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“Oh, they did. Do. But they weren’t happy about it.” Wes shrugged and tossed his bet into the center of the table.
Scott nodded and added his own.
“I don’t know what I’m doing.” I was hesitant to mention Kayla’s name, but I knew I needed to explain myself. I sighed and tossed in chips I was sure to lose. “Kayla’s going on the youth group trip as a chaperone. She’s helping Luke recruit other adults.”
“Hey, the beach is the beach. I can do that.” Wes watched Tristan deal out the fourth card.
“I’m not sure the beach is in the picture. She said—and I haven’t talked to Luke so I only have her words to go by—it’s all construction and service. No tourism at all.” I considered the four cards on the table and peeked at mine again just to be sure I wasn’t hallucinating. Maybe I could actually win this hand.
Tristan laughed. “Good luck getting kids to spend their spring break on that. Every mission trip I went on as a kid had at least one day, sometimes two, where we got to have fun.”
I shrugged. That had certainly been my experience, but I couldn’t say I objected to any attempts to keep the focus where it needed to be. Not that kids shouldn’t have fun serving Jesus. Which maybe was something Luke needed to consider. Were there any plans to keep it from being drudgery?
“So, Kayla roped you in?” Wes shook his head. “Without a chance to dive, I don’t think I’m going to be up for it. I realize it sounds terrible, but if I’m leaving Robinson, I’m going to focus my energy on what I need to get my dive shop off the ground.”
“You’re really doing that?” Noah laughed. “I honestly thought you were joking. You realize we are not near any useful beach, right?”
“Yeah, yeah. There are two other dive shops in the metro area. Both are doing brisk business. I really think we can support another. And I think it’d be a great addition to Old Town.” Wes rubbed the back of his neck. “I guess we’ll see. It’s not like I can’t afford to give it a try.”
I nodded once. He was right about that. We could all afford a few risks here and there, if we wanted. And it sounded like that was what he wanted. “I’ll be a loyal customer. Especially if you’re planning dives somewhere easy enough to drive to on the weekends.”
Wes grinned at me. “I knew you’d caught the bug.”
“I did.” I’d been curious about diving for a while. The time we spent in the Caymans over Christmas had given me the opportunity to try it. And I was definitely hooked. It wasn’t necessarily a hobby most school teachers could indulge often. But I wasn’t a typical school teacher.
“Why are you still teaching?” Tristan flipped over the river—the fifth and final card for us to use in putting together our hands.
I fought a grin. That card just gave me my fourth jack. It was possible someone had a better hand. But it seemed unlikely. “I like it. What else would I do?”
Of all the guys, I was surprised Tristan was the one asking. He seemed content as a lawyer. And okay, sure, he’d left the firm he’d been part of and set up his own shop almost as soon as the money hit our accounts, but he was still doing what he’d done before.
“Dunno. Just asking.” Tristan tossed chips on the pile. “All right, let’s see ’em.”
I flipped my cards over and waited. Cody had a full house and was reaching for the pot. I cleared my throat. “I believe those are mine.”
“What?” Cody paused and frowned at me. “No way. You got a fourth in the river? You never have luck like that.”
I laughed and scooped up my winnings. “Yeah, well, today’s my day, I guess.”
Tristan passed the deck to Noah. “Scott’s got his consulting thing going. Wes is going to open a dive shop. Noah and Cody are happy at Ballentine because they spend their lives hobnobbing with the rich, famous, and elected seeking to make the world a better place. I opened my own firm. Don’t you have any sort of dream beyond math teacher of the year?”
I got a mental flash of myself, spinning and hoisting a little boy into the air as he giggled. But that wasn’t a dream money could make happen. “Not really, no.”
“You could start your own tutoring operation. Or a school for math nerds. Something that gave you flexibility outside of the school year.” Tristan drummed his fingers on the table.
“I like teaching. I like being in the public school, where I feel like I can be a little bit of Jesus’s light for the kids. I especially like the school I’m at, because it’s not all rich kids who are bored with life and marking time until Daddy buys them a college scholarship. I make a difference where I am. I like it there. I feel like it’s where God wants me.” I blew out a breath. That last one mattered the most. The guys knew it. I knew it.
Tristan nodded once. “Fair enough. If you go on the spring break thing with the youth, I’ll go, too.”
I grinned. “Thanks, man.”
I’d talk to Kayla about it on Monday. If she’d let me. Surely, if she knew I wanted to volunteer for the mission trip, she’d make some time for me in her schedule. Wouldn’t she?
Scott’s suggestion that she had feelings for me floated back into my head and lodged there.
Even if it had been true, it couldn’t be true now. Could it? She was dating Luke. Well, she’d gone out with him. Once. That didn’t make it a significant relationship. Which meant there might still be a chance for me.
If I wanted one.
