Just Like That - Cole McCade Page 0,75

a few weeks off of work.”

“I’m sure I could swing it as well,” she said, frowning, tapping her lower lip. “Theo won’t like it, but...”

“Sometimes we have to give our children what they need, not what they want,” Summer said—but inside, God, he was jumping, buzzing, shouting, the air in his lungs suddenly seeming to go a mile further when...maybe, just maybe, this might go somewhere. “There’s a lovely bed and breakfast down the hill that usually has rooms open year-round, if you’d like to book a stay.”

“Y...es,” Mr. Rothfuss said thoughtfully, his moustache and his brows twitching quite firmly as he stretched the single syllable out into two halting sounds with a long breath in between. “Yes, I think we shall. Thank you for informing us of this, Mr.... What was your name again?”

“Hemlock,” Summer said, offering a smile. “Summer Hemlock.”

Mrs. Rothfuss blinked. “Oh, my,” she said. “What an unusual name.” But she offered a smile as well, rueful, chagrined. “We’re so sorry we’ve not been as attentive as we should be with Theo, but we’ll be in touch again soon. Is it all right to visit our son in his room?”

“Of course.” Summer stood fully, offering his hand. “Do you need to be escorted?”

“We know the way.” Mr. Rothfuss shook his hand firmly, followed by his wife, before Mr. Rothfuss squinted at Summer. “...I say, I do know that name. I’m a graduate from the old school here, you know. And you’re the spitting image of your father at your age.”

Summer stopped, his breaths catching, before he numbly let go of Mrs. Rothfuss’s hand. “Oh, I...thank you,” he said, even if he wasn’t quite sure if it was a compliment or not.

It was just...

Odd.

To be reminded that even if he barely remembered his father...

Summer had roots here at Albin that went deep.

And maybe he’d always been meant to come home here after all.

But he barely waited until the Rothfuss couple had excused themselves from the office.

Before he turned around and threw himself into Fox’s arms, catching the professor just as he was standing and hitting hard enough that for a second they unbalanced, Fox rocking backward.

“Oof!” Fox exclaimed, before steadying them both with firm hands and planted feet—then letting out a soft chuckle. “I take it you’re proud of how that went.”

“Yes,” Summer breathed, burying his face in Fox’s chest. “They listened. They cared, they...oh my God it worked.”

“Many people are inherently selfish without realizing it,” Fox said gently. “But there are those who aren’t. We just have to find them, and hope they will listen.” His arms came around Summer, holding him steady, holding him tight, gentle approval rumbling against his ear. “But they never would have listened if you had not had the courage to speak.”

Summer let out a laugh; he couldn’t stop it, bursting up from inside him, and looked up into Fox’s eyes. “So does that courage earn me another kiss?”

Fox’s lips curled. “If we’re still trading kisses as currency, I’m afraid you’ve spent years’ worth of your allotment at this point and are deeply in debt.”

“So...” Summer leaned harder into Fox—into the tall, strong breadth of his body. “What do I have to do to earn—”

A soft clearing of someone’s throat from the door cut him off.

And instinctively he and Fox sprang back from each other, Summer flushing. Fuck, if one of the boys’ parents caught them...

Worse.

Assistant Principal Lachlan Walden stood in the open door of Fox’s office, watching him with freezing eyes, and crooked his finger.

“Mr. Hemlock,” he said thinly. “A word, if you please.”

Ah, fuck.

Summer stole a nervous glance at Fox, who only gave him an encouraging nod and brushed a hand to his shoulder before gently nudging him toward the door. Shoulders slumping, Summer followed Walden out into the hall.

Walden fixed him with a critical, blistering gaze as Summer shuffled to a halt in front of him.

“What did you think you were doing?”

“Trying to stop an already bad situation from getting worse,” Summer said quickly. He hated how his voice cracked, but he’d already done what was done and wouldn’t back down now. “We can only discipline the boys up to a certain point. Once things get beyond that, we have to get their parents involved.”

“We have to get their parents involved,” Lachlan said scathingly. “Not you. You are barely one step above a temp, and it was underhanded of you to make use of Professor Iseya’s position to avoid school policies.” His lips thinned. “This is still not your