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Eric fixed me with a look.
“I mean Renee.”
He grinned. “Better. She’s pretty content to manage things once I get them set up. What are you thinking?”
“Well, the learning center, to start. There are salaries and overhead and all that to figure out. I don’t want to charge kids to use the resources. At the same time, I wonder if having a nominal fee for the families who can afford it would make them value it more? Some kind of sliding scale, maybe, that made it clear that learning was absolutely the point. Not after-school babysitting. And it’s not a place for the gangs to gather, either.”
Eric’s eyebrows lifted. “I don’t guess I realized that was a problem in your area.”
“Oh, yeah. We’ve got some pretty significant issues with gangs at our school. The whole area struggles some, but they’re talking about metal detectors at the doors again for us.” I shrugged. I wasn’t opposed. But I also didn’t necessarily think they were going to fix everything. Again, we ran into systemic problems that the highly visible bandages weren’t always able to conquer. Even if they made people feel better about trying.
“Huh. All right. You definitely want this to be a place that’s safe. Is the easiest way to do that to employ security on top of the tutors?”
I frowned. I didn’t want security running around. That said, Eric was probably right that it was the best solution. “Probably. See? This is good. Will you help me hash out all of the staffing that I need? I’ve got a good handle on the mission and the building, you know? But I start getting bogged down when I get to the rest.”
Eric grinned. “Happy to. And I’ll chat with Renee about the best way to handle fees if we end up thinking they’re needed. Is that it?”
I shook my head. “No. But it goes hand in hand. I want to set up some kind of scholarship fund for the kids at my school. Something they can apply to get summer camps covered. Maybe even a portion of college tuition? I want it to be merit-based, though, in addition to need.”
“Okay. And it’s only open to kids who go to your school? You don’t want to open it to anyone?”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “Is that wrong?”
“No. Just asking.”
“Okay.” Guilt tugged at my heart. Should I have a scholarship fund for anyone to apply to? I still wanted to be involved in screening applicants—it seemed like opening it up at a larger level would make that impossible. Maybe if I ended up wanting to go that route, I’d figure a second scholarship out and tie it to my alma mater. Chances were high they’d be happy to have some sort of endowment from me. “Maybe down the road we’ll expand.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Eric knocked on the table and stood. He carried his bowl over to the sink, rinsed it, and put it in the dishwasher. “Let me noodle on things a bit and I’ll shoot you an email with some suggestions. We can talk about it more this week, too.”
“That works.” I took a bite of the fruit. “Thanks.”
“My pleasure.”
Kayla came into the kitchen. She was wearing a sundress and a big floppy brimmed hat. “Hey. I’m late. Sorry.”
“There’s no late in the islands.” Eric grinned. “You’re a picture. I take it the two of you aren’t going on the dive trip either?”
“Nope.” Kayla patted the little purse, which had a skinny strap crossed from her left shoulder to right hip. “We’re biking into town to do some shopping. We’re going to check out the market and handle dinner. You can spread the word on that, if you see anyone. I texted Whitney and Megan though, so hopefully people are already finding out.”
“Excellent. Can’t wait to see what you come up with.” Eric waved as he headed out of the kitchen.
I finished the last piece of fruit and stood, carrying my bowl over to the sink. When it was loaded in the dishwasher, I turned to Kayla and held out my arms. “He’s not wrong. You are a picture.”
She stepped close and slid her arms around my waist. “You feeling better?”
“I am. I’m sorry I didn’t react well.”
She chuckled. “I think you’re allowed to need a moment when your secret identity gets splashed on the front page.”
“Secret identity, huh? Like a superhero?” I flexed a bicep. “I am…MathMan!”
Kayla chortled. “I’m not sure anyone actually wants him as a superhero, but we can go with it.”
“Yeah, yeah. No one appreciates the amazingness of math.”
“I do.” She glared at me.
“Except you.” I leaned in to kiss her nose. She shifted so our mouths met. It was a minute or two before we came up for air. I cleared my throat. “I guess we ought to head into town?”
