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“Hey.” I rubbed her back and rested my forehead on hers, savoring her closeness for a moment. “Don’t worry about it. This is hard. We’ll get through it. And if either—or both—of us end up losing our jobs, I happen to know about a new learning center that’s hopefully opening in September. I think they’d be more than happy to hire both of us.”
She eased back and returned to the stove. “September?”
“That’s the earliest, but yeah. If everything with the county goes as scheduled, then we should be able to open not long after school starts.” I leaned forward and rested my elbows on the counter. “I should introduce you to Jenna. I think you’d like her, and I get the sense that she doesn’t have many close woman friends.”
“As it happens, I have met Jenna and I do like her.” Kayla grinned and slid the sandwiches out of the pan onto plates. “She came by the bookstore Friday night and ended up staying.”
“Cool. How’d Megan take to her?”
She tipped her head to the side and put the plates down on the counter in front of me, then came around and joined me at the bar. “Don’t you talk to your sister at all?”
I shrugged. Megan and I might live together, but we didn’t actually interact very often. We weren’t exactly ships passing in the night, but we definitely tried to respect the other’s space. “I was grading most of yesterday. Then you and I went out last night. Church this morning, and now I’m here. I’ll probably get around to asking her myself later, but you also probably know. And you’re right here.”
Kayla shook her head and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, “Men.”
I reached for her hand. “Let’s pray.”
“Always a good idea.” Kayla squeezed my hand.
“Heavenly Father, thank You for this food. Bless the hands that prepared it and may it nourish our bodies. Please be with us in this situation with the media and give Kayla and me guidance so we know how to respond in a way that glorifies You. As always, I ask that You show me the way You want me to use the money. Let me be a good steward over the bounty that You’ve given. In Jesus’s name, Amen.”
“Amen.” Kayla released my hand and blew out a breath. She picked up one half of her sandwich and bit in. The cheese strung out as she lowered the sandwich back to her plate.
I followed suit. “Mmm. This hits the spot. Thank you.”
“Easy peasy.” She shrugged away my compliment, but her pink cheeks betrayed her enjoyment of it. “I guess I never thought about the hard parts of having billions.”
I snickered. “I don’t think anyone does. Not unless they happen to also have them. For me, the parable of the talents is almost always at the front of my brain, and I’m always worried I’m going to end up like the wicked servant who has his talent taken away and given to someone else.”
“What do you mean? You’re not hoarding your money in fear.”
“Haven’t I been? I look at how quickly Scott got his parents involved with setting up and managing not only his tithe but an expansive use of his money to build God’s kingdom. I’ve lost track of the number of missionaries and other charities Scott has mentioned that he’s supporting. And he’s always offering to let us go in together and have his mom manage the philanthropic portion of our own wealth.” I couldn’t explain why I’d never taken him up on that. Well, I sort of could. The idea for the learning center had always been in the back of my mind.
“Well, you’re doing it now. The learning center is going to be amazing. And I think the scholarship fund is a fantastic addition to the enterprise. Was that Tristan’s idea?”
“It was.” I was reasonably sure it was an accident—something that had happened because of rushed PR and bad proofreading—but it was a good one. When the statement came out, the announcement made it sound as if the learning center would be the organization behind the scholarships and grants. Even if it wasn’t what I’d originally thought was best, it made sense. In fact, it was one of those “duh” moments. Even Eric agreed it was the ideal setup. “The application link is up now, and active, but I’m not tied to any specific award dates. So I can look at things as they come in and take my time evaluating them. If they’re time sensitive, I might go ahead and act on them immediately, but otherwise my plan is to wait until after the center opens.”
Kayla nodded.
I focused my attention on the sandwiches on my plate. Grilled cheese was always better hot, when the bread crunched and the cheese was all melty.
She didn’t speak again until she was finished with her food. “I don’t like admitting that I’m dreading tomorrow.”
I frowned. I couldn’t say I was raring to go back to school myself. And it was definitely an unusual feeling. “I haven’t quite worked my way to dreading yet, but I hear you. I was hoping things would cool down as the week wore on. They just didn’t, though. I keep thinking we need a political or celebrity scandal to get everyone’s attention off us.”
Kayla gave a short laugh. “Where are those scandals when you need them?”
“Maybe this week will be better. They’ve had the weekend away. My statement is out and circulating. You and I have been ignoring it at school, despite the pressure to comment or entertain questions.” I shrugged. There was nothing more to do. “Did I tell you Tristan suggested I hire security?”
“Like a bodyguard?” Kayla’s eyebrows lifted. “Have you been getting threats?”
“No threats. But yes, like a bodyguard. Apparently, Tristan’s receptionist doubles as his security detail. Which explains why she’s always around.” I shrugged. “I’m really not on board with that idea if I can avoid it. Is that naive?”
“I mean, maybe? There’s certainly a lot that can go wrong when you’ve got a ton of money. Kidnapping, blackmail, whatever. At the same time, I don’t blame you for not wanting someone standing in your shadow constantly.” Kayla stood, picked up her plate, and looked at mine. “Are you finished?”
I shoved the last bite into my mouth and nodded. I hadn’t really considered Tristan’s suggestion seriously. It just wasn’t something that made sense to me. How would I teach with a bodyguard hulking around?
And okay, sure, it wasn’t as if the bodyguard couldn’t find a way to blend in with the students. Maybe. But still. I shook my head. Not someplace I was going unless I had to.
