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Her jaw dropped. “You’re the first teacher to say that. I always get the impression he’s a handful.”
“He can be, and I was too. But there’s hope, and he deserves the best chance.”
“I…thank you.” She swiped at her eyes. “It’s nice to hear something positive for a change.”
My heart ached for her. She was a single mother and trying her best.
Ms. Johnson smiled, then glanced toward the hallway. “I should go check on them in the gym. You were the last teacher I needed to meet with.”
“Sounds good.” I stood and walked her to the door. “Wait, before you leave…”
I headed to the windowsill. “Please, take home a chrysanthemum. The students planted them and decorated the pots for their parents. Chase really likes working with the soil and buds. If you have any plants at home, he’d probably enjoy taking care of them.”
“Now that’s a good idea. Thank you.”
21
Nolan
“How are you feeling?” I asked George when he showed up for our lesson a couple of weeks later. I’d been in touch with his daughter, who’d informed me about the stent they’d placed in his heart. His recovery had been quick and smooth.
“Much better. I’m on blood thinners, and the doctor said I could resume normal activity. Though my daughter made it clear that shouldn’t include going to see a live band in the middle of the night,” he said with a smirk. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”
“You’re welcome. But no more scares like that. I don’t think my heart could handle it.” I winked. “Deal?”
“Deal.” He sighed as he sat down at the piano. “And thank your friend Ellis as well.”
Warmth spread through me. “I will.”
“He seems like a good man.”
I cleared my throat. “He is.”
“He came to the hospital to support you. Seems he cares a lot for you.”
“He’s my best friend, and we’re there for each other.”
“Just remember that life is short.”
I wondered where this was coming from. But maybe when you have a heart attack, it puts things in perspective. Let alone losing the love of your life.
“For a few moments, I thought I was going to be joining my beloved in the afterlife,” George said, and I swallowed thickly. “I don’t want you to have any regrets.”
“What exactly are you trying to say?” I asked though I had a good enough idea.
He grew still. “I don’t want to overstep.”
“It’s okay. Go for it.” But my heart had lodged in my throat.
“Maybe it’s true what they say about the soul—that it has no earthly boundaries—because I still feel her around me.”
“No earthly boundaries?” My voice sounded strange, but George didn’t seem to notice.
“None of the pressures society places on us.” He gave me a pointed look. “About who you should love and why.”
My breath rushed out of me. “Is it that obvious?”
“Not until I saw you together outside my hospital room when you thought no one was looking.” A small smile traced his lips. “The tenderness in your eyes. It reminded me of how you looked at each other onstage. The connection was clear, though it didn’t occur to me at the time.”
“The truth is, we’ve been trying to figure it out.” It was a relief to admit it. “Neither of us has ever been interested in men before, so it’s a bit scary and confusing.”
He frowned. “Too bad it has to be that way. Are you in love with him?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never felt this way before. That’s all I know.”
“Like you can’t breathe every time he walks in the room?”
My entire face heated. “Maybe.”
“Sounds like it. Will you tell him?”
I shrugged helplessly. “I never wanted this for myself. My parents had a horrible relationship.”
“Doesn’t mean you will.”
“Ellis says the same thing.”
“Sounds like a smart man.”
I grinned. “Let’s get started on your lesson before we run out of time.”
I drove home in a fog, thinking about George’s words, but the excitement of seeing Ellis propelled me out of my car as soon as I parked.
“What are you up to?” I asked him as I let myself inside his place and toed off my shoes by the door. Ellis was on the couch, staring intently at his computer screen.
“You’ll want to see this, I hope.” Wariness crossed his features.
“What do you mean?” I settled beside him, and my gaze snagged on the screen. It was frozen on an image of two naked men passionately kissing.
“You’re watching porn?”
“OnlyFans,” he replied. “I found them on Instagram. They’re actually together in real life.”
I winced. “Were you about to jerk off, and I interrupted you?”
It wasn’t like I hadn’t done the same thing countless times.
“No, silly, I was waiting for you. I was hoping we could watch it together?”
“Who are you, and what have you done with my best friend? Ever since that time in the shower, you’ve been…I don’t know.”
