“I’m 24.”
She grinned. “Me too! You didn’t grow up around here, though, did you?”
“No, I grew up in Boston.”
She widened her eyes. “Oh, the city! I knew it. I could just tell that you weren’t from one of these small towns. And I totally mean that as a compliment.”
I could just see my mother smirking if she had been there to overhear that comment.
“Well, thank you,” I said. “Though I moved here because I really needed to get away from the city. And you know what? I like it a lot so far.”
“It gets kind of boring. I should know—I’ve lived here my whole life. But...” She paused, grinning. “I heard you live near one of our students. Declan told me the other day. He’s very chatty and couldn’t wait to tell us that he and his dad lived next to the newest teacher here.”
“He’s adorable,” I said. “I met him the other day. He’s my next door neighbor.”
The grin widened. “So you’ve seen Cole, then.” I could tell by the sparkle in those blue eyes of hers that she had a thing for him.
“Yeah,” I said. “He seems nice, too.”
/>
“I wouldn’t talk about this if Becca or Kris were around, and I know it’s wicked unprofessional, but I think Cole is just gorgeous. And if you think it’s wrong of me for thinking so, just tell me, and I won’t keep talking about it.”
“There’s nothing wrong with thinking someone’s hot,” I said. “I’m certainly not going to tell you otherwise.”
“So... What’s it like being his neighbor? Is he, like, out there mowing his lawn without his shirt on?”
“I’ve only talked to him that one time, actually,” I said. “Sorry to disappoint you.”
“I bet you’ll have plenty more opportunities to talk to him! I’ve bumped into him in town and stuff before.”
“So…there’s no girlfriend or anything? Declan’s mom?”
Amy shook her head. “No. And you know, I’ve heard a couple different things about what happened there; I’ve never asked him about it, obviously. That would be so weird, like, Hi, you’re here to pick up Declan, but before I let you sign him out, why don’t you tell me what the story is with his mother?” She giggled. “Talk about awkward!”
“What are some of the things you heard?” I asked, trying to sound nonchalant.
“Hmm, let’s see. I heard that Declan’s mother cheated on Cole a bunch, but she was the love of his life, so he kept taking her back, and then she finally ran off with this guy, another doctor, but older. I’ve heard different variations of that one from a couple people. I also heard that his parents, who are super well-off, didn’t like the mom because she was from a working-class family, so after she had the baby, they basically paid her off.”
I frowned. “That’s terrible. And hopefully not true.”
“Yeah, I don’t know if I believe that one. It sounds like such a soap opera or something! But it is a little weird, don’t you think? That it’s just him?”
“I don’t know,” I said, shrugging. “It’s not that weird. The single parent thing is pretty common.”
“I just mean that a guy that good-looking, you’d think he’d be with someone.”
“Just because you’re good-looking doesn’t mean you’re not a complete asshole,” I said. Amy had a slightly horrified look on her face. “I’m not saying that he’s an asshole,” I added quickly. “From what I know, he seems pretty nice. I’m just saying that being good-looking doesn’t mean you’re always going to be with someone. That’s all.”
“Right,” she said, though she gave me a funny look like she thought maybe I didn’t know what I was talking about after all.
Chapter Two
Cole
I stood at the end of the driveway, watching as Declan proudly rode his little 16-inch bike without training wheels. I was trying to appear more awake than I felt. We lived on a quiet street, so he was weaving from one side to the other, pedaling wildly, a grin on his face.
“Lookin’ good, buddy!” I shouted as he turned a 180 and came zooming back toward me. It was Saturday morning, bright and sunny, the air warm with a refreshing breeze. Declan and I had been up since 7, and I tried not to start thinking about past weekends, years ago, when I’d sleep in until sometimes 10 or 11. I couldn’t remember the last time that I’d slept in that late.