yourself to some cookies. They’re just out of the oven.” Jennifer disappears down the hall. He smiles at Rick knowingly.
“I owe you a high five,” Dakota says, winking at his friend. Rick laughs out loud. “It’s not as manly when you do it beside a Christmas tree and cookies shaped like reindeer.” Jennifer returns quickly and sets Dakota’s mug of egg nog in front of him. She sits next to Rick and loops her arm through his.
“I can’t believe you guys just found each other so randomly.”
“It was completely unexpected,” Dakota says, helping himself to the cookies sitting in front of him.
“A good unexpected,” Rick says. “Could have been under better circumstances, but you know…shit happens.” Dakota nods, enjoying his Santa Claus-shaped sugar cookie.
“It was pretty funny. I was expecting this uptight disciplinarian about to tell me that my kid was going down a very dangerous path and I get this goof,” Dakota says, smirking. Rick shrugs. Jennifer laughs.
“I think I was on my A-game that day. Mason thought he was going to get expelled. I could see it in his eyes.”
“Oh, you smell fear, is that it?”
“I eat it for breakfast,” Rick says in triumph, and they all laugh.
“Were you surprised that Rick was a teacher?” Jennifer says.
“Oh, no. Not at all. I knew he would be. When he would come home on weekends or breaks, he totally helped me with my homework. Aced all of my tests from just studying with him over the phone. He was great,” Dakota says.
“And I always knew you would be a photographer. Jennifer, this guy is the reason my dad hates taking pictures. He would follow my parents around everywhere, just snapping away. And his favorite pastime was candid ones. Call your name and snap—you’re on Dakota Camera.”
“That’s hilarious,” Jennifer says through laughter. “Do you have any embarrassing stories about this guy that I should know? Something really good I can use against him.” Dakota takes a long sip of his drink as he thinks.
“Oh, oh, man, okay, so one weekend he came home. He decided he was going to teach me how to play rugby, of all sports, seriously.” Jennifer is laughing into her mug, and Rick is shaking his head.
“You were sports deprived! I had to teach you everything! One sport every weekend I came home,” Rick defends himself as he starts to uncork the bottle of wine Dakota brought.
“Whatever. So anyway, I am uncoordinated, unfocused, and probably have some form of ADD, so I’m focusing on his instructions one minute and a candy apple red car passing by the next.” They all laugh while eating way too many cookies that’ll probably spoil their dinner as Dakota continues the story. None of them seem to care about that, though, as they continue sharing stories until dinner. When dinner is ready, they all sit at the beautifully decorated dining room table and chow down on ham, mashed potatoes, and a vegetable medley. Everything is delicious, and Dakota makes sure to tell Jennifer that as he devours everything on his plate.
“So Rick says you have a girlfriend?” Jennifer says before taking a bite of her mashed potatoes.
“Yes…Her name is Harper,” Dakota says.
“How long have you been together?”
“For about three months. It’s still fairly new, I guess.”
“That’s great. How did you guys meet?”
“Well, we’ve been friends for a long time. I used to babysit her son when he was a young kid, and I just never left.”
“That’s so sweet,” she says.
“You should see him and Jamie together. Dakota came to the school and volunteered for the Thanksgiving food drive, and you couldn’t tell me they weren’t related. They are two peas in a pod,” Rick chimes in. Dakota grins.
“He’s a great kid…really bright, funny, talented, stays out of trouble. Impossible not to love,” Dakota says proudly.
“Sounds like you love him enough for the whole world,” she teases.
“That’s possible,” Dakota
“I owe you a high five,” Dakota says, winking at his friend. Rick laughs out loud. “It’s not as manly when you do it beside a Christmas tree and cookies shaped like reindeer.” Jennifer returns quickly and sets Dakota’s mug of egg nog in front of him. She sits next to Rick and loops her arm through his.
“I can’t believe you guys just found each other so randomly.”
“It was completely unexpected,” Dakota says, helping himself to the cookies sitting in front of him.
“A good unexpected,” Rick says. “Could have been under better circumstances, but you know…shit happens.” Dakota nods, enjoying his Santa Claus-shaped sugar cookie.
“It was pretty funny. I was expecting this uptight disciplinarian about to tell me that my kid was going down a very dangerous path and I get this goof,” Dakota says, smirking. Rick shrugs. Jennifer laughs.
“I think I was on my A-game that day. Mason thought he was going to get expelled. I could see it in his eyes.”
“Oh, you smell fear, is that it?”
“I eat it for breakfast,” Rick says in triumph, and they all laugh.
“Were you surprised that Rick was a teacher?” Jennifer says.
“Oh, no. Not at all. I knew he would be. When he would come home on weekends or breaks, he totally helped me with my homework. Aced all of my tests from just studying with him over the phone. He was great,” Dakota says.
“And I always knew you would be a photographer. Jennifer, this guy is the reason my dad hates taking pictures. He would follow my parents around everywhere, just snapping away. And his favorite pastime was candid ones. Call your name and snap—you’re on Dakota Camera.”
“That’s hilarious,” Jennifer says through laughter. “Do you have any embarrassing stories about this guy that I should know? Something really good I can use against him.” Dakota takes a long sip of his drink as he thinks.
“Oh, oh, man, okay, so one weekend he came home. He decided he was going to teach me how to play rugby, of all sports, seriously.” Jennifer is laughing into her mug, and Rick is shaking his head.
“You were sports deprived! I had to teach you everything! One sport every weekend I came home,” Rick defends himself as he starts to uncork the bottle of wine Dakota brought.
“Whatever. So anyway, I am uncoordinated, unfocused, and probably have some form of ADD, so I’m focusing on his instructions one minute and a candy apple red car passing by the next.” They all laugh while eating way too many cookies that’ll probably spoil their dinner as Dakota continues the story. None of them seem to care about that, though, as they continue sharing stories until dinner. When dinner is ready, they all sit at the beautifully decorated dining room table and chow down on ham, mashed potatoes, and a vegetable medley. Everything is delicious, and Dakota makes sure to tell Jennifer that as he devours everything on his plate.
“So Rick says you have a girlfriend?” Jennifer says before taking a bite of her mashed potatoes.
“Yes…Her name is Harper,” Dakota says.
“How long have you been together?”
“For about three months. It’s still fairly new, I guess.”
“That’s great. How did you guys meet?”
“Well, we’ve been friends for a long time. I used to babysit her son when he was a young kid, and I just never left.”
“That’s so sweet,” she says.
“You should see him and Jamie together. Dakota came to the school and volunteered for the Thanksgiving food drive, and you couldn’t tell me they weren’t related. They are two peas in a pod,” Rick chimes in. Dakota grins.
“He’s a great kid…really bright, funny, talented, stays out of trouble. Impossible not to love,” Dakota says proudly.
“Sounds like you love him enough for the whole world,” she teases.
“That’s possible,” Dakota
Similar Books
