Chapter 8
Angus
“Class! Please give a round of applause for our speaker, Mr. Del Toro,” Ava instructs from her desk.
The fourth grade class bursts into cheers and I can’t help but grin. Speaking at Liz’s school for International Minotaur Day was a great idea, and I’m glad I didn’t chicken out when she suggested last month.
“Thank you, Ms. Rosenberg. This has been a blast. And, before I leave, I have a surprise for the class.”
Lifting a large box, I open it and show the children the snack-sized bags of truffle chips we brought for each of the classrooms. Winking at Ava as she wrangles the excited pupils, I slip out the door, bumping into Janice Werber.
“Oh, hi. Janice, right?”
The caterer does a double take at the sight of my horns, but then smiles and nods.
“Yes! I catered for your farm once, right?”
“You did. And it was fantastic.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it. Do you have a child who goes here?”
“Oh, no. My brothers and I are here for International Minotaur Day speaking to the classes. You?”
“My nephew. I help out from time to time at the school and just finished a little early. So I’m going to wait outside for the little bugger.”
Taurus and Liz come around the corner and I wave them over.
“Taurus, remember Janice? She catered for us that Christmas Eve? With that divine pumpkin and lentil shepherd's pie.” As I say this, I watch my brother’s face turn pink when his eyes meet the caterer’s. Liz says a quick hello, but then I drag her away on important business.
When we are behind her office door, she pulls me close and asks, “So, what is this important business?”
“Besides kissing you, nothing. The way Taurus was looking at Janice just now, I thought maybe we'd get out of the way.”
“Oh, really? Does he know her?”
“Not beyond the catering, but his face when he looked at her told me he certainly would like to get to know her.”
Lifting my girlfriend in my arms so she is face to face with me, we enjoy several sweet kisses. Placing her back down, she sits at her desk.
“Need me to get out of your hair?”
“You don't have to, unless you have something to do. The release bell is about to ring and I have maybe an hour of work to do before I can escape. The harvest market is this weekend. Want to head there afterward, grab some cider and food from one of the stands?”
“Sounds like a perfect first Friday evening in November to me,” I say, kissing the top of her head before entertaining myself outside with my reading app.
Lost in my book, I don’t notice the sunset until the sky is a dark gray. The campus is still. Liz walks out to me, an apologetic smile on her face. I don’t mind, though, because the quiet of the open campus gives me an idea.
“I’m sorry. Took way longer than I thought.”
“No worries, beautiful,” I say, digging the box that I have carried around for the past week out of my jacket’s inner pocket and I lower to one knee.
“Whoa!” Liz blurts out, and I can’t help but laugh.
“Elizabeth, these last several months have truly been the best of my life. I am madly, passionately, over the moon in love with you. And I will forever be grateful for that fateful day we were trapped together for hours. There’s no one else in this world I am meant to love. Will you marry me?”
“Yes!” Liz shouts, her voice echoing across the quiet school grounds.
Jumping up, I pick her up in my arms and spin her around.
“Damn, woman, I love you so goddamn much.”
Elizabeth covers my face with kisses, whispering, “Me too. I love you. So, so much.”