14. Shane
Teacher: Where is your homework?
Student: I lost it fighting this kid who said you weren’t the best teacher in school.
~Unknown
Talk about getting my feathers ruffled—pun intended.
First, an ostrich stopped Hope’s and my potential kiss, now it’s one of her former students. I can’t really get mad at either of these interruptions though; I completely support any male—man or beast’s—quest to gain a female’s attention, even pint-sized ones. And judging from the way this kid is gawking at Hope, he likely has a crush on her.
Well, get in line, buddy ’cause I was here first.
“What are you doing here, Adam?” Hope asks him. “Wow, you’ve grown so tall.”
He gives her a toothy grin. “I’m in middle school now, of course I’m tall. I’m here with my dad. He wanted to come see the ostriches. I thought it was a dumb idea, but it’s cool to see you here.”
“Adam! Where’d you go?” A man with the same sandy blond hair as Adam appears. His expression changes from worried to relief when he spots him. “There you are!”
“Dad, come meet my favorite teacher!” Adam nods at Hope. “Ms. O’s the coolest. She’s so pretty, too.”
“Oh, um, thank you, Adam.” Hope’s cheeks flush as she offers her hand to Adam’s dad. “I’m Hope O’Connor. I had the privilege of teaching Adam in fifth grade. It’s nice to finally meet you, Mr.—”
“Call me Adam. Adam Sr.”
My jaw drops as he takes Hope’s hand and proceeds to kiss it. Air rushes out of my lungs in a loud scoff. Who does this guy think he is?! He put his lips on Hope! He kissed her before I did! I stand there in shock and disbelief. For a moment I feel like a high school freshman again, standing quietly by as the senior guys talk to Hope. It wasn’t—and still isn’t—a fun place to be. But I’m no longer a kid; I can stand up for myself and my girl. So, I step forward and show Adam Sr. I mean business.
“Hi, I’m Shane, Hope’s boyfriend.”
“Oh?”
“Oh!”
Adam Sr. and Hope have the same one-word reaction to my declaration, but his is deflated and hers is one of surprise.
Adam Sr.’s shoulders droop in disappointment. “It figures a woman as beautiful and kind as you are, Ms. O, would be taken already. I’ve heard a lot about you from Adam; he shows me your social media posts all the time. I’m sorry we didn’t get to meet in person sooner. It’s been hard juggling everything on my own since… you know.”
I wince as his tone grows somber. Regret floods my heart to have thought poorly of Adam Sr. Who knows what he’s been through? Maybe his wife left him to join the circus, or worse. My annoyance with him drops a few notches.
“I completely understand,” Hope replies. “I’m sorry it’s been so hard. You’ve done a great job with Adam. I can see where he gets his sparkling personality from. I have a feeling I’ll remember him for years and years to come.”
“You will?” Adam Jr. pipes up. “I will too, Ms. O! Can I get a selfie with you?”
“Sure.”
Hope stands beside Adam Jr. as they pose for a photo. The preteen then tells his dad to stand with Hope while he takes a picture of the two of them. I have to bite my tongue when Adam Sr. wraps an arm around Hope’s waist like they’re prom dates. The guy sure has some gall to get so close to her when I’m standing five feet away. I have half a mind to photobomb their picture, but they’re done before I can squeeze myself in between them.
“Thanks, Ms. O! You’re the best.” Adam then jerks his head in my direction and remarks, “When you get tired of your boyfriend, you should date my dad. Then the two of you can get married and you’ll be my stepmom!”
Adam Sr. laughs. “That’s not a bad idea, son. The offer’s open if you ever change your mind. No offense to you, buddy.” He winks at me, looking a little too giddy, before he tells his son, “Come on, Adam, it’s time for lunch. It was nice to meet you, Ms. O.”
“You, too, Adam.”
Adam Sr. bids me goodbye with a curt nod. “Nice meeting you, Shawn.”
“It’s Shane!” I call out to his back as he and his son walk off. “Shane, not Shawn!”
My chest rises and falls with every breath I heave. I have to remind myself of the second greatest commandment in the Bible, so I don’t let my indignation get the best of me. The fact of the matter is that I’m the one here with Hope, not Mr. No Offense To You, Buddy. I straighten my posture and try to be the bigger man. This might be the one time when I wish I was an ostrich, so I could be two feet taller. Having a mating call wouldn’t hurt either.
“Boom boom boom,” I mumble under my breath.
Hope places a hand on my arm. “What did you say?”
“Nothing.”
“Were you trying to sound like an ostrich?”
“What? No, of course not.” One glance at her smiling face shows she doesn’t believe me. I sigh and admit, “Maybe a little.”
Her smile grows wider. “Are you jealous, Shaney?”
“Jealous?” I scoff loudly. “Why would I be jealous? I can handle a little competition.”
“Competition? Who said anything about competing? In case you couldn’t tell, I’m not looking to be Adam’s stepmom or his dad’s girlfriend.”
“But you didn’t exactly turn down Adam Sr.’s offer.”
“I didn’t need to. You already told him who you are.”
“Who I am?” My own words, I’m Shane, Hope’s boyfriend, along with their territorial tone, come back to me. “Right, I did.”
“And you didn’t sound at all like a caveman when you said it,” she jokes. “Are you sure you aren’t jealous?”
“Okay, maybe I am a little.” I throw up my hands in disgust. “I can’t believe he kissed you. I mean, who goes around kissing women’s hands these days?”
