Page 26 of Single Dad's Fake Bride
"She's always been confident. Maybe she just needed someone to listen." I felt the conversation drifting back toward safer territory, though the warmth from his earlier comment still lingered. "She has remarkable insights for someone her age."
"She gets that from reading. Always has a book with her." He glanced out the window, where the late afternoon light was beginning to fade. "Her mother wasn't much for literature."
The mention of Eloise's mother surprised me.
Harrison had never spoken about her before, and I had learned not to ask personal questions about the families of my students.
"Reading can be a solace," I said carefully.
"Yes." He turned his attention back to me. "I think that's part of what draws her to you. You understand that books can be companions."
The observation was more perceptive than I had expected, and I found myself wondering what else Harrison Vale might understand about loneliness and the comfort of fictional worlds.
Before I could respond, he straightened in his chair and his expression became more serious.
"Actually, there's something else I need to discuss with you."
He paused, seeming to choose his words carefully.
"Something that affects both Eloise and me. And potentially you."
I set down my mug and waited.
The ominous shadow of the unknown hovered overhead, making my chest twist uncomfortably after being so relaxed with him.
"My father died last month," he began. "I'm not sure if you heard."
"I did. I'm sorry for your loss."
The mental pieces clicked together and I found myself feeling disoriented by the shift of conversation.
He nodded briefly.
"The funeral was small. Family only."
Another pause.
"But his death has created a complicated situation. One that involves the academy."
I frowned, not understanding where this was leading.
"He left me everything in his will. The school, the estate, the family assets."
Harrison's voice remained steady, but I could see tension in the set of his shoulders.
"But there are conditions."
"What kind of conditions?"
I asked, but I felt leery of his answer.
How did this even concern me?
"I have to be married before my fortieth birthday. Which is in seventy-four days."
I stared at him, certain I had misheard.
"I'm sorry, what?"
