Lesson Learned {Student Teacher Romance}

Chapter 6

The morning of my birthday came and went just the way I like it, as quietly as possible. 

My early shift at the diner went by quickly and as promised, my grandparents came by for pancakes and coffee. They even left me a card covered in cartoon kittens with thirty dollars stuffed inside. 

Mike's gift was even better, he offered me next Saturday off. He knows I don't drink, but he probably figured I'd be useless to him after one night out dancing in who knows how long (and was probably correct).

After work, Keri and I went to the park with Joey and watched him on the swings. 

Despite his sunny personality, Joey's painfully shy, so we took turns pushing him higher and higher while his bubbling giggles and squeals of excitement entertained us both. I even had a few turns on the slide with him cradled in my lap.

Then, we headed to the supermarket to pick up brownie mix, which is a birthday tradition we've upheld since Keri and I were seven. Our motto is, the more chocolate the better.

While deciding between chewy fudge and chocolate chunk, Keri grabs my arm to yank it like I'm the rope of a bell tower.

"Girl, don't look now, but the most beautiful man I have ever seen is straight up staring at you," she whispers as Joey seizes one of the boxes off the shelf. "Be subtle, and slowly turn to your left. Like you're trying to find something."

I whip around to peer down the aisle and a shiver skitters up my spine when my gaze tangles with the beautiful man. 

Mr. Benedict's expressive oceanic eyes are alight with curiosity and watching the three of us.

"Jesus!" Keri scolds me. "I said to be subtle."

"That's my teacher," I hiss.

"Seriously?!" She cries. "Wow, can I come to class with you one of these nights?"

"Take the class yourself," I whisper as a sheen of stress sweat prickles in my hairline. "We should go, it's always weird to see a teacher out of school."

"Well, he's coming this way," Keri bubbles. "Get ready for some super awkward flirting."

A slow grin spreads across Mr. Benedict's devastating face as he confidently strolls our way.

He's wearing a white button-down shirt that exposes a glimpse of his masculine frame and dark-wash jeans. His hair is mussed just the right amount with a few errant strands grazing his deep blue eyes. 

Mr. Benedict watches Joey hand me the box of cake mix with a beguiling expression.

"Can we make this one?" Joey asks.

"Funfetti," Mr. Benedict remarks with a nod of approval. "That's my favorite."

"Mine too!" Joey exclaims before realizing that he doesn't know the tall stranger.

He darts for his mom's legs, peeking out from behind her butt and watching the new person carefully.

"Hello," Mr. Benedict greets Keri and Joey. "I'm Fitzwilliam Benedict, Moira's teacher."

"Fitzwilliam?" I blurt. "Were your parents big Jane Austen fans?"

"No," he chuckles, as his mouth crooks into a bashful smile. "It's a family name."

"Fitzwilliam?" Keri jokes. "That's an interesting one. I'm Keri, which is also a family name, I believe. And this is my son, Joey."

"Hi, Joey," Mr. Benedict kneels down to smile at him.