Page 48 of What Started In Deception

He nodded. “How many kids do you usually have in your classes?”

“My biggest class has been twenty students, but usually, I have right around fifteen to seventeen.”

Ty huffed out a laugh. “That’s a lot of little bodies to keep track of.”

She smiled as they stepped onto the blacktop. “It really comes down to classroom management. I do a lot of positive reinforcement, have weekly prize jars, and we do something fun at the end of every month if the kids can reach their behavior goals.”

“It sounds like you have it all figured out.”

She grinned because that wasn’t always true. “I’d be lying if I didn’t say that there are some days when I hold on for dear life and just get us to the afternoon.”

He laughed, bumping her arm. “I have no doubt that you’re good at what you do.”

She smiled at him, appreciating that he thought so. “I certainly try my best, but no two days are the same. When you have fifteen to seventeen different personalities and each of those personalities has a unique homelife, you never know what you’re going to get.”

“Well, my hat’s off to you, Lyd. I could never do your job.”

“Aw,” she said, bumping his arm this time as they made it to his truck.

They both got in.

Ty buckled his seat belt, then turned over the engine, rolling down the windows to let the heat out of the cabin. “So, what’s next on the agenda?”

A question he’d asked several times over the last few days. They’d been busy since their Tuesday morning date at the shooting range and their impromptu afternoon grill adventure.

She snapped her seat belt into place. “I definitely need to get over to my grandparents’ place and water my grandma’s tree.”

He winced. “I just hope it’s still alive. Watering it one day late sounds risky.”

She glared at him, knowing that he was teasing her again. “Just drive.”

He roared out a laugh as he drove through the empty parking lot. “Hey, I’m impressed that you were able to wait this long.”

“What can I say? I’m mixing things up and living on the edge.”

He laughed again, taking a right out of the lot. “Look out, folks. An unplanned grill purchase and watering the plants off schedule. Things are definitely getting crazy.”

She chuckled as she shook her head, still surprised that Ty hadn’t had to work very hard to talk her into hanging out on his couch for a movie instead of heading over to her grandparents’ house after they ate their dinner last night.

She’d found herself creating a new routine with the man sitting by her side. The last few days had passed in a blur of workouts at the gym, running random errands together, occasional grocery store stop-offs, rooftop dinners, and quiet nights spent at his house or hers, watching something on the TV—the typical stuff two people did when they shared a life together.

Minutes later, he turned into her grandparents’ neighborhood, where large brick homes exuded quiet wealth. Not long after, he pulled down their long driveway. “Nice place.”

She nodded, staring at the elegant two-story house that her grandma and grandpa had lived in her entire life. “Yeah. I love coming here.”

Getting out, she headed up the walkway, using her key in the front door, breathing in the familiar scent of home as she walked in.

Ty followed her into the spacious entryway.

“The kitchen’s this way,” she said, leading him down a hall past a sitting room, her grandma’s cozy library, and her grandpa’s office that he didn’t use nearly as much as he used to.

They stepped into the large, airy space with pretty granite countertops, pale-blue painted cabinetry, and high-end appliances.

“You could make quite a feast in this space,” Ty said as his gaze tracked around the room.

She nodded, reaching under the sink for the watering can. “It’s happened a time or two, especially when I was a little girl.”

“This house must be spectacular during the holidays.”