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And he hadn’t been giving me a hard time only about Percy, but also the way Hunter had swept in to save me.
“He was in the right place at the right time, that’s all,” I’d said. “You know he’s straight.”
“No, I think he’s straight,” he’d said with a mischievous grin. “But you never know…”
I scoffed. “Do you really think Hunter Rhodes would be in the closet? With a brother like Kevin?”
As a femboy who wore feminine clothes and makeup pretty regularly, Kevin was about as out as it got for a queer man in Granville. He’d gotten into drag, too, and had headlined the Pride event last summer. He was practically a minor celebrity at this point.
“Okay, fair point, but a guy can dream,” Augustus said. “And you, my friend, could do with a little more dreaming.”
I’d sighed. “Yeah, well, his son is in my program, so I’ll just have to find a different dream man.”
“Good luck with that in this town…”
He wasn’t wrong. The supply of queer men in Granville was severely limited, which went a little way to explaining why Percy was the best candidate Nana had found. Sometimes I used a dating or hookup app to meet guys in Riverton, but so often it was a lackluster experience that I was more and more reluctant to bother.
Which put me right back in Nana’s matchmaking crosshairs.
“Mr. Fletcher!” Leah called, dragging me from my thoughts. Apparently, Toby wasn’t the only one zoning out today. “I have another question.”
“It’s okay,” Toby said. “I got this now.”
I doubted that, but I slipped away to answer Leah, then noticed Hunter watching from the doorway as I returned.
I stepped out into the hallway. “Hey, everything okay?”
“Yeah.” He rubbed the back of his neck, smiling a little shyly. “I just came early to see how Toby was doing.”
I took a quick glance into the classroom to be sure everyone was occupied, then turned toward him. “Actually, it’s not going as well as I’d hoped.”
Hunter’s smile slipped. “Damn. How much trouble is he in?”
“You Rhodes boys. You always think someone’s in trouble,” I joked. Then sighed and shook my head. “No, Toby is great. He’s really smart. But he needs some one-on-one attention, and there’s just not enough time, especially being short a mentor.”
He grimaced. “Could I volunteer to help out? I could shift my work hours.”
“No, the mentors are all students,” I said. “I was thinking that maybe I could be the one to volunteer. Toby needs a little extra attention. I could give that to him on the days the after-school program doesn’t meet. That way he could truly benefit from this program as intended. I want him to have that chance.”
Hunter looked surprised. “You’d do that? I mean, you’re not even his primary teacher.”
“Yeah, well, to be honest, there’s no protocol. I’d need to keep it on the downlow so none of the other kids feel as if he’s getting special treatment. But…”
“But?”
“He needs a little special treatment, so let’s give him what he needs.”
Hunter gave me a huge hug. “Thanks, man. I know you don’t have to do this. These kids are really damn lucky to have a teacher like you.”
I patted his back and laughed, a little nervous to have him so close to me. “It’s no problem, really. I’ve been dying to see your house ever since I learned it was in the Ball-Sack neighborhood. It’ll give me an excuse to check it out.”
“Ball-Sack.” Hunter chuckled. “Gets me every time.”
I grinned. “Yeah. It’s not exactly regal, is it?”
Before he could reply, kids flooded the hallway, though there was no sign of Toby.
“Bye, Mr. Fletcher!”
