“They’d get over it. I get old pretty quick. Besides, artists are practical types.”

She saw the tilt of his mouth and shook her head. “You clearly don’t know that many artists. Especially of the teenage variety,” she murmured, reaching for the door. “Are you really serious?”

“Yeah.”

She inhaled deeply, trying to ground herself. “Okay, but I can’t guarantee you’ll come out unscathed.”

“I like an adventure,” she heard him say softly from behind her, his deep voice sounding just inches away from her right ear.

This was lunacy. All of it.

She led him into her classroom, her heartbeat starting to pound furiously in her ears. For a...