Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 84704 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84704 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
The food was good, and the conversation flowed well. Molly was more quiet than usual, though she’d seemed taken with Harrison. She liked him, I could tell. I could also see she was pissed at Mom for something. When I’d shown her the room, I asked, but she’d told me it was nothing. I didn’t believe her.
I was spacing off and had clearly missed part of the conversation because when I snapped out of it, I heard, “Because of Zander.”
“Because of me what?”
Harrison’s gaze met mine, laughter in it. “I got back into photography. I was telling your mom about taking photos.”
Don’t blush, don’t blush, don’t blush. He wasn’t talking about taking photos of me, of course, but that was all I could think about because it had been really hot.
“I used to want to be a photographer when I was younger. It wasn’t in the cards then, so it’s been nice falling in love with photography again.”
“He’s really good,” I told Mom. “We went on a hike, and he got this amazing photo of a toad sitting on a leaf. Oh, and this other one of a shoe hanging from a tree. It was just there, in the middle of nowhere, somehow looking more beautiful in his picture than it had in real life.”
“Thank you, but I have a lot to learn,” Harrison replied, and I rolled my eyes.
“In some ways he’s so cocky, but he struggles with genuine compliments.”
One of Harrison’s brows lifted. “That makes two of us, Mr. Wescott.”
“Why do you call him that?” Molly asked. “Just because he’s a teacher? Gag. I can’t believe my brother is a teacher.”
“Hey! School is cool!”
“No, no it’s not,” Molly replied.
“They’re complete opposites,” Mom said.
“I always wished for that…for a sibling for Ross. I guess it wasn’t meant to be.”
“Since Ross and Zander are friends, maybe they can be like brothers,” Molly added.
Harrison’s eyes widened, a look of horror there I was pretty sure no one saw but me.
“Yeah, it doesn’t really work that way,” I told my sister because, gross. Thinking of Harrison as some kind of pseudo-father was the last thing I wanted to do.
We finished eating, and Mom paid. I wanted to tell her I could give her the money, but I also didn’t want to make her feel bad. I knew she hated taking it from me.
Harrison drove us to the school next. There were a few cars in the lot, but that wasn’t surprising. Someone was always there doing something. I recognized one as belonging to Susie.
We got out of the car. Harrison beat me to the passenger door, opening it for my mom. I was fairly certain hearts were flying out of my eyes, the one in my chest melting into a puddle as they linked arms and walked together. There was nothing like it, the feeling swelling in my chest when I saw Harrison with my family. He was the most incredible man I’d ever known.
I couldn’t help but continue watching them as we made our way toward the doors. Susie’s office was by the front. She had the shades open and waved, before coming around. I swiped my school ID and heard the lock click to open.
Susie smiled.
“My family is here visiting and I wanted to show them my classroom. Is that okay?” I figured so, but it was one thing for me to go, and possibly another with so many people.
“Of course you can! One of my favorite things about you is your pure love of teaching, Zander. I think it’s wonderful that you want your family to see where you spend your days.”
“Thank you. That means a lot to me,” I told her before introducing her to Mom, Molly, and then, “This is my good friend, Harrison.” It was getting harder and harder to call him that.
“Nice to meet you all,” Susie replied. “I’ll let you get to it. Have a good holiday.” She slipped away.
Harrison didn’t let go of Mom as they went inside. I was surprised as hell that she was walking with him that way. She didn’t mind being vulnerable with Molly or me, but she never was with anyone else.
Excitement skittered beneath my skin as we made our way to my room. I opened the door, stood back so Mom and Harrison could go in first. The second she stepped inside, she gasped. Harrison nodded me over and stepped back so I could stand with her.
It took no time for her to start crying, tears pouring down her cheeks, a shaky hand in front of her mouth. “I can’t believe this is yours,” she said softly.
“Me neither.”
Mom walked around the room slowly, taking everything in. When she got to my desk, she picked up the nameplate. “This is beautiful.”
“It was a gift.”
“You, I assume?” she asked Harrison.