Chapter 34

Thirty-Four

Everett

A fresh wave of nerves hits me as I step into the office. I’ve known this meeting was coming all week, and yet I feel completely unprepared. Gemma and I have gone through what I’m going to say dozens of times, though.

“Hey, Everett,” Colleen, the school receptionist, greets as I come to a stop at the counter.

“Hi, Colleen. I have an appointment with Nick.”

“I’ll let him know you’re here, dear.”

Today’s the day I let the school know about my relationship with Gemma. I meant what I said to her; I highly doubt they’re going to take any action about this. It’s mostly just to keep things out in the open. Blossom Beach is a small town, and people are bound to find out eventually. Although, the little niggling of fear in the back of my mind is there, telling me they could remove Sutton, which I don’t want. It’s never ideal to make a kid switch classes mid- year, but more than that, I enjoy having him in my class. And not just because he’s Gemma’s son. He’s a great student.

“Mr. Windward,” Nick, the principal, gruffs as he walks out of his office. “How are you?”

Standing up, I make my way over to him. “I’m well. Thank you, sir. How are you?”

“I’m doing good. Please come in.”

I take a seat in front of his desk as he takes the chair across from me. Pictures of his wife and their three kids line the counter behind him.

“So, tell me,” he starts, folding his hands together on top of his desk. “How’ve things been going for you here?”

“Amazing. I’m enjoying the school, I have an excellent class this year, and the faculty has been more than welcoming. I’m very happy here.”

He smiles, the lines around his eyes creasing. Nick’s probably in his late forties, if I had to guess. He’s been the principal here for quite some time now, and as far as I can tell, he does an incredible job.

“Wonderful. Glad to hear that. How can I help you today, then?”

“Well…” I breathe out a laugh that sounds more like a cough since I’m nervous. “I wanted to be up-front with you about my relationship.”

His brow furrows. “I’m listening.”

My stomach twists, and I have to swallow against the lump forming in my throat. “It’s with Gemma Rylan, sir. Sutton’s mom.”

“I see.” His face is blank; I can’t read it at all.

“They’re my neighbors, and it just… happened, but I wa nt you to know that it doesn’t, in any way, affect the way I run my class. I’m very much able to keep my personal and professional life separate.”

Nick blows out a breath. “Well, I appreciate you coming to me and telling me. While there’s no set-in-stone rules in the handbook about teachers and parents dating, it’s not exactly ideal. In fact, it can sometimes get quite tricky. But you’re not the first parent-teacher relationship, and you won’t be the last. Sometimes in towns as small as ours, it’s unavoidable.”

“I understand, sir. But again, I can assure you, this will not affect how I teach my class.”

He nods, face still unreadable. “Did this relationship start before or after school started?”

“After. We met before school started, of course, but nothing romantic started until after. I would have one hundred percent told you if it was before.”

“I believe you,” he says, and my shoulders relax hearing him say that. “Now, I won’t sugarcoat it. When the parents find out about this, there may be some backlash. I don’t foresee that happening with the class you have now, at least off the top of my head, but I need to tell you just in case. There will more than likely be some stares and whispers.”

Nodding, I murmur, “I understand, sir.”

“Since we’re in the middle of the school year, I’m not eager to move Sutton to another class as long as no issues arise. Do you understand, Mr. Windward?”

“Yes, absolutely.”

“And I trust you to tell me if anything comes up that could potentially cause conflict.”

“You got it, sir.” I nod .

“Well then…” Nick stands, extending his hand to me. “If you’ve got nothing else to discuss with me, congratulations on your new relationship, Everett. Gemma is a wonderful woman. Very loved by the community.”

Beaming at his comment, I shake his hand. “Thank you very much.”

I feel a weight lift off my shoulders as I walk out of the office. That’s done, and now it feels like I can finally allow myself to enjoy all of this out in the open.