Learning Curve

by H J Welch

  Jenny rolled her eyes. “Mr. Combes,” she said. “There’s no such thing as unicorns!”

  Dillon shook his head at her. “Is too,” Dillon told her. He’d been winding her up all week. She was one of the kids mature enough to cope with teasing and he loved it. “You’ll see tomorrow.” He stuck out his hand to shake on it. “If I’m wrong, then you get to go on summer vacation.”

  “Deal!” she cried, jamming her small hand into Dillon’s and pumping it once. Then she turned to her dad. “I’m going on vacation anyway, Daddy,” she stage-whispered to him. “So I win anyway!”

  Myles chuckled and ruffled her hair. “That you do, termite.”

  That was the second time Myles had used that pet name. It was kind of odd, but Dillon liked it. Jenny had a thing about bugs, so it made sense.

  She hugged her saturated paper artwork to her chest. Hopefully the ink had already dried and the scribbles weren’t currently imprinting onto the fabric of her dress. “Are you really coming to the zoo with us tomorrow?” she asked Myles, wide-eyed. “I love the zoo, it’s my favorite place.”

  Dillon was almost certain she had never set foot in a zoo before, but he adored her very childish enthusiasm.

  Myles beamed and bent down to pick Jenny up and sit her on his hip. “Yes, kiddo,” he said, then glanced at Dillon. “Mr. Combes invited me. Isn’t that nice?”

  Dillon’s heart really did skip a beat at that. He knew Myles was only talking to his kid about him, but to hear him call Dillon nice did funny things to his belly.

  “Thank you, Mr. Combes,” Jenny squealed.

  She flung herself over to loop her arms around Dillon’s neck. Kindergarteners often liked to hug. It was a natural reaction to finding themselves separated from their parents for the first time in their lives. Jenny wasn’t clingy like some of the other kids, but she was often affectionate and liked hugging Dillon or patting his head.

  She just normally didn’t do it while attached to her dad.

  Dillon found himself almost face-to-face with Myles as he kept hold of his daughter during the hug. For a second, Dillon forgot how to breathe.

  Myles cleared his throat and gently tugged Jenny away. “Okay,” he said a little too loudly. “Well, we’ll see Mr. Combes in the morning, won’t we? Say bye, Jenny!” He turned to the door but then looked back over his shoulder. “Uh, thanks again for understanding. Sorry that kid was an as…tonishingly rude kid. So, yeah-” he bumped into a desk as he backed toward the door “-we’ll see you tomorrow at nine. Outside the zoo. Bye!”

  Jenny waved as Myles finally managed to get them out the door and vanish into the hall.

  Dillon stared for a moment. Okay. Had Myles been flustered because it was a straight guy reaction to being within kissing distance of another guy? Had Myles picked up on Dillon’s hints and worked out he was gay, then freaked out at being too close to him?

  Or…had he felt like Dillon had? Like his heart had been about to beat out of his chest in anticipation?

  Dillon’s head was spinning and his fingers tingled. It took him twice as long to clear up his room before leaving to go home. He kept finding himself staring into space, imagining what tomorrow might bring.

  Whatever it was, it was almost certainly going to be interesting.

  3

  Myles

  Myles wasn’t sure what he needed right now was an excess of caffeine. But he couldn’t stop thinking about Mr. Combes’s – Dillon’s – offer to buy him a coffee.

  He was just being polite, right? Myles chewed over the thought as he drove him and Jenny up the boulevard toward the zoo entrance. He was so awful at this. He genuinely couldn’t tell if the other man had been flirting or not.

  Sure, he’d basically admitted to being gay, and there had been those…looks. The ones that seemed to stretch out just a fraction too long where Myles had struggled to catch his breath. And the smiles and the batting of his eyelashes. And to top it off, here Myles was, taking a day off work to hang at the zoo because Dillon had asked him to.

  And Jenny, of course. She was bouncing in the back seat, filled with the excitement it seemed like only six-year-olds could possess. All through dinner last night she had used Myles’s tablet to scroll through the zoo’s website and inform him of all the animals they had to find and see today. Myles had done his best to explain that he was there to look after other kids as well and they might have to see what they wanted to do. But Jenny seemed confident she had the best plan of action when it came to tackling all the exhibits.

