Chapter 4 Aspen
Aspen
Quotable quotes are coins rubbed smooth by circulation.” - Louis Menand
Noel Gamble turned away and was about out of the door of my office when he paused and glanced at my quote board. A pincushion of cork for all my thumbtacks to hold up Post-it notes and scraps of paper, my quote board was full of sayings from books I had collected over the years.
Slowing to a stop, he studied some of the quotes I had accumulated. “What’s this?”
No one had ever asked me that before.
I ducked my hot face, feeling suddenly shy. But it felt like he was scanning a piece of my soul. Still unsettled by how he’d asked how old I was, I mumbled, “It’s nothing. Just my quote board.”
He glanced back, and the curiosity in his blue eyes sizzled my insides.
I cleared my throat. “When I read a line from a story I like, I tack it up there.” It was kind of my thing.
“Hmm.” He lifted his hand to slip aside one of the newer quotes to read one of the older ones hidden behind it. When he gave a low chuckle, my hormones jackknifed into immediate awareness. God, his laugh was stirring. “That’s a good one.”
Since I had no idea which one he was referring to, I didn’t respond. Then again, I considered all of them good since I’d taken the time to put them there, so I probably couldn’t help but agree.
He glanced back. “‘Sometimes the questions are complicated but the answers are simple.’”
That had to be the deepest thing anyone had ever said to me. But what did he mean? Was he referring to my assignment? Did he think I’d made it too convoluted? Should I work on my teaching approach?
I cleared my throat. “Excuse me?”
He flushed slightly and turned back to the quote board to tap the Post-its. “It’s Dr. Seuss. Another quote you could add.”
“O-oh. Thanks. That...that’s actually an excellent one.” And it was. It really was. Strange.
Noel gifted me with the hint of a smile. Then he ducked his face and headed from the room.
Once he was gone, I felt bereft. Setting my hand over my heart, I sank back into my chair and blew out a long, shaky breath. Okay, so my crush on a student had just grown to epic proportions. Wonder what my flawless, judgmental mother would have to say about that?