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I sigh and settle on a shrug. She’s friendly enough to share the basic details. “I used to teach in California.”
“Early education?” Sherry sets her hands on her hips as she gives me a slower once-over, like taking inventory of my worth.
I nod. “Second grade. Let me guess,” I say, sensing an innate comradery that can be detected from one survivor of teaching with another. “High school?”
She grins. “I retired last year. Junior high, too.”
“Do you miss it?”
“I don’t miss getting up so early every day! My husband has run this shop all his life, and I’m enjoying spending more time here with him. At my pace.”
“It’s strange how much I miss the pace of school. The hecticness of it all. Then the reward of making it to the end of the day and knowing I’ve helped at least one child grow into their future.”
“Well, why aren’t you teaching anymore?”
“I’m thinking about moving here. My friend recently relocated to the area, and she and her boyfriend are making this area their home.”
She snaps her fingers. “Lauren! You’ve got to be talking about Lauren. Which means you’ve got to be Audrey.”
“Aubrey,” I correct.
Sherry smiles even brighter. “She’s mentioned you when she’s stopped in.”
Mentioned what, though? “That’s me.”
“You’re going to stick around town?”
I nod. “Right now I’m helping Marian at the Goldfinch, but I’m hoping to figure out something long-term.” Somewhere. Since Lauren is my only person, the only one I’ve let into my life, I figure I should base my home near hers.
“How about teaching?” Sherry grabs my hand and squeezes it before releasing it, excited. “The school needs someone for third grade.”
I would love to, but…I stop myself from the instant rejections in my mind. My reputation in California wouldn’t have the same push here. I’d need to use my references, though, and I know they’d talk poorly of me after the crap Jeremy pulled to avoid my contract being renewed.
“Marian will vouch for you. If she trusts you, I know the folks at the school would trust you. I’m still partly involved. I might even be on the interview panel.”
I giggle. “You hardly know me.”
She scoffs. “Any teacher who lights up when talking about helping a student ‘grow into their future’ is one of the good ones. Trust me. I’ve seen plenty of teachers in and out of the system in all my forty years of teaching.”
“Forty? Wow!”
“Started right outta college.”
Me too. And I never counted on being done this early.
“Is there any reason you can’t teach?” She slants her brows. “I know you’ve gotta be a good one. Marian simply doesn’t let anyone into her circle.”
“Well, my license is in California.”
Sherry waves her hand. “I’m sure you’d pass the requirements for the transfer period and get an interim authorization until you meet Colorado’s requirements. Mr. Sarnow, in the art department, did that a few years ago when he moved here from Florida.”
That clears one hurdle. I’ve been so stuck with the assumption my teaching career was over that I forgot about the state-to-state licensing options.
“School’s starting soon. We can wait ’til after Labor Day.”
Oh, thank goodness.
“But I mean it, Aud,— No, you said Aubrey.” She laughs.
