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Time to face facts.
I was done wallowing. Now, I’d make a plan.
Who had put the reporters on my scent? That was the worst part. The not knowing. I was so careful to avoid saying anything at school. I didn’t dress any differently than I ever had. I didn’t drive a flashy car. So how had someone found out?
The learning center?
I bit my lip. That was a possibility. It wasn’t as if I’d been silent about that. Nor had Kayla been. It wouldn’t take much to find out what the property I’d bought was listed for—that was all public record. And the fact that demolition should be starting this week while I was away was another clue.
I sighed. That was probably the answer. Which made it all my own fault. In some ways, that was good. I’d hate to think that Trevor or another student was responsible for siccing the press on me. So now, the question became: what was I going to do about it?
“Oof.” I nearly rammed into Scott’s dad as I turned the corner heading toward the stairs. “Sorry, Mr. Wright.”
Scott’s dad tipped his head to the side. “I think it’s about time you called me Eric like everyone else does. Don’t you think?”
I grinned. “I’ll try. I’m not sure how well it’ll stick.”
Eric laughed. “Fair enough. Renee wants you boys to all call her by name, too. In her mind, she’s adopted you all and is standing in as a second mother.”
“Couldn’t ask for someone better.” It was true. I loved my parents, but Scott’s folks were also amazing. “Are you busy right now?”
“Not with anything that can’t wait. What’s up?”
I gestured to the stairs. “Could I chat with you about a few things? I’ve been meaning to ask about setting aside some time.”
“Sure.” Eric turned and started down the stairs. “Kitchen okay? I wouldn’t say no to a snack.”
“Snacks are good.” I followed behind Scott’s dad. Hopefully Kayla wouldn’t mind putting off our trip into town for a bit. In fact, I’d love it if she’d join in the conversation. She always had good ideas and insights. It was one of the things I loved about her. Always had.
Kayla wasn’t in the kitchen yet. I took it as a good sign. If she was spending extra time getting ready, maybe she understood I needed a minute—or twenty—to adjust my attitude. I probably owed her an apology for my response to the news. What was that thing about not shooting the messenger?
Eric brought a container of fresh fruit over to the table, along with two bowls and forks. “Island living. I definitely could get used to this.”
“Florida isn’t tropical enough for you?” I waited until he’d scooped a bowl of fruit before getting my own.
“Oh, I love our place there, don’t get me wrong, but I wouldn’t be sad about living here, either.” He speared a pink, juicy cube of something. “Although I say that and then start thinking about how long it takes and how expensive it can be to import things to an island and maybe I’m better off just visiting.”
I chuckled. That was my thought. I could admit that I’d browsed real estate listings when we were here in December, but more from the idea of owning a vacation home than actually relocating. And even then, I didn’t want every vacation to be in the same place. I could see Wes splitting his time—that made sense if he was truly going to do the dive shop thing. But the rest of us? I didn’t think any of us were ready for a permanent relocation.
“What’s on your mind?” Eric was working his way steadily through the fruit.
I blew out a breath. “Couple of things. First, has Scott mentioned the learning center I’m setting up?”
Eric grinned, nodding. “He has. I think it’s a fantastic idea. I love that you’re keeping it close to your school, too. You know what those kids need. It’s so easy, sometimes, to look at the affluence of Old Town and forget that there are people seriously hurting right next door.”
“It can be, for sure.” I poked my fork into some of the fruit but didn’t eat it. “I maybe should have talked to you about doing it all under the charitable umbrella. Seems that something leaked to the press and now there are articles about me that hit all the papers this week.”
Eric frowned. “We can still move it over. That’s easy enough. Long term, that’s probably the better solution, but it won’t help with the publicity now. Is it going to be a problem?”
I ran a hand through my hair. “I don’t know. I don’t see how it wouldn’t be, you know? Like you said, there are a ton of families around the school who have needs—big needs—and on paper it looks like I have the money to magically fix them.”
“Except, of course, that it wouldn’t really fix them.”
I’d thought having all this money would be an easy way to impact lives right out of the gate. Then, after dabbling and ending up making things worse, I’d realized that handouts don’t actually fix things. At least not always. There were systemic issues at play that money couldn’t fix. I sighed.
“But you can still help. You just need to set it up so it really is helping, not creating new problems.”
“And that’s why I need you.” I toyed with the fruit on my fork. “And maybe Mrs. Wright.”
