The Boy Who Has No Belief - Victoria Quinn Page 0,17
happy for them.”
“Will there be a wedding?”
“Yes, in the next few months.”
She nodded and kept eating. There was a long pause, like she was taking her time before she asked her next question. “Other classmates will be there, you think…?”
I knew exactly what she was asking. “Unfortunately.”
“And are you okay with that?”
“It’s their wedding. They can have whoever they want there.” I wasn’t bitter or offended by it. My beef with Kevin should have no effect on their relationship with him. They didn’t talk to Tabitha for a while, but their friendship was rekindled through mutual friends.
“Are you in the wedding?”
“Best man.”
She smiled. “That’s cute. You’ll look so good in a tux.”
“I look good in anything, Mom.”
“You do.” She continued to eat her chips. “Did you tell Emerson about all that?” She was careful not to use specific names in case it set me off.
I shook my head.
“Maybe you should—”
“Mom.” We’d reached my limit, and the conversation would go no further.
She dropped it.
“I have to do a book signing next week, and I’m dreading it.”
“You do?” she asked happily. “Where?”
“In Times Square.”
“At the Parchment Bookstore?”
I nodded.
“That’s so exciting. Your father and I will come down.”
Of course they would.
“Why are you dreading it?”
“I’m not good at those sorts of things.”
“It seems like you’re getting better because of her.”
I was getting better at everything because of her. She pushed me to be a man I thought I was incapable of being. “Yes…because of her.”
She gave a slight smile and continued to eat.
I picked up the other half of my sandwich and took a few bites. It was quiet for a while.
“How’s her daughter?”
“I haven’t met her.”
“I know, but what does she say about her?”
I chewed my next bite before I answered. “She said she’s struggling in school, mainly math.”
“I know how that is.” She chuckled to herself.
“I feel like a very small number of teachers in public school are there for the right reasons and aren’t just taking the job because of the pension and summers off. It affects the students, and I feel like that’s what’s happening to Lizzie. Every student learns differently, but they’re only taught in one way. Learning skills is not correlated to intelligence. It’s correlated to the type of teaching. If we understood that better, everyone would have the same skill set coming out of school.”
She nodded. “Maybe you should help her out, Derek.”
I stilled at the comment. “Me?”
“Why not?”
“I’ve never met her, so…”
“Yeah, but maybe this would be a good way for you to do that, by helping her learn. That’s what you’re passionate about, right?”
I shrugged and took another bite.
“Just an idea. And you’re the best teacher in the world, so I’m sure Emerson would appreciate it. Good tutors are really expensive, and Emerson shouldn’t spend her money on that, not when she’s dating one of the most brilliant people in the world.”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know what?” she asked.
“I just… I’m a little nervous to meet her.”
“I’m sure she’s lovely, Derek.”
“That’s not what I’m worried about. I took Emerson home on Friday, and her mother came into the hallway…not a big fan of me.”
Both of her eyebrows rose, immediately in protective mama bear mode. “What did she say to you?”
“That if I were a real man, I would meet Lizzie. I know she’s just being protective of Emerson. I get it.”
“Then it sounds like they want you to take that next step.”
“And it also reminds me how delicate the situation is.” I set down my sandwich on the wrapper and stared at the table for a moment. “Emerson is really dedicated to her daughter, which I admire because she doesn’t abandon her to spend more time with me…even though she wants to sometimes. She knows I’m frustrated that I don’t see her more, that she doesn’t sleep over, that I have to rearrange my schedule just to take her out. But she still doesn’t cut corners when it came to being a mother, which is important to me because my own mother took off with some guy and couldn’t have cared less about me…”
Her eyes fell like that really hurt.
“So, I admire her for prioritizing her daughter over me, even if I don’t like it as her boyfriend. And I also just…” I released a heavy sigh. “I don’t want to get involved with Lizzie because I know how shitty it is to watch someone leave. So if I become part of her life, I won’t be able to leave again. It’s a solid