"This is Bennett," I say, introducing the two of them.
"His boyfriend," Bennett adds as he shakes the realtor's hand. I turn to him, wide eyed and shocked that he says it so casually.He nudges me with his elbow, but continues to talk. "I finally convinced Nelson to let me join him on one of these trips."
"Well, if you have any questions just come find me, okay?" She looks back at me and smiles. "This house has been popular today, so an offer will need to be made quickly if you're interested."
I thank her and place my hand on Bennett's lower back to guide him into the house. "Why did you say that?" I whisper when we're in a room alone.
"Because boyfriend gives off a better vibe than friend tagging along. Shows you're more serious." Bennett steps away from me, looking out the windows of the main living area. The furniture here is minimal and some things are definitely staged, but the structure and layout are solid. We walk through the house together, both of us making notes on our phones. I don't know why I'm surprised at Bennett's knowledge of house buying. He makes small comments here and there, things that could hold up an inspection during the buying process or mentions of something that should be added into a contract before buying.
"Hey, did you see this?" I ask as we pass down the hallway upstairs. Bennett turns back to me and raises his eyebrows. "It's not a laundry room by the bathroom, but a shoot that I'm assuming goes to the laundry room downstairs. You can still just strip and throw them to the washing machine."
"Well, that settles it." Bennett wraps an arm around my waist and kisses my cheek. "If you don't put an offer in on this house, I will."
It's a half hour later when we come back down the stairs and greet the realtor once more. There are a couple other people in the house, some we've said hello to and others that have come in since we arrived. I promise to be in touch within the next day or two. Bennett takes my hand in his as we cross the street to the truck and doesn't drop it until I've opened the door for him. I seethe realtor watching us from the front door with a smile and give her a quick wave before getting in behind the wheel.
"I like the house," Bennett says. "Are you going to put an offer in? The realtor seems to like you, too."
"I think she liked us," I say. I feel a bit uneasy at the ease in which he pretended we were dating. "She's never smiled at me before. Not like that."
"Is that a bad thing?" Bennett asks. I turn to look at him and see his smile fade. "What's wrong?"
"I don't like that we just tricked her." I'm honest with him. He reaches across and rests his hand over mine.
"It doesn't have to be a trick," Bennett says. I look from our hands to his face. "I like you, Nelson. I thought I've made that pretty clear the last couple of days."
"But we said—"
"And we broke that four weeks in," he interrupts. He's smiling and his voice is soft so I know he isn't upset. "I know we still have two weeks of classes left, but Nelson, would you like to go out with me?"
Chapter Eighteen
"Pleaseplaceyourpapersin the tray here on my desk." I call the same message to the students as they walk into the classroom. It's Monday morning, the first of our final four classes together. Technically three, because the last class will be the final exam. I'll have this week to grade the papers and then next Monday we'll do a class study session. Final grades will be put in by Sunday evening. There is only one student failing this class, which hasn't surprised me since they've missed half the classes and haven't scored over a seventy-five on any of the quizzes. I'm hoping to be able to talk to them today after class.
I look up from my laptop to check who hasn't arrived yet. Winnie and Joey have since made new friends in the class and are sitting on opposite ends of the room. I know that they still drive in together since they live at home. They've been fun to have here together, usually getting a laugh out of the class with their bickering. Rebel and Xavier seem to have gotten close sinceI paired them up for that project a few weeks ago. I don't know if they knew each other before, but I see him waiting for her at the end of each class. Nelson is sitting with his head down, reading a book that I know is not part of my curriculum. I loaned it to him yesterday morning when he dropped me off at my apartment. He seems to be halfway through it already.
The rest of the students trickle in slowly. I close my laptop and start the class right at eight. I start explaining the last chapter of the book. As usual, some are taking notes, others are typing on their laptops. I go through the prepared slides, stopping to give examples or answer questions as needed. I can see some confusion on a few faces, but no one else speaks up with questions.
I finish out the last slide and shut down the projector before dismissing the class.
"We'll have one final quiz on Thursday, so don't be late. Reminder that the final will be next week and we'll have a study session on Monday. Please attend." Everyone is packed up by the time I'm finished talking. I scan the classroom for the student I'm looking for. "Yvonne, do you mind staying here for a second? I have a favor to ask you."
Yvonne immediately looks worried, but I hope that I phrased it in a way for her friends to not be suspicious. I don't know if she's told them she's failing the class. I give a nod to Nelson as he walks by my desk. We've already made plans to get lunch after class so I know he'll be waiting in his truck. I make sure that the door to the classroom stays open before I move back to my desk and sit on the edge of it.
"I wanted to talk to you about your grade," I start. Yvonne's expression is hard to read. "Did you turn in your paper today?"
"I did," she says. "And I know I haven't been doing great in this class."
"You've missed five of the now thirteen classes we've had." I wait for her to give an explanation. Either an excuse or a reason. She doesn't say anything, though which sends up a little flag in my head. "Is everything okay?"
"I've just had a lot come up this summer," she says. "I didn't expect to have to balance so much."
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Find a reliable babysitter?" She laughs like it's meant to be a joke, but I can see that she means it too. She sighs when I don't break my expression. "I had a baby a couple months ago. I got through high school and graduated, and I was hoping to do some summer classes to help speed up getting my degree here, but the dad left for another college and the agreement I made with my mom to watch him during class hours hasn't been held up. So, unless you can find a babysitter for a five month old or let me take the Final virtually, I don't know what I'm going to do."
"Bring the baby with you," I say without hesitation. "Yvonne, I thought I made it clear the first day that I'm a pretty relaxed teacher when my students are honest with me. I commend what you're doing, trying to stay in school while raising a kid. Bring them with you and we'll make it work, okay?"
"Seriously? He's fussy at this age and I don't want to distract everyone else."
