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“He’s ten times more intense than you. He invented overreacting. And he’s also one of the best people I’ve ever known.”
She took a deep breath and let it out, signaling that she was letting it go.
“Okay, but the cricket bat,” he said again, lifting it up and placing it on the island.
“It was my brother’s. He played for a club in England when he lived there.”
“You lived in England?”
“No.” She shook her head. “My mom and dad split when we were little and my dad took André, that’s my brother, with him to England. I stayed here with mom.” Her expression grew cloudy and then she shook it off.
He had so many questions though.
“But he lives here now, and I stole his bat from him because I thought it was cool.” She picked it up and took it back to the locker, tucking it inside.
“Do you have any siblings?” she asked.
“Nope. Never had the privilege. Just me and mom.”
She tilted her head which he was figuring out was her way of letting him know he could share if he wanted but she wasn’t going to push.
It was such a gentle way of communicating that it filled his chest with tender feelings. No wonder she was a teacher. She had a heart for it.
They made their way back to the couch but instead of facing the film, they faced each other.
“You were going to tell me about why you’re a tutor and not a teacher. Remember that?”
She smiled. “Oh yes. Well.” She tipped her head back and thought. “My mom is a con woman. That’s the short version. The details are way more sordid and even I don’t know them all. But essentially, she was an investor stealing money from clients and the SEC was closing in, so she stole my identity and tried to flee the country. They caught her.”
Dave’s mouth hung open.
Sabine nodded. “They did a documentary on Netflix about it.”
“And so you can’t be a teacher?” he asked, trying to process.
“Schools have limited background checks. Basically, if something gets flagged it’s easier for them to just reject the application rather than paying for a deeper search. Celebrities and more affluent families pay for a more thorough background check. Which means they can see I’m in the clear and it’s my mom who’s the criminal.”
“Where’s your mom now?”
“Federal prison.”
“Shit, Sabine, I’m sorry.”
She shrugged. “Thanks but it’s okay. It’smostlyokay,” she amended. “Sometimes I still get angry when I think about it, but she’s paying what she owes and getting what she deserves.”
Sabine looked around the loft.
“And I owe her nothing.”
“What about your dad? Did he know?”
“Nah. When André told him what happened he came over and helped me get my name cleared and then he was gone again.”
Dave knew a little about absent fathers.
“You and your brother are close?”
Her smile was soft. “Yeah. As much as we could be with an ocean between us. But he moved to Chicago a few years ago and we see each other as often as we can. He’s a professor of archeology.”
