Art teacher Stone Larrabee dreads parent/teacher conferences. One following Christmas break becomes especially awkward, when a man with whom he shared a hot anonymous hookup and a nasty argument afterward walks in. Edison Watts.<br><br>The moment they’re reunited, sexual sparks reignite. Too many conflicts force Stone to decree there can never be anything between them but the one night, though, even as fate keeps throwing them together throughout the school year, and developing feelings become hard to ignore.<br><br>Some problems are easily solved while others, including the reason for Edison’s initial attraction to Stone and the chip on Edison’s shoulder bigger than the high school’s football field, prove more difficult. Stone can teach, but he decides must also be willing to learn and grow. When Edison promises to do the same, can they find a way to make one and one equal two?

Substitute Teacher

“Her self-portrait…the Post-It one…”


“I think she took it down this afternoon on her way into or out of class. It was there before last period. She told me a couple days ago, and I quote, ‘It sucks.’”


“It’s possible Addison has inherited Ed’s flair for the dramatic.”


Stone felt relieved when Edison aimed his sneer elsewhere for a moment.


“A butterfly,” Stone told Lee. “With two palms holding it.”


“Aww. Us, maybe.” Edison showed his soft side again, like when he was talking to his cat on the phone.


“What’s perspective?” Surly Edison made a comeback.


Chapter 7