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“I’ll have my usual with another beer and a water,” I say, folding my menu and handing it to Sean.
“What’s your usual?” Joseph asks.
I open my mouth to answer, but Sean does it for me. “Turkey club on a croissant with mayonnaise, no tomato, and a side of fries.”
Joseph’s eyes widen. “You do come here often. That actually sounds really good. I’ll have the same.”
Sean tucks our menus under his arm and walks away.
“So, Claire, tell me about yourself. Mo says you’re a teacher.”
“I am, first grade.”
“Wow. Young ones. That must make for some interesting days.”
“You have no idea.” I smile and shrug. “But it’s not bad. They’re at the age where they’re still eager to learn, and they haven’t quite developed an attitude.”
“I don’t think I could teach. It takes a special person to have that sort of patience with a child.”
“Thank you.” His words warm me from the inside out, and I find myself relaxing against the seat, enjoying his company. “I won’t lie though, there are days I come home and need a stiff drink.”
Joseph’s eyes light up when he smiles. “Oh, I bet there are. We all have days like that. Myself included. Although my work can’t yell back at me.”
“Or spit at you or throw things or put a whoopee cushion on your seat.”
“No way. A student put a whoopee cushion on your seat?”
I nod, laughing.
“I bet you were pissed.”
“Not really. It was actually kind of funny. All the kids got a good laugh out
of it.”
“And the kid who put it there, what happened to him?”
“He got sent to the principal’s office.”
“I bet he’ll never do something like that again. I never would’ve thought to do something like that to my teacher.”
“Yes, well, times have changed. Kids these days are a lot bolder than we used to be. But that’s the worst that has happened.”
“For now.”
“Touché.” I tip my beer at him. He does the same, and a comfortable silence surrounds us as we each take a drink.
“What do you do for fun when you’re not teaching?” he asks.
“Really? You want to know more about me? Because I’d love to hear about you and what you love.”
Joseph waves me off. “I’m boring. And we’ve always got date number two for that, so for now, let’s concentrate on you.”
Can this guy get any sweeter? I’m going to owe Mo an apology by the time the night is over. “I volunteer at Bright Start Learning Center and at Animal Haven with Mo.”
“What is Bright Start Learning Center?” he asks.
“It’s a tutoring facility. I work with kids who need a little extra help.”
