“Really? I’d never have guessed that about you.” Kent’s mouth falls open and twists into his full smile, a hint of a dimple under the beard, and a sliver of his front teeth shines across his face. “You didn’t have pets growing up?”
“Gosh, no. My parents always said I could have one if I wanted, but I never did. They kept asking and waiting, and it never happened. I think that’s why my dad is infatuated with his goats now. My fear of germs began early, and well, animals are generally dirty.”
“I get it,” he says. “I always wanted a cat, but Gillian is allergic. She can only be around him in small spurts. When she went to college, Corrine and I split, and then she gifted me Sweetums, and well, he’s really just a big baby.”
“It’s really sweet she bought you a cat.”
“I mean, she was trying to distract me from the pain of hearing she was remarrying, but it’s all good. She’s happy. I’m happy. And I got Sweetums.”
He pets his cat, and this time, Sweetums doesn’t move—his heavy breathing a sign he’s finally asleep.
“And you,” he says, pushing his glasses up. “You like working for Hopscotch?”
“It’s a job. And I’m good at it. Mostly. The intersection of technology and people. Making the data and techie stuff mesh with the human side. I’ve always known how to integrate systems and make things work. Before Hopscotch, I worked for a statistical software company that catered to corporate clients and when I met Marvin, he told me about this new educational software company. It was an opportunity to get in on the ground floor.”
“Can I be honest with you?” he asks.
“Of course.”
“You don’t seem to love it.”
My pulse quickens, and I cross my arms as I shift on the couch.
“I mean, who loves their job?”
“I do,” Kent says without a hint of irony.
“I need a job. What else would I do?”
“Plenty of things. You love building. Working with your hands. Keeping things organized. There’s lots of things you could do.”
“Taking this position was new enough. I can’t imagine a whole new direction.” My chest tightens, thinking about the uncertainty and newness even taking the job with Hopscotch elicited.
“Sometimes you have to imagine something in order to will it into existence.” Kent reaches over Sweetums and rests his hand on my thigh. “Is my job perfect? Of course not. Is there more stress than the paycheck warrants? Yup. But education is entirely underfunded. I’m not there for the money. Would I like to earn what I’m worth? Of course. But I’m there for every adult who shows up to make it the best experience for our kids. And the students. I’m there to help each one of them be as successful as possible. I genuinely love what I do.”
“It’s obvious,” I say. “The way you interact with your staff. Brodie. That kid clearly adores you. Even if he loves Theo a little more.”
“I mean, Theo’s a big grumpy bear. It’s hard not to fall in love with him.”
I laugh, remembering the scowl he gave Brodie. “Yeah, I can see that.”
“And that’s why this is so important to me. Hopscotch. We need to show Dr. Cutler and the board that our scores aren’t an accurate representation of our school’s performance.”
“Do you really think they aren’t aware?”
“I suspect Dr. Cutler knows. She visits. We meet. But the board, they’re only looking at data.”
Kent inhales deeply. With a puff of his chest, he blows air through his nose, and Sweetums’ back flitters. He’s so clearly invested in his school. The people. It’s more than a job to him.
“Well, I’m going to do everything I can to help,” I say, reaching over and placing my hand on his thigh—the one without a massive cat’s head on it.
After I dropped the ball at River, there’s no room for error at Lear. Or with Kent. Whatever happens between us can’t distract us or create problems at work. We both need this too much.
Standing, I brush my pants swiftly. “Well, I should get going.”
“I have to pick Lia up in … ” Kent says, checking his watch, “thirty minutes.” He tilts his head, his bushy brows jogging up his forehead. “Why don’t you join us?”
“Me? I wouldn’t want to intrude on her Poppy time.”
