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I backed out of my spot and pointed my car back to Old Town.
Monday mornings weren’t a particularly busy time for shopping. And I was about three hours too early for Megan to be opening the bookstore. I should have thought about her changed hours before heading this way.
Still, I snagged a street parking spot and walked over to the café on the corner of the bookstore’s block. They were doing a bustling business.
I waited in line and eyed the indoor seating. There was a little table in the corner that would be perfect, if I could snag it.
No one had claimed it when I reached the counter. Looked like most people were getting breakfast to go. Made sense. Most people had jobs.
There was a little clutch of anxiety in my chest at that thought.
I had a job. I was now, officially, the director of the Alexandria City Learning Center. Or whatever snazzier title I came up with. Or, more likely, Kayla came up with. It definitely needed something better than that.
I placed my order for here and pointed to where I planned to sit. The woman at the register told me someone would bring it right over. I dropped the change from my twenty into the tip jar.
Maybe it was too much, but at this point I had it to spare, so why not.
I sat in on the padded bench seat that ran the whole length of the wall and drew the small round table closer. I liked the corner spot. It was cozy and out of the way. And I wouldn’t bother anyone if I made a few phone calls.
I was getting ready to text Kayla a reminder to shoot me a list when my phone buzzed. I grinned when I saw that it was exactly what I needed.
She’d even put them in her preferred priority.
All right, I’d start at the top and work my way down. The first was reaching out to Gadsby’s Tavern about the reception. I doubted they were open yet, but if I recalled correctly there was an online form.
I brought up their website in my phone’s browser and started looking around, glancing up when one of the café employees set a plate with a breakfast bagel sandwich and a huge mug of coffee, with whipped cream, on the table.
Aha. There was the form. I set the phone aside and reached for the coffee.
I’d had two refills on the coffee and made inroads on four of the items on Kayla’s list when a shadow fell across the table.
I glanced up.
Megan was frowning at me, one hand holding a large coffee in a to-go cup. “Austin? Why aren’t you at school?”
“Funny story.”
She shook her head. “I doubt it’s going to leave me rolling in the aisle. Come on. You can help me open and give me the scoop.”
“All right.” I checked that I had all my things as I scooted out from behind the table and fell into step by my sister.
Outside on the sidewalk, Megan planted her free hand on her hip. “Did they fire you?”
I started walking toward the bookstore. “Depends, I guess, on how you look at it. They kind of already had by not renewing my contract. But today they put me on admin leave.”
Megan growled.
“Easy there, tiger. It’s okay.” Megan’s head jerked around, and she scowled at me. I lifted my hands. “It is. Promise. I won’t lie and say I’m not angry, but once I got past the initial shock, I’m not surprised. They asked me to leave. I didn’t. So they took matters into their own hands. The media’s been worse than I realized. I can’t blame her.”
I would like to, but if everything Sanders had mentioned was actually happening? Yeah, I didn’t blame her. And the other teachers—besides Kayla, at least—were probably elated.
Megan unlocked the bookstore’s front door and gestured for me to go in.
I took a few steps into the store and waited while she flipped on lights and relocked the door behind us.
“I don’t like it.” Megan frowned. “What did Kayla say?”
“She asked if she should quit, too.”
