Nate watched Jade speak to the last parent to pick up their child. He overheard her saying, “It was a great lesson. They had so much fun. We can’t wait to do it again next week.”
None of what she said was true. It had been a train wreck. A disaster. Why bother telling them to come again next week?
Nate dropped onto the nearest chair, pushed his hands through his hair, and blew out a long, tired breath. All the muscles in his body ached like he’d done hours of weights, and a headache pounded in the back of his eyes. He didn’t have to keep doing this. If he hired someone to take over for him, everyone would be happy.
And then Jade turned around and smiled. His heart skidded to a stop. There was no way he could quit and let her down. How he’d make the lessons any better he didn’t know, but he’d die trying, and dammit, those kids would learn to play. It would be worth the body aches and pains to see Jade smile at him like that again.
“You survived six-year-olds,” she said as she took the seat next to him.
Survived just by the skin of his teeth. “Teachers are saints. To put up with so many kids at one time…” He shook his head. “I have no words.”
Jade laughed. “You get used to it. It’s not always so crazy. Once the excitement wears off, they’ll behave better. You’ll see.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it,” he mumbled.
“You didn’t like it?” she asked.
“I suck at teaching. You should look for someone else.”
Jade’s eyebrows rose. “You did not suck. I shouldn’t have started you with such a young grade, but the kids had a blast, and you were great with them.”
“Great? I’m not sure if you were in the same room. I didn’t teach them a damn thing.”
“Remember, they’re only six. Unless they’re musically gifted, learning an instrument will take time. Think about what went on in the lesson,” Jade said.
“Nothing,” he said. She narrowed her eyes, and he sighed. “They played around with the instruments.”
“Exactly!”
“I’m not sure I’m following. Because what they did was make a lot of noise and couldn’t follow any of my instructions,” he noted.
“It wasn’t about being able to play a song today. What they learned is what instruments they liked, what they were drawn to.”
She was right. They didn’t all gravitate to the same thing. And if something didn’t feel right, they tried something else. By the end of the class, all the kids had chosen an instrument and had massive smiles on their faces. Jade had a point. They learned what they preferred to play. Hopefully, they could move on from there.
“I guess it can only get better, right?” Please let it be so.
Her eyes twinkled with laughter. “It will get better. I promise. And tomorrow you’ll be teaching year five and six, and they’ll be better behaved.” She nudged him with a shoulder and smirked. “And maybe there’ll be someone who’ll know who Jimi Hendrix or Eric Clapton are.”
Nate shook his head with disgust. “What are parents teaching kids these days?”
After locking up the hall, they made their way outside. “Toby’s taken my car, and he messaged me to tell me he won’t be back for a while. Do you mind giving me a lift home?” Nate asked. “If you can’t, that’s okay, I’ll call a taxi.”
Jade bit her lip. “I can give you a lift, but I’m not sure you’ll want me to.”
Confused, Nate asked, “Why wouldn’t I? Are you some kind of crazy driver that shouldn’t be allowed on the roads?”
She gave him a sheepish grin. “I get called crazy, but it’s not because of my driving.”
Okay, now he was intrigued.
“Come with me. If you change your mind and don’t want a lift, I’ll understand,” she said, and Nate followed her to the teacher’s carpark. She probably drove an old bomb and was embarrassed.
When they reached the gravel lot, Nate stopped short. There wasn’t an old bomb. Toby’s car sat in the carpark and one other vehicle—a bright, canary yellow moped with matching sidecar.
“So, do you still want me to give you a lift home?” Her lips twitched.
Toby would’ve known all along what Jade drove to work that day. He was gonna pay for this. Could Nate even fit in that thing? And how safe could the tiny capsule be?