Firefighter's Virgin

“Apparently so,” I nodded. “Did you always want to teach?”

“I came to it late,” she admitted. “But I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll achieve tenure.”

“Is that the goal?”

“Isn’t it yours?”

“I don’t know that I can see myself living in the Midwest permanently,” I said. “After a few years here, I might decide to relocate.”

“Where to?”

“I’d like to try out London for a year or two,” I said. “Or maybe even Florence. But I loved Asia, too, so maybe I’ll try the eastern continent again.”

Lindsey raised her eyebrows. “How many countries have you lived in?”

“Quite a lot actually,” I nodded. “Nepal, South Africa, Japan, Spain, and Greece. And, I’ve traveled to many other places besides. I’ve been to London and Florence before, but only for a couple of weeks.”

“Wow,” she said, looking impressed. “I knew you’d done some traveling, but I had no idea how much.”

“I don’t think I have it in me to stay in one place for too long,” I said.

“But you came back to the States?”

I hesitated. “Yeah… I moved back last year,” I nodded. “My father passed away, and my sister needed a little help.”

“Oh,” Lindsey’s tone shifted a little. “Were you close with your dad?”

“I… My sister was closer to him than I was,” I said evasively. “In any case, my contract here is temporary. I have one year and then—”

“Off to the next country on your list?”

“Pretty much,” I nodded.

“So, it seems women aren’t the only thing you refuse to commit to,” Lindsey pointed out.

I smiled. “So, how are your classes going?”

Sensing that I was done talking about myself, Lindsey allowed the subject change. “Pretty well. I have an interesting group of students this year.”

I frowned, wondering if there was a hidden meaning underneath that sentence. “Had many consultations yet?”

“Lots,” Lindsey nodded. “My door is always open to my students.”

I smiled. “Sounds like you and I have opposite teaching methods.”

“You don’t encourage your students to come to you?”

“Nope,” I said comfortably.

She laughed. “You just get sexier and sexier.”

I smiled. “Obviously if anyone came to me, I would do my best to help out. I’m just not going to feed them answers to questions they should be researching on their own.”

“Fair enough,” she nodded. “Still, there’s something to be said for the interaction between a teacher and his student. It can help motivate them. I could always give you some pointers?”

I smiled. “I think I’ll pass.”

“Suit yourself,” Lindsey said good-naturedly. “But like I tell my students, my door is always open.”