  It all seemed to revolve around insect house live display time.

  “Termite,” Myles said affectionately. He looked in his mirror to where Jenny had been chatting away in the back seat. She paused in her monologue about how awesome stick bugs were and raised her eyebrows. “The other kids might not like the insects as much as you do,” he warned her gently. If he was honest, the idea of setting foot in that place himself gave him the heebie-jeebies.

  But Jenny just laughed. “The other kids don’t understand is all, Daddy,” she said seriously. “Once they see how cute all the creepy-crawlies are, they will like them too.”

  Myles hummed and tried not to scratch his scalp where it suddenly felt like many-legged things were scurrying through his hair.

  Her positive attitude was infectious, though. Myles didn’t know any other six-year-olds. Perhaps they really would like the bugs if Jenny was hyping them up.

  He chewed his lip as the colorful zoo entrance came into sight down the road. As patient as Corinne had been with him, he knew he hadn’t spent enough time with Jenny. Now he was about to help shepherd two dozen kids around for the day. What would he talk to them about? He knew a few of the TV shows Jenny liked to watch, like Dora. But what if he couldn’t relate to any of the other children about anything?

  What if he embarrassed Jenny?

  Fuck, how could he even think about being interested in Mr. Combes? If her classmates got wind that Jenny’s dad was…not like their moms and dads…they could be vicious to her. Even little kids knew how to make the lives of others miserable. Like that spiteful monster Elijah. Jenny might be stuck with him calling her dad the F-word for the next twelve years.

  “Daddy, what’s wrong?”

  Myles glanced in the rearview mirror as he drove through the parking lot, looking for a space. “Oh, nothing, sweetie,” he said with a smile. “Daddy was just worrying about something. But worrying’s no good, is it?”

  “It’s like a rocking chair!” Jenny replied, parroting the expression Corinne used all the time. “Lots of work to get you nowhere!”

  Myles nodded, proud of his little girl as he pulled into a slot and killed the engine. He was tempted to regret the time he had missed while he’d been fighting to climb up the ladder at his architectural firm. But if he hadn’t gotten this promotion, he would have spent many more years putting in extra hours to keep up with his workload. Now that he was in management, he had the time right now to be with Jenny whenever he could.

  Myles knew he was lucky. Corinne had stuck with him for as long as she could, but she had seen the writing on the walls years ago. She was still the only person Myles had tearfully come out to, once she had suggested their divorce five years ago. He loved her as much as he could love a woman. But she needed more.

  It meant he still had a great friend, however, and she’d married an awesome guy in Rafael. The three of them worked their hardest to raise Jenny together and Corinne had already asked Myles to be godfather to their new baby once the little one finally arrived. But in the meantime, Jenny was getting to an age where she was asking questions.

  It was only a matter of time before Myles would have to explain that Daddy was no longer married to Mommy because someday Daddy wanted to marry another man.

  That wasn’t a discussion they needed to have today, though. Especially if Myles refrained from anything foolish around Dillon. There was no reason to put Jenny in an awkward position
on her last day of school.

  Dillon was probably just friendly, Myles told himself as he and Jenny walked over to the front entrance where a gaggle of kindergarteners was already gathering with several adults. They were handing out small reflective vests for the kids to wear over their clothes.

  “Are we late, Daddy?” Jenny asked. Neither Myles nor Corinne had a particular issue with timekeeping, but for some reason, it was an anxiety Jenny had held her whole life.

  “No, termite,” Myles assured her as they approached the group. “We’re right on time. Come on, let’s get you a vest.”

  Although he knew they were in fact on time, Myles couldn’t see Dillon. There were plenty of parents, however, looking after the children. Myles assured himself Dillon had to be around somewhere, purely because it was his ultimate responsibility to watch over his class.

  Not just because Myles would be disappointed if he wasn’t there.

  Jenny skipped ahead, tugging at his hand in her eagerness to reach her classmates and get her vest, ready to explore the zoo. It tugged Myles out from his thoughts.

