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“Yeah? I was thinking we could possibly pay the teachers—or students who were doing well but were looking for an outside job—to provide the tutoring. That way we have a little more say in the qualifications. It’s not a volunteer situation where you just have to be happy for what you get, you know?”
Her eyebrows lifted and she held my gaze. “You’re not worried about underwriting that? I mean, footing the startup costs, sure. I can see that. And ongoing overhead, again, yeah. But the staff? On an ongoing basis?”
“What else am I going to do with all this money? I want to be smart about it, obviously, but it’s not like I’m not getting wealthier with every passing day. Interest, investments, all of that. I have to do better about spending it. And I want to make a difference. Why not combine the two?” I reached around and squeezed the back of my neck. “Do you think this is a terrible idea?”
“No.” Kayla shook her head. “No. I think it’s a fantastic one. But it’s going to be a bigger project than I think I realized.”
I managed a laugh. “This is the problem I keep having.”
“We’ll figure it out. We solve problems for a living, after all.”
I grinned. There was that “we” again. The “we” I was starting to realize I wanted to be a permanent part of my life.
I was about to speak when a knock on the door had me turning.
Kayla leaned to see around me. “Hey, Lucy. What can I do for you?”
“Hi.” Lucy shifted nervously from one foot to the other. “Do you have a minute? I wanted to talk to you about this makeup project.”
“Sure. Come on in.” Kayla shot me an apologetic glance.
I gathered my lunch and stood. “I’ll catch you later, Kayla.”
I edged past Lucy and headed back to my classroom.
The rest of the day passed like a normal school day. Basically, that meant there was drama, a few tears, too much coffee, and not enough time to run to the bathroom. I loved it.
There was probably something wrong with me.
When the final bell rang and my advanced calculus students packed up their bags, I heaved a relieved sigh right along with them and slid my phone out of my desk drawer. There were three texts. Hopefully, one was from the real estate agent.
I didn’t know how quickly commercial property sold, but that space was certainly in the right location. If the building worked at all—or if demolition was a possibility—it really was ideal.
I gave a mental fist pump when the first message was, indeed, the listing agent. I skimmed her text and checked the time before answering in the affirmative. I could make it over there in thirty minutes. This afternoon was blissfully meeting and club free. I wasn’t sure about Kayla, but if she couldn’t join me, it wasn’t the end of the world.
“Mr. Campbell?”
I looked up and quickly put my phone into my pocket. “Trevor. What’s up?”
Trevor thrust a file folder at me. “Would you be willing to write me a recommendation?”
I took the folder and flipped it open. I grinned and looked up at him. “You’re applying for the MIT summer program?”
He swallowed audibly. “Yeah. You said you thought I could do it. My mom…she’s not sure. And even if I get in, I have to get one of the scholarships if I’m going to be able to go. But I want to try.”
“You get in? I’ll cover the cost.”
“Oh. No. Mr. Campbell, I can’t ask that.”
“You didn’t ask. I offered.” I tipped my head to the side. “And I’ll expect you to be willing to talk to my classes next year about the program.”
Trevor gave me a lopsided smile. “I can do that.”
“When’s the deadline?”
“Um. Next week?” Trevor winced. “I spent a lot of time second-guessing. They only have five scholarships. The competition for those has to be amazing. And I mean, my mom does okay. Probably better than a lot of other people. I think we could probably swing it without aid if Mom was willing to scrounge, you know?”
I wasn’t so sure. I’d talked to Trevor’s mom a few times. She was working two jobs to keep a roof over their heads. Maybe Trevor didn’t know that. I wasn’t going to be the one to clue him in. “I’m glad you decided to go for it. Do I give it back to you or send it in directly?”
