Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 111089 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 555(@200wpm)___ 444(@250wpm)___ 370(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111089 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 555(@200wpm)___ 444(@250wpm)___ 370(@300wpm)
“Huh. Thanks, Big Man.”
“No problem. Here, I can help you with these while everyone’s finishing up.”
DJ had been called to help downstairs, inside the house, and some volunteers had to leave early, so I was happy to accept the help. As we worked on our knees in pads, I found my glance continually shifting to him. It became increasingly difficult to navigate my way around the roof with the ever-stiffening erection in my pants.
“Where do you work out?” I asked.
“Work out?” He eyed me peculiarly, to the point where I couldn’t read it until he let out a laugh. “Kidding. I go to LA Fitness off Kennard.”
“Definitely packing on some serious muscle, Teach. It’s impressive.”
“Weight lifting helps me de-stress.”
“What do you have to be so stressed about?”
He opened his mouth and closed it, as though reconsidering sharing so much with a student. He shook his head. “My…wife and I had some issues about a year ago.”
“Is that why you don’t wear your wedding ring?”
He did a double take, as if surprised I’d made the connection with the day Brian had remarked about it.
“I guess the worst you can do is spread it around to the other students. My wife and I are planning to get a divorce.”
“You either get a divorce or don’t get one, I’d assume.”
“It’s a fair assumption. Wish life was always so clean and simple. But back to your question, working out was a good distraction, the best stress reliever for everything going on.”
“And what was going on?”
His gaze drifted to off the roof before he answered, in so soft a voice, I was surprised I could hear it over all the guys working around us. “We grew apart.”
“Sounds like BS.”
“It’s as much as any of my students get to hear.”
We shared eye contact. I didn’t like this teacher-student division that prevented me from getting to know this part of James. But I accepted that he’d shared more with me in this short amount of time than he’d shared with the rest of the class.
“Fair,” I told him as I attempted to drive the nail into the shingle like he’d shown me, but missed. I cursed and did it again, more successfully. “By the way, that comment you made about the worst thing being me telling other kids at school? I wouldn’t tell anyone anything you said. I’m not like that.”
He seemed shocked by my remark. “I didn’t mean that I thought you really would.”
“I just wanted to be clear about that.” There I went making things awkward again, so I tried to move on quickly. “So, you seen anyone since you and your wife split?”
He seemed about to pull his hammer back but stopped. I wondered if he was trying to decide whether the question was appropriate to answer.
“No,” he finally said, shaking his head. “I’ve been spending most of my time healing, but I’m not much for dating either. I knew Sheila for a year before we even started seeing one another romantically. We went to UGA together, met in the library. She approached me…and approached and approached. It was nice having a friend, really. And then, well, it grew from there.”
“Sounds like she already had plans for you.”
“I didn’t mean to make it sound like that. Just that it all seemed very natural and at a pace that was comfortable for me. Not sure what I’ll do in the world now. Everyone keeps telling me I need to get on one of these apps.”
“Ugh. Dating. Never even done that. I don’t imagine I’d like it.”
“Never dated? Really?”
“No. I’m not missing out on any fun, but that’s the extent of it, if you get what I mean.”
“Yeah, I don’t really work like that. I like getting to know a person, finding out who they are on the inside.”
“I like finding out who they are on the inside too,” I teased with a wink, and he laughed.
But it wasn’t a joke for me. I would have loved to feel what he was like on the inside.
“I’m gonna pretend I didn’t hear that one,” he said before he started hammering again.
“Hey, maybe I meant it like you did. That I like getting to know a person…fully.”
He rolled his eyes as we moved on to the next shingle. “Yes, as in conversation, learning about their interests and life and hobbies…”
“Funny. That’s what we’re doing right now.” Even the way it came out of my mouth was like I was trying to fucking flirt with him. What the hell was I thinking?
“I guess so,” he said, eyeing me strangely.
We continued shingling, eventually splitting up, which wasn’t as much fun, but as he worked on the other side of the roof, helping another volunteer with a section, I caught his gaze again and waved.
His brows pushed closer. “Everything okay over there, Mr. Forsythe?”