After my mother’s passing, I was well and truly alone in the world. I had no siblings, no other family. So, I was at the same time in awe and a little envious of Lorelei’s love for her sister. She’d put her own future on the line to save Cara’s.
In the hours since I’d left my office, I’d done a little research into Lorelei Tanner, which had sent me down an internet rabbit hole. I’d found several videos of her skating in competitions. She was grace and rhythm personified. She moved effortlessly across the ice with an expression like she was in a world all her own.
Eventually, I had come across one on a social media post of the practice where she’d injured her ankle. Even though I knew she was fine, seeing her crash to the ice after attempting a triple axel had me breaking out in a cold sweat. My hands had started to shake so badly, I’d had to put my computer away to get a hold on my emotions.
I still haven’t fully calmed down as I pace my living room. A car pulls into my driveway, and I watch as Lorelei slowly gets out with her crutches and makes her way to my front door. As she approaches, I open the door for her, and she offers me a weak smile as she comes inside.
Without a word, I gesture for her to precede me into the living room. Now that she’s here in front of me, I can feel my nerves settling as I’m reassured that she is truly alright. As she moves, I take in the lean lines of her body. Now that I’m aware of who she is, I notice that she’s a little slimmer than Cara, but more muscular. I can’t take my eyes off her tight backside, encased in snug jeans that hug her every curve. I can still recall the feeling of her lips on mine, and I imagine how they’d feel on my cock.
What the hell?
She’s my student. Well, I suppose she’s not. But she’s only in her early twenties, far younger than me. Still, I can’t make myself look away, and it’s only my curiosity that keeps the guilt at finding her so attractive at bay. How is this even possible when I’ve had her sister in my class for weeks and never noticed how soft her hair looks or how bright her eyes are? Because even though they’re twins and do look practically identical, Lorelei is completely different. It’sherhair that looks soft enough to run my fingers through,herlips I want to kiss, andherintelligence that draws me in. Is this going to be a problem?
Lorelei sits on the couch, and I take the chair opposite.
“Okay,” I say, “Convince me not to go to the dean.”
She thinks for a moment, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, a movement that has me shifting in my seat.
Lorelei sighs. “It was a mistake, obviously. Cara can be kind of…”
“Flighty?” I supply.
She scowls at me. It’s rather cute. “She puts all her energy into the things that are important to her, and I’m sorry to say, math of any kind isn’t on that list. But that doesn’t mean she’s stupid.”
Lorelei says the last bit with a hard glare in my direction.
“I never said she was,” I say, raising both of my hands in a defensive posture.
“My parents want her to get a degree, but she’s really passionate about fashion design. And she’sgoodat it. If she fails this class, they’ll stop helping her out, and she’ll have to quit the design classes she takes at night. If that happens, she won’t have a shot at the internship she’s trying to get. She deserves that internship; she’s worked so hard for it.”
I’m even more impressed by Lorelei’s staunch defense of her sister than I am of her calculus knowledge. And the little part of me that wants to give up every day because my students have no drive for anything other than a diploma tugs at the single, frayed heartstring I still have left. So, the flakey, irresponsible Cara Tanner is ambitious enough to take classes she hates during the day so she can take the ones she loves at night to follow her dream. I don’t suppose I’m blackhearted enough to destroy that. I can’t deny I’m impressed, either. She must be taking twice as many credit hours as her classmates at least.
It has nothing to do with the fact that Lorelei is looking at me so beseechingly that I don’t think I can deny her anything. Or the fact that she’s the first woman who’s piqued my interest in years. Looking into her green eyes, bright with unshed tears, I make my decision.
“Look, Ms—”
“Just call me Lorelei,” she says eagerly.
“Fine. Lorelei, you know I can’t accept the retest for your sister’s grade, but I won’t report this sitcom-level farce you tried to pull, either.”
Her face bursts into a smile, and I feel like I won a Pulitzer Prize. Then it falls just as quickly.
“Then what can she do? She’ll never be able to learn this. Believe me, I used to tutor her in high school. She never got past pre-algebra.” She gives me a determined stare. “And there’s nothing wrong with that.”
“I know that,” I say, feeling judged and coming up short. I want to make her see I’m not the monster Cara clearly made me out to be. I glance at my watch and see that it’s well past dinnertime.
“Stay for dinner,” I say. “We’ll figure something out.”
“Okay, but only if you let me help you cook,” Lorelei says with a smile that could rivel the sun.
“Deal.”
***
By unspoken agreement, Lorelei and I don’t discuss her sister or her math class as we cook dinner together. I set her up at a counter, chopping vegetables for a stir fry since she can’t move around much with her crutches. As I prep the meat and set the rice to cook, we discuss her classes and figure skating. I’m surprised to learn that while she loves competing, that isn’t Lorelei’s ultimate goal. I’m equally surprised to realize how much I enjoy talking to her. It’s been so long since I’ve had someone just to talk to, I hadn’t realized how lonely I was.
She’s just finishing telling me a ridiculous story about some stunt the hockey players at her school pulled during last year’s winter sports exhibition, the same exhibition she’s missing this year.
