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He's the first guy Wilby ever kissed.
A knot forms in my stomach as a flicker of something—jealousy?—courses through me. No. Why would I care who Wilby's with? Even if he is a rich, handsome guy who he had his first kiss with. Nope. I'm not bothered by that. At all.
"Col!"
Polly claps her hands, and I snap back to attention. "Sorry, you were telling me about the American guy…"
"Two minutes ago, I was." She flips her washcloth over her shoulder, studying me with her cool gray eyes. "Now I see."
"See? See what? There's nothing to see here."
"Of course. You're right. I'm just a silly old lady." She grins. "Another slice?"
"No. Thank you. I really should get going." I stand. But before I go… "Where are the kids?"
"In school."
"Mind if I pop in and say hi?"
"Not at all. Kolby will be happy to see you. He's got some good news to share."
"Awesome. I could do with some of that."
I duck in and say a quick hello to Bridgette and Kolby. They're both in a live class so they can only break away for a few seconds.
"Guess what, Col?" Kolby asks after racing over to me.
I crouch down to his height. "I have no idea. What?"
"I got seventeen out of twenty on my maths test."
"Heyyy! That's amazing, buddy. Well done!"
I raise my hand and he gives me a hearty high five before dashing back to his desk.
Polly walks me to my car.
"He talks about you all the time," she says.
"Who? Wilby?"
She lets out a light laugh. "I meant Kolby, but, yes, Wilby talks about you, too."
I grab my keys and avert my gaze. "Oh, right."
"Kids are funny creatures. Wilby and I have been helping him with his homework, especially maths, for so long. You come along and spend a few evenings with him, and something's just changed. You must've explained things to him in a way that his brain understood, and he's gotten so much more confident. Thank you for that, Col."
"I really didn't do anything."
"Yes, you did." She takes hold of my forearm and looks up at me. "And I promise you, whateverWi-Fi issuesyou had will be resolved, and Wilby will be replying to all of your messages from now on."
"Thank you, Polly. Um, would it be weird if I gave you a hug?"
She smiles. "Not at all." Then lifts a finger. "Just keep your hands above my waist, please. You're dealing with the only woman to have won the Miss Scuttlebutt of the Year contest three years running."
I laugh because I'm assuming that was a joke?
I lower down and give her a hug, keeping both hands well north of her waistline. "It was good to see you, Polly."
