Hey, my peeps! Hope you’re all doing well. We’re mere weeks away from the release of Learning to Love, and I’m so excited to share it with you in its entirety! But for now, another enticing snippet will have to do. 😉 Enjoy the latest from Kendal High School!
Continuing from where we left off…
“You ready for the big day?” she asked him as she pushed aside the unmarked stack of health assignments and sat atop her desk.
Will unpacked his bag and laid out all his supplies—notebook, clipboard, pens, pencils, and highlighters. “As I’ll ever be.”
She could tell he was nervous. The slight quaver in his voice, his bouncing left foot, needing to keep busy. She’d encountered a very different Will in the hallway last Friday, and while they’d gotten along fine then, she had to admit, she liked this version a whole lot more. This Will was vulnerable. Real. Probably scared out of his mind, and not pretending otherwise. Today would be a huge test. If he could survive day one, there was hope for him.
***End of WWW post, but carry on to finish this sequence.***
“I feel like I’m missing something,” he said, his eyes darting from her to the contents he’d gathered on his desk. “What am I missing?”
Rebecca took him in then—all of him—from the perfectly disheveled hair on his head, to the prep school-appropriate attire, and the neon-green sneakers on his feet. He was a juxtaposition of professional and playful. She was glad to see he’d draped a T-shirt and a pair of shorts over the back of his chair as a change of clothes for his afternoon in the gym. But there was, in fact, one noticeable thing missing.
She yanked open the top drawer of her desk and rifled inside until she found the package she was looking for. In no time at all, she freed the brass object from its confines. “This,” she said, “is the most important weapon in a Phys. Ed. teacher’s arsenal.”
A grin split his face as she stepped toward him and draped the lanyard around his neck, but instead of a gold medal, he’d been awarded a whistle. He pressed a hand to his heart. “I’m honored. I’ll wear it with pride.”
Here’s the blurb:
Rebecca Ledgerwood is a physical education teacher who’s ready to invest some sweat equity into a lasting romance. On a whim, she has her palm read before summer vacation ends, and she’s told she’s an old soul who’ll find happiness with a younger man.
William Whitney leaves an unfulfilling career to pursue teaching and gets placed at Rebecca’s school for his physical education practicum. He’s desperate to make a difference, convinced that the choices he made in the past contributed to his younger sister’s death. Kendal High School is nothing like the prep school he attended as a teenager, but he’s determined to make the most of his time there, especially if it makes Rebecca notice him.
Though they come from vastly different backgrounds, there’s an undeniable chemistry that sparks between the two. Rebecca discovers they have more in common than she realized, and Will teaches her to trust again. But when he’s faced with his biggest challenge, will he take the easy way out, or prove that he’s learned the true meaning of love?
Thanks so much for stopping by and be sure to visit the other Weekend Writing Warriors!
I’m hard at work on edits for Learning to Love, but by early September I hope to have things wrapped up. Then I can post this baby for pre-orders! I’ve already started plotting out the next book in the series, too, and there’ll be a bonus novella as well, coming next spring! Take care, my friends, and see you next week! 🙂
Award-winning romance author & PE teacher who plays sports, sings, juggles, dances, has a sneaker obsession, & lives on PB! 
No PE teacher’s outfit is complete without that! Nice scene, Julie. I love how relaxed and playful it is.
I have one in every colour lol. Thanks, Nancy! That’s so great to hear! 🙂
The perfect thing to complete his ensemble. And a very necessary piece of equipment! He does seem much more vulnerable in this snippet. It makes him more real. Great snippet!
Thanks, Jenna! One is never more vulnerable than when they’re about to step in front of a group of teenagers for the first time and prove they actually know something lol.
Is it bad of me that the first thing that came to mind was knuckle dusters? For some reason we’d been talking about St. Trinians recently at work. Of course, a whistle makes so much more sense 🙂
Ha! This would be a very different book if I’d gone with your idea. 😀
What a practical answer to his nervousness.
He’s lucky to have Rebecca there to make sure he’s fully equipped for the day ahead. 🙂 Thanks, Aurora!
Awww, loved the snippet! The whistle was perfect…terrific excerpt.
And you can’t help but fall in love with a man wearing a whistle. It happened to Maria von Trapp, after all. 😉
It seems like things are a little less awkward between them now. I hope his first day goes well!
Things are definitely less awkward. As for the rest, you’ll have to wait and see… 😉 Thanks, Jessica!
What came to my mind when she said something’s missing was a whip to keep the kids in line. Not that I actually did anything like that back when I was a teacher, but . . . one can dream, can’t one?
Lol, you and Ian must come from the same school of thought. I mean, yeah, we’ve all thought about it, but…
*this message will self-destruct*
Whistles are a common thread this week. The second snippet with a whistle. Glad you are making progress on your book. This is an excellent story, best of luck to you!!
Haha, I noticed that, too. Thanks so much, Jeff! I appreciate the encouragement! 🙂
This is such a sweet scene <3 !
Mere weeks? Woot! 🙂 Good job, Jules.
I did LOL @ Ed's comment.
The whistle was perfect.
I did love the whistle but I can’t believe no one wants to talk about the neon sneakers? If this (and a whistle) doesn’t say gym teacher then I don’t know what else can lol. I love the vulnerability and playfulness in this snippet. It’s realistic and makes me want to hug him. Great snippet!