away from this conversation now, and we inched closer to something bordering on intimate with every question.
"Falmouth," I said. "My mother and I lived in a small apartment near the harbor."
"Just the two of you?"
I nodded, not trusting myself to elaborate on that particular subject. Harrison seemed to sense my reluctance and moved on.
"Where did you study?"
"UMass Amherst for undergrad. English literature with a minor in education." I took another sip of coffee, buying myself time. "The education classes were supposed to be a backup plan."
"And graduate school?"
"Community college for my teaching certificate. Part-time while I worked." I met his eyes across the table. "Why all the questions?"
He smiled then, a real smile that transformed his entire face and made him look younger. "You're kind of hard to ignore, you know that?"
The comment and the way he delivered it sent warmth blossoming through my chest.
I rolled my eyes and laughed, partly from surprise and partly from the unexpected pleasure of seeing him drop his usual reserve.
"You're not the first person to tell me that," I said. "Though never quite in that tone."
The words hung between us for a moment, creating a charged awareness that made me shift in my seat.
Harrison cleared his throat and looked down at his hands wrapped around his mug.
"Eloise is lucky to have you as a teacher," he said, his voice returning to that careful control. "She's grown more confident this year. More willing to share her thoughts."
