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“Smart man. He knew you would take care of it, but seeing as you’re here in Vermont, I’m guessing you needed a change of scene.”
He nodded. “Right again. I’m keeping the clients I’ve had for years, but I couldn’t stay in Boston anymore.”
“You need your family.”
And that was the simple truth. “I do. Finding you here was a bonus.”
Her pretty face flushed, and she patted Frizzle again before looking away. “You’ve had a very difficult year, Burke. Are you going to let your family in on what’s happened?”
Good question. “I don’t know if I want to bother them with it all. It’s over.”
Rissa snorted a laugh and spoke with sarcasm dripping from her words. “I bet that’s exactly what you’d tell them if the situation were reversed. Keep it all inside.”
He didn’t answer that because they both knew she was right. He’d always been the one to help. As the oldest, it was his job. He wanted any of his siblings to share their troubles so he could help.
But his situation was different. It was over, and he didn’t need to burden them with the past. Instead, he’d dive into farm life and see how he could help.
Burke turned and started walking again, the dog held to his chest.
Rissa fell into step beside him. “I won’t say a word to anyone.”
“Thanks.”
She didn’t push for any more information, and in a few moments, his shoulders relaxed. He’d spilled enough for one day.
Walking through the orchard with Rissa at his side, her Yorkie snuggled into his chest, was relaxing—something he couldn’t have imagined even this morning.
He wanted it to go on forever, wanted to find out all about her past. “Being a teacher suits you.”
She flinched slightly. “I’m not a real teacher. I share science lessons with kids.”
“Sounds like a teacher to me.”
She kept her gaze on the trail. “I don’t have a degree.”
That made him frown, but he kept his mouth shut as he thought it through. She was one of the most intelligent people he’d ever met. Her grades had always been top-notch. She’d also cooked all the meals at home and handled the laundry and cleaning.
Her useless father wouldn’t have had a dime to give her for schooling. She would have earned scholarships, but it obviously hadn’t been enough.
“Sounds like you made your dream come true despite that. You’re sharing your love of science with kids. Are you having fun?”
Her lips immediately tipped up into a smile. “I love it. I get to teach what interests me and spend a lot of time outdoors.”
“Sounds perfect. What are your favorite lessons to teach?”
That earned him a soft laugh. “Almost all of them. Bubbles with the little ones. Buoyancy, too. Middle graders love learning about the world around them and doing experiments that let them learn by doing. Almost all of them love robotics. The older kids love digging into ways to improve the world, to reduce pollution and the harm we’re doing to our planet.”
She clamped her lips together to keep in more words, but he wished she hadn’t. When she was passionate about a subject, Rissa was the most fascinating creature he’d ever met.
They arrived at her RV, and Frizzle stood in his arms, barking happily at the sight of her home. When she squirmed, Burke set her on the ground where she bounced over to sit at the RV’s steps.
Burke forced himself to keep the conversation going without asking himself inside. He wanted to continue talking with Rissa, learning more about her, but he didn’t want to push too hard, too soon. “Looks like Frizzle wants to get started on the composting lessons with you.”
Rissa smiled. “She’s a big help.”
He imagined that to be true. Frizzle was a happy companion for a woman who’d yearned for connections as a girl. He wondered about Rissa’s adult connections.
He didn’t have the right to ask those questions. Not yet, but he wanted to know everything about her. It took all his discipline to step back. “Thanks for listening and for not telling me to take a flying leap off a tall building. I’m glad you’re here, Rissa.”