“It surprised me, too. I don’t think any man’s ever kissed my hand before. It’s kind of nice to see that chivalry’s not dead.”
I narrow my eyes, unamused. “Does that mean you enjoyed it?”
Her expression sobers. “Not in the least. I can’t wait to wash my hand. In fact, I’ll go right now.”
“Hold on.” I reach for her elbow to stop her from leaving. There’s an important matter that I need clarified. One that’s even more important than washing off any cooties that Adam Sr. left on Hope’s skin. “I have a question for you.”
“Yes?”
“Are you okay with me calling myself your boyfriend?”
Hope takes a moment to search my face, her expression thoughtful. “I think so. I mean, I was this close to kissing you, and kissing’s not something I do with just anyone. I do want us to be more, Shaney. What that’s going to look like, though, I’m not sure yet. Especially with us living in two different states and possibly having to do long-distance, and oh my goodness”— she gasps—“what is your sister going to think?! I don’t know how I’m going to tell Ames that I fell for her little brother!”
“You make that sound like a bad thing.” My tone is lighthearted, but I can’t help feeling slightly hurt. “Is it so hard to believe that you could be interested in me?”
“Of course not! That’s not what I meant, Shaney. It’s just that Ames has always watched out for you. She’s kind of been like your second mom. She had so many opinions about the girls who liked you in junior high, how so-and-so wasn’t good enough for you or didn’t deserve to have your attention. I used to think that whoever ended up with you would have to be a nun.”
I crack up laughing. “A nun?! I’m not sure you understand what nunhood requires.”
“You know what I mean. Someone saintly and practically perfect. I’m so not those things, and Ames knows it. She knows each and every one of the silly and foolish things I’ve done the past twenty years. I’m not even close to being good enough for you.”
“What are you talking about?” I draw her into my arms and rest my chin on her head. “You’re perfect for me. Amelia will think so, too. You’re her closest friend. Just the fact that you’ve put up with her all these years is proof that you qualify for sainthood. You have nothing to worry about. If anything, she might not think I’m good enough for you.”
“Oh, please.” Hope pulls back enough so I can see her eyes roll. “Don’t even try to be modest, Mr. I Can Make My Biceps Dance. You’re like the ultimate catch, and not just for your looks. Your inside is as impressive as your outside. But me? I can’t even tell when I’m being scammed.”
“Hey, look at me.” I tilt her chin up until our gazes lock. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. You’re not only beautiful, you’re kind and funny and encouraging. You see the best in people and make such an impact on their lives—just look at Adam Jr. I bet he was a handful in class?—”
“Oh, you have no idea!”
“—but he said you’re his favorite teacher. You made a huge impact on him, just like you do for everyone you meet.”
“I don’t know about that…”
“Trust me. You’re hope personified. I came on this trip not expecting much, but it’s only been a day and I have so much more hope than when I started. As soon as I saw you at baggage claim, I couldn’t wait to spend time with you. I’ve been having the time of my life in Solvang, and it’s all because of you, Hope.” I brush a lock of her red hair from her forehead. “If I could, I’d call in sick and spend the rest of the week here with you if my sister would let me.”
Hope gasps. “Oh no, Ames’s birthday gift! I’m not done shopping for her yet! I still need to find nineteen things that are meaningful to her.” Sighing, she adds, “So much for being a good friend. I got so carried away enjoying my time with you, I totally dropped the ball on that.”
“Hey, I’m making a new rule. You are no longer allowed to bash my girlfriend. She doesn’t give herself enough credit and grace as it is. Only nice, supportive comments will be allowed from now on.” I give the tip of her nose a playful tap. “Anyone not following this rule will have to answer to me. You hear that, O’Connor?”
Hope’s eyes fill up with tears that she quickly blinks away. “That might be the most romantic thing any guy’s ever said to me. See, that’s exactly what I was talking about, that you’re too good for me?—”
“Sh.” I place a finger to her lips. “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that and give you another chance since it takes more than a few tries to break a habit.”
Her eyes grow watery again, but this time she lets the tears fall down her cheeks. “Thank you, Shaney. You’re exactly the guy I didn’t know I needed and never thought I’d actually meet. Where in the world did you come from?”
“Well, I’m pretty sure you’ve met my parents…”
She bursts out with a laugh, a sound that makes my heart soar. If I have the chance to make Hope smile every day for as long as I live, I will be the happiest man alive. Who knew I’d find my other, better half on this vacation I hadn’t planned or wanted to attend? Here I’d been thinking I’d meet someone at my church’s singles event tonight, not making things official with Hope this morning at an ostrich farm of all places! It’s moments like these that show me what a good sense of humor the Lord has.
“If you’ve gotten your fill of ostriches, we can go grab an early lunch, then finish up shopping,” I suggest. “I could go for another ?bleskiver.”
“You read my mind! I definitely want another ?bleskiver. Oh, hold on, my phone’s ringing.” Hope pulls her cell out of her pocket. “It’s your sister! How do I tell her about us?”
I reach for her hand and lace my fingers with hers. “Put it on speaker. I’ll tell her.”
Hope answers the call, her expression wary. “Hey, Ames, what’s up? Are you feeling okay?”
My sister’s voice comes over the line like a freight train going full speed. “Hope Elizabeth O’Connor, you met a guy in Solvang, and you didn’t tell me about it?!”