  Myles was nervous about meeting the other parents. Most of them were women, moms he assumed, and they all seemed to know each other from the way they were chatting. A couple of them flicked their gazes towards him with interest as he and Jenny drew near. Did they know he was divorced? He no longer wore his ring, after all. He couldn’t tell if the looks were judgmental or interested.

  “Hi,” the nearest lady said brightly. Her black hair was tied into a ponytail with a blue streak in. She wore glasses, a T-shirt with anime characters on it, jeans and sneakers. It made Myles feel more relaxed about dressing down himself. “I’m Porcha, Billy’s mom. Are you Jenny’s dad?”

  Myles joined the edge of the group and shook her hand, watching as Jenny dashed off to grab her bright yellow vest.

  “Uh, yeah,” he said as convivially as he could. There was no need to be worried. This woman seemed perfectly friendly. “I haven’t done a field trip before, though.”

  Porcha just nodded and smiled at the kids. “Oh, you’ll be fine,” she assured him. “From what I hear, Jenny’s a great kid. Billy talks about her a lot.” Sure enough, when she pointed to an African-American kid who was presumably Billy, he was hugging Jenny and showing her his Superman watch that she looked at excitedly.

  Myles knew Jenny had friends, but he was relieved to see it for himself. Billy wasn’t the only kid pleased to see she’d arrived.

  “So, I take it you have done a field trip before?” Myles asked Porcha.

  She laughed. “One or two,” she said wryly. “Billy’s the youngest of four. Don’t worry, we’ll stay in a big group. They like to sprinkle the parents between the kids so none of them sneak off.” She grinned and touched his arm. “You’ll ace it. How are Corinne and Rafael enjoying their vacation?”

  Ah. So she did know he was divorced. Was the arm touch flirting? Myles wasn’t sure how to respond. He supposed the easiest thing was to just answer her question.

  “They loved it,” he replied honestly. “This will be the last time Corinne can fly before the baby arrives, so I think she’s read about twenty books and spent every minute possible working on her tan. They’re landing back in town about midday today. Jenny will be happy to see them.”

  Porcha giggled and touched his arm again. “Oh, I’m sure she’s loved seeing her daddy, though,” she assured him.

  Yeah, that was flirting. Myles wasn’t so hopeless he couldn’t tell that much. But he supposed it was harmless. If she asked for his number or anything, he could tell a white lie and say he was seeing someone.

  Or…

  “Oh, hey! You made it.”

  Myles’s heart genuinely skipped a beat. He turned to find a beaming Dillon walking up behind him, two coffees in his hands.

  “Hi,” Myles said, the word coming out a little breathless. God, how cringeworthy.

  But Dillon just smiled broader and handed over one of the disposable cups from what looked like an independent coffee house from the logo. Myles briefly worried how much that might have cost Dillon on his teacher’s salary, but it would be rude to make a fuss.

  “Thank you,” he said sincerely instead.

  Dillon grinned and shrugged. “I wasn’t sure what to get you, so I went for a vanilla soya late with vegan cream and sprinkles.”

  “Oh,” said Myles, feeling his eyebrows crawl up his forehead. “I – that’s actually perfect,” he said in surprise. “Did I tell you I was vegan?”

  Dillon’s expression became one of pure joy. “Oh, no,” he said happily. “But Jenny always asks if there’s a vegan option for everything, even though she eats meat. So I took a gamble.” He held up his own coffee like a salute. “I got myself a regular old cappuccino in case I was totally off the mark.”

  Myles looked down at the lid of his ridiculous yet totally perfect coffee. Why the hell was there a lump in his throat? He was being an idiot! But damn, if that wasn’t hella thoughtful.

  “You were prepared to drink my ludicrous coffee if I wasn’t vegan?” he asked.

  Dillon looked offended. “Are you kidding? That sounds like a party in a cup! I got sugar, too, if you take it?” He pulled a couple of packets out of his pocket.

  “Uh, yes, please,” Myles said. “Because apparently it’s not sweet enough for me,” he added with a nervous laugh. “Would you, uh, like to try a sip?”

  “Sure,” Dillon said, accepting the cup as Myles passed it over.

