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And so did I.
25
KAYLA
“I’m so glad it’s Friday.” I sank into one of the overstuffed chairs in the bookstore and let my head drop back so I could stare at the ceiling.
“Rough week?” Megan was shelving a box of books nearby. Sympathy laced her tone, but she was also a lot more cheerful than usual.
“It was. For me at least. Sounds like that’s not the case here?”
She looked over at me and grinned. “I know it’s hard for you and Austin. I do. And I empathize, truly. But I’ll tell you what, those articles have been amazing for the bookstore.”
I snickered. “Glad to help.”
“Hey. It’s not like I’m rejoicing in your pain, but aren’t you glad there’s a small silver lining somewhere?” Megan picked up the box and shifted it to her other side so she could reach more of the shelf.
Was I? “Truth? Not yet. Maybe eventually.”
“It’s that bad?” Megan set down the stack of books and turned her full attention on me. “Austin hasn’t said anything, so I really thought it was just general annoyance.”
I shook my head. That was just like Austin. He tended to downplay anything with his sister—and with me. I guess he figured being the strong, silent type was the right choice. It was a little annoying, even though I know it was well intentioned. “I had a meeting with the principal today after school. She’s, I believe the word she used is ‘displeased’ with the current state of things. And if it continues, she’s going to have no choice but to place the two of us on administrative leave for the remainder of the year.”
Saying the words renewed the panic that had been trying to crawl up my throat since I left the meeting. I could only assume she’d had the same conversation with Austin, separately, because I hadn’t been able to get in touch with him.
“She can’t do that. Can she?” Megan picked up a book and angrily shoved it onto the shelf.
“Pretty sure she can. She’s not one to say something like that without having first checked that she can follow through. When it comes to disciplining students, I always appreciated that about her. Now?” I bit my lip. “I can’t afford to be put on leave. And I mean, I know Austin would help if I asked him and blah blah, but that’s not what I want either.”
“I could use help around here.”
I lifted my eyebrows. “Really? I thought the whole reason you were able to do this full time is because you were, basically, a one-woman show. With a few part-time hours covered here and there by basically volunteers.”
“Well, okay, yes. But if things keep going like they have this week that could change.” Megan shrugged and went back to shelving books.
I didn’t want to think about things continuing to go the way they had this week. Not that I wanted Megan not to have success. It was great that the bookstore was thriving. Too bad that was because my life—and her brother’s life—was imploding. “I’ll keep it in mind.”
“Uh-huh.” Megan shook her head. “Let’s change the subject. Austin said you talked to Luke? How was his trip to Mexico?”
I pushed aside my confusion that Austin would mention my meetup with Luke. Did it bother Austin that much that he asked Megan about it? Was there some other way it would have naturally cropped up in conversation? “He said it went well. He has a history with the Garcias, I guess, so it was nice for them to have some time together.”
Megan nodded. “I bet they got more done than they would have with teenagers around.”
I managed a small chuckle. It was possible. But I hadn’t gotten that impression. Of course, we hadn’t really talked as much about his trip as we did his decision to leave the church. And that hadn’t been announced publicly yet, so it wasn’t my news to share. “Maybe so. Then again, I stand by the idea that kids can learn a lot about following Jesus by getting out of their comfort zone and sharing. Which they can also do locally. I get that, too.”
“I wonder if they’ll try to do some local missions this summer. I bet the homeless ministry downtown could use some manual labor assistance somewhere.” Megan put the last book in her stack on the shelf and broke down the box.
“They probably could.” And if Luke was going to stay through the summer, I’d suggest it. He’d told me he was willing to stay until they found a replacement, but I didn’t see Pastor Chaz taking him up on that. Not based on some of the other things Luke had told me about their relationship. Should I reach out to him and see how turning in his resignation had gone?
Megan stood, picked up the flattened box, and gestured toward the back room. “I’m going to get another box to shelve. Back in a minute. If someone comes in—”
“I know the drill.” I turned my attention to the main door. Whitney was running late—Beckett had apparently had a rough day and she wanted to get him settled rather than saddling Scott with a whiny toddler and making him miss poker night. Austin was going to try and swing by the bookstore when all was said and done.
That part I remembered.
The bells over the door jangled and a tall—like seriously tall—woman stepped into the store. She looked around.
I stood and stepped into her line of sight. “Hi. Can I help you?”
