Page 98 of Accidentally in Love

I gestured to him. “Come in.”

He ran a hand through his short-cropped brown hair as he walked over to my desk. “Hey, Miss Jensen, you got a minute?”

“Sure, Tyler. What’s up?”

He paced in front of me for a few seconds, making me dizzy.

“Tyler, will you sit? You’re making me sick.”

He gave me a sheepish look and took the seat in the chair next to my desk. “Sorry, is that bad for the baby?”

I shrugged. “No clue, but you’re making me nauseous.”

“Sorry.”

“What’s going on?”

Tyler was a decent student, but I had noticed an uptick in his grades lately. Helen had him last year and said he was a good kid, but he lacked focus.

“Why did you want to be an English teacher?” he asked.

I shrugged. “I love reading mostly, and I love inspiring the young people in my life. I know reading a bunch of dead Brits probably isn’t the most exciting, but that’s the curriculum.”

He nodded. “I really like your class.”

“Oh.”

“You’re my favorite teacher.”

“Really?”

He nodded. “You don’t treat us like little kids; you try to make us understand the stuff in terms of our own world. I like that.”

“Okay…” I trailed off. I wasn’t sure where he was going with this.

“I’m thinking about getting a degree in English.”

“Oh!” I said and quirked my eyebrows up at him. That was the last thing I expected him to say to me.

He sighed at my surprised expression. “I came to ask you for a letter of recommendation, but I think I need advice.”

I scribbled something into my planner to remind myself to write the letter for him. Tyler was a good kid, and I’d seen his growth. I’d make sure to write him a good letter. I was more concerned that he wanted advice from me.

“What do you need advice with?” I asked.

He grimaced. “Talking to my dad. He won’t want me to get a degree in English.”

I chose my words carefully because I wasn’t sure that tracked with Grayson for me. After all, he was in education, but that might also be why he didn’t want Tyler to get a degree in English. There wasn’t a lot of money in public education.

“Okay… do you want to teach?”

He shrugged.

“Listen, Tyler, I think you’re an outstanding student, and I noticed a difference in your performance lately. If you want to pursue that, I think it’s a good idea, but you still have another year of high school left. You don’t have to decide right away.”

He nodded. “Yeah, that’s what my girlfriend said.”

I smiled. I noticed his grades had improved when he started dating my star pupil, Abigail. Their relationship had been teacher’s lounge gossip, but I thought they were cute together.