  “I’ll catch you later, Myles,” Porcha said. Damn, he’d forgotten she was there. But she gave him a wink and nodded at Dillon. “Hey, Mr. Combes,” she said as she walked away to speak with another mom.

  Dillon waved at her as he took a sip. “Damn, that’s good,” he said, nodding.

  “Well done, you,” Myles murmured as he took the cup back. He felt like his cheeks were heating up, so he looked around to locate Jenny – still chattering away with Billy and a couple of girls – then looked back at Dillon. All his promises not to do anything stupid were slipping away like water between his fingers. Fuck, the guy was seriously cute.

  “Thanks,” he said, doing his best not to stumble over the one-syllable word as he accepted a packet of sugar. “So, uh, this is the zoo, huh?”

  Smooth. Real smooth, Slater.

  Dillon nodded but he also sighed. “Yeah, the school does this trip every year for the kindergarteners. Since I arrived three years ago I’ve been suggesting something slightly more ethical, but the school board keeps insisting it’s perfectly fine.”

  Myles’s hand paused on the way up to his mouth, the coffee hovering awkwardly. “Wow, yeah,” he said. “I was trying to explain that to Jenny last night. That San Diego is a good zoo for research and conservation, but animals really belong in the wild.”

  Dillon lightly punched Myles on the arm. His body zinged at the contact. “Exactly,” Dillon said excitedly.

  Myles’s tongue went dry, so he took a gulp of coffee, only to find it was far too hot and almost scalded his throat trying to swallow the hot liquid down quickly. “It’s all right, though, isn’t it?” he asked, attempting not to splutter. “The kids aren’t going to be traumatized or anything, right?”

  Dillon smiled and sipped his own drink. “Oh, no, it’s great,” he said with sincerity. “I’m being a stick-in-the-mud. The staff here is incredible. The animals are more like beloved pets. I just try and make sure the kids treat the place with respect and don’t bang on the glass or anything.” He arched an eyebrow and faked a cough. “Elijah,” he said, then winked. The bullying kid wasn’t there yet, so Myles didn’t feel too guilty laughing. “I’m glad I have an extra pair of eyes to keep the kids in line,” Dillon added warmly.

  Myles managed to nod but couldn’t seem to make his voice work. Luckily, several more children had arrived. One of the parents who was hovering to see them off had a question about when to pick them up. So Dillon happily bound off to answer her,
leaving Myles to nurse his coffee.

  If Myles couldn’t get ahold of himself, this was going to be a very long day.

  4

  Dillon

  For all his outward confidence, Dillon had no idea what was really going on. One minute he was sure Myles was flirting back with him. The next he clammed up, biting his lip and blushing.

  Dillon had never once shown interest in a parent before, for good reason. But Jenny was almost graduated from his class and there was something about Myles that just pulled at Dillon. He was sweet and smart and obviously very caring. It was a joy to see him walking along with the gaggle of kids he’d been assigned to escort around the zoo for the day. He was good at listening to the children babbling about whatever was on their young, inquisitive minds, even if he struggled to follow what they were saying at times.

  “Uh-huh,” he said as Tamora Thompson swung from his hand and told him all about the summer camp she was going to during the vacation. “Wow, that sounds awesome, hon.”

  Dillon had a loose plan for getting around most of the enclosures before they had to be back at the front gate to greet the parents. He made sure he drifted between the various chaperones, keeping an equal eye on his class. But there were more than enough adults to help him out, so he was having a pretty easy day, truth be told. They were currently watching an adorable pair of baby giraffes galloping around on their spindly legs, kids and animals both having a ball.

  Dillon couldn’t help but glance at Myles as they both flicked their gazes between the animals and the kids, making sure they were all still where they were supposed to be. Dillon was trying not to gravitate toward the handsome guy too much. One, he had a job to do, and two, he honestly couldn’t gauge how Myles was feeling toward him.

  Instinct assured Dillon that Myles swung his way. But there was something going on there that was holding him back.

  Perhaps he was already in a relationship? Damn, that put a damper on Dillon’s enthusiasm. He was aware that sometimes he could jump into things too quickly. Both feet in without thinking things through. Was he missing a subtle hint from Myles to back off?