Noah forced himself to turn away. He needed to get Eli to school so neither of them missed the first class of the day. Everything else—the house, the kiss, the way Luke’s presence made him question everything he thought he knew about himself—would have to wait.
Even if waiting felt impossible. He waved to Luke, still on the phone, and headed out the door. He refused to acknowledge the pang of loss as he buckled Eli into his booster seat. This wasn’t the time for even more complications.
The school daydragged with excruciating slowness. Noah’s phone buzzed during third period—his bank’s automaticnotification that his account had dipped below the emergency threshold. The storm repairs would drain the last of his savings, and he still hadn’t figured out how to tell Luke he couldn’t afford the original restoration plan, let alone many more emergency repairs.
His phone buzzed again.
Found significant damage behind the dining room wall. Need a decision about electrical rewiring ASAP. The longer we wait, the bigger the risk of fire hazard.
Noah’s grip tightened on his marker. Another expense he hadn’t planned for. The insurance adjuster had already warned him that pre-existing conditions wouldn’t be covered, and the storm damage would only qualify for partial compensation. He’d have to dip into Eli’s college fund. The thought made his stomach turn. He made a mental note to call Jenna during his conference period.
“Mr. Thompson?” Another student raised their hand. “The bell rang.”
“Right.” Noah forced himself to focus. “Don’t forget your essays are due on Friday.”
The classroom emptied, leaving Noah alone with his scattered thoughts and half-erased quotes about impossible dreams.
Normally, he’d go to the teacher’s lounge during his conference period, but he didn’t want to risk running into anyone. His mind was a mess, and he needed solitude to figure out what he was doing.
Contractor friend specializes in historical electrical work. Might cut us a deal. Let me know if you want his number.
Us. The word caught in Noah’s chest. Even keeping a professional distance, Luke was trying to help manage costs. He’d already cut his own labor rate so low Noah suspected he was barely covering expenses.
“Earth to Noah.” Sarah appeared in his doorway, carrying her usual afternoon coffee. “You look like you’ve been beat up.”
“Thanks.” Noah accepted the soda she’d brought for him, grateful for the distraction. “The insurance adjuster called during lunch. It’s…not great.”
“How bad?”
“Bad enough that I’m considering selling.” The words tasted bitter. “Cut my losses before the house drains every cent I have.”
Sarah’s expression sharpened. “And what does Luke think about that?”
“He doesn’t know.” Noah rolled the soda bottle between his hands. “How do I tell someone who sees such potential in the house that I can’t afford his vision? That I might have to walk away from all his plans?”
“Plans for the house? Or plans for something else?”
Heat crept up Noah’s neck. “The house. Obviously.”
“Mm-hmm.” Sarah settled into a student desk, studying him over her cup. “I told you about the issues Jack and I had when I bought our place. Some days, I thought it’d be enough to makehim realize I didn’t have the best judgment. Others, I was certain my insistence it could be fixed would leave us unable to actuallylivein the house. But sometimes, what looks impossible just needs a different perspective.”
“This is different.”
“Is it?” She paused, then added carefully, “Have you considered Luke might have solutions you haven’t thought of? That maybe he’s invested in more than just the house?”
What was up with everyone insinuating there was more between him and Luke than a professional arrangement? Okay, so it was only Jenna and Sarah, but still. Noah wondered if he’d been giving away more than he realized about his sexuality and the women in his life were determined to set him up.
Before Noah could respond, his phone buzzed again. If it wasn’t for how hard Luke was working to save money without cutting corners, Noah would’ve thrown the damned thing across the room.
He’d need to put his phone on Do Not Disturb before his next class arrived because he couldn’t focus on his students when every message today seemed to be bad news. And maybe he’d talk to Luke tonight about using one of those notebooks he was so fond of to make notes throughout the day and give Noah a rundown in the evening.
Called in some favors. Got us better rates on materials. Think I found a cheaper way to handle dining room repairs.
Something in Noah’s chest tightened. Even through text, he could read Luke’s determination to make this work. To find solutions Noah couldn’t see through his panic about moneyand repairs and…other complications. At least this message was good news.
“Interesting,” Sarah mused, watching Noah’s face. “Your whole expression changes when you look at your phone now. Almost like?—”
“Don’t.” Noah set his phone face-down. “Please.”
