Page 27 of Fall Fake-Out

My mom said to meet her at the Beet and Barrel Cafe after school on Thursday. She said she had an exciting surprise for me. I love a good surprise, especially when food is involved. I’ll never turn down a soup, salad, or sandwich. Plus, the thought of one-on-one time with my mom sounded nice. Something I never get.

When I arrive, she has a table picked out for us by the window.

“Ari!” She waves me over even though I’ve already seen her and am walking her way.

I glance behind me at the menu. “Should I go order first before I sit down?”

“No!” Her answer is oddly immediate. “You can order later.”

“Okay.” I take a seat, noticing the excitement behind her expression. “What’s up?”

“Oh, nothing.” She shrugs aggressively. “How was your day?”

“It was good. I used the large, colored Lego blocks to teach students how to write a five-paragraph essay. I used yellow blocks for the introductory paragraph, but then I added one blue, one red, and one green block to show how you use three different points in your thesis statement. Then the next paragraph was blue, then I did a red one, a green one, and I ended with another yellow one for the conclusion paragraph. I think the visual went really well.”

Her mouth opens as if she’s impressed. “I don’t know where you come up with these ideas, but that is so good. I mean, does this town even know how lucky they are to have you here teaching at the high school?”

“It’s not that revolutionary. I’m sure you can find a million ideas like it online.”

“No, don’t sell yourself short. You are an awesome teacher.”

“Thanks.” It means a lot to have my mom believe in me. “How was your day?”

“Well, don’t be mad at me, but⁠—”

My shoulders fall. “What did you do?”

“It’s not as bad as it sounds.” My gaze tightens, prompting her to widen her smile. “I invited Archer Kade to meet us here for an early dinner.”

“The stable boy?” Now, I’m calling him that too. “Mom!”

“What?” she says innocently. “He’s a nice young man. What’s the harm in getting to know him better?”

“So this is like a date?”

“I think it might be nice if you want to call it that.”

“Mom!” I groan. “This is why I moved away. You’re too much.”

“That breaks my heart. Don’t say you moved away just because of me.”

“Okay, it wasn’t just because of you, but this kind of blind-date blindside is too much.”

“Oh, come on, we’ve tried it your way for the last nine years, and what has it gotten you? A failed relationship with a man who left you broke and homeless. It’s not a great track record. So I think it’s time we tried things my way, don’t you?”

She makes some good points.

Some.

“Yes, but⁠—”

“Zzzp.” She snaps her fingers and her thumb together in front of my face, signaling for me to close my mouth. “He’s here.” Her expression brightens as she waves Archer over.

His gaze lands briefly on me, just out of curiosity, not out of interest, leading me to believe that—like me—he has no clue he’s walked into a blind-date scenario.

“Mrs. Langford.” He tips his cowboy hat at my mom, and while I’m a fan of his overall cowboy persona, I’m not interested in dating. “It’s good to see you again.”

She wags her finger at him. “I keep telling you to call me Barb.”