Page 14 of Read With Your Heart

“Is Lys in trouble?” His voice rings with both concern and surprise.

“No. I just think we should talk about her. Her student file is incomplete. She’s missing a home address as well as an email contact, and I’ve been trying to set up a conference for two weeks. I’ve called a number she provided but haven’t gotten any response to the messages I’ve left. I’ve also sent Amaryllis home with messages that I need to speak with you. Or whoever is in charge of her.”

“I’m in charge,” he says, standing up a little taller, a little more frightening as his face hardens. “What’s she done?”

“Nothing. She’s sweet and good. Excessively shy,” I say, pressing off the desk finally and meeting his deep, soft, silvery eyes.

Stay focused, teach.

“But I’m concerned about her. I know she’s new to the district, and that’s another thing—we’re missing her former school records. I’m worried about her writing skills, which have a direct correlation to her reading ability. Do you know if she has any learning disabilities?”

“She isn’t dumb.”

“I’m not saying she is,” I state, holding up a hand at his defensive tone. “Perhaps she was in a bilingual classroom or some sort of special education class?” It’s my first thought, as she couldn’t have gotten this far without some academic support in the past, and even then, I’m not certain how she’s in a regular classroom setting. She needs more individualized attention.

“So, you’re saying because she’s Latino she must be stupid.”

My mouth falls open. “I am not saying that at all,” I defend.

“She’s not going in with the dumb kids,” he commands, his voice turning angry. Just because students are in special education does not mean they are not smart, and I’m offended at his implication.

“I beg your pardon, but . . .”

“You can beg all you want, but my sister is not stupid.”

“I’m not saying she is. All I’m saying is I think she needs academic support, and I’m wondering if she had it in the past, back at her middle school, maybe.”

Is he getting even taller? Bigger and broader? It doesn’t matter because I face off with him despite my smaller stature. He stares at me with an uncertainty in his eyes. Does he not know his sister’s educational history? How long has she lived with him? Or has he not paid attention to her despite being her guardian? I know all about this kind of big brother neglect. While Trent provided the basics for Levi, there were many areas where he lacked as a brother. He didn’t understand Levi’s dedication to school. He hardly knew his younger brother’s friends. He didn’t even notice what food Levi did or didn’t like to eat. Ironically, the reverse happened for Levi. He worshipped his older brother.

“I . . . I don’t know. I’ll have to ask Lys.”

“Maybe I could have your name and phone number,” I begin, spinning for my desk and searching for a scrap piece of paper. I want to confirm the number Lys gave me is actually her brother’s. I’d cleared off my desk before the open house and need to bend toward the side drawers to search for a notepad and pen. “I could call you and set up an appointment for a conference.” I stand upright holding a pen and paper only to discover her brother has disappeared from my classroom. Rushing to the hallway, I find parents lingering, waiting for me to greet them and let them into my room for the next presentation. Distractedly, I tell them to enter, searching for a head I know will stand above the rest, but he’s nowhere to be seen.

Lesson 8

Trouble has a flavor and tastes like a woman.

[Tricia]

After the open house, I ask Jenna to join me for a drink at the Town Tavern. It’s Thursday, and my family will be gathered there. She declines, saying she’s bushed from the extended workday. I park in my driveway, which is vacant of the neighbor’s SUV and motorcycle. I head to the alley and walk only three houses down before I enter the Tavern from the back entrance.

My eldest brother Tom greets me as I enter. He and I look alike with dark hair and green-brown eyes. The siblings between us—Jess and Pam, born only eleven months apart—both have blue eyes and cornstalk-blond hair. Their hair is also the same length, coming just under their chins. Tom’s wife, Karyn, is also here. She looks like an Irish dancer with curly black hair and the bluest of eyes. They’ve been married for what feels like forever, and their marriage links the Carter and Scott families.

I fall into a seat next to my sister-in-law.

“Rough day at the office?” Karyn teases. She knows I don’t work in an office any more than she does. She’s a nurse.

“It’s been a long day, and I have a troublesome student.”

“Already?” She giggles. I’ve shared stories with her in the past, but in a small-town community, you need to be careful what you say when you live and work here. The older I am, the closer I get to teaching some of our former classmate’s children, and it’s just weird. Not to mention, it’s a reminder how far behind I am compared to my peers. As if I’m a student of life, and I’m failing Family 101.

“She’s not trouble. I’m just worried about her. She lives with her brother, who is really elusive, and I need background information on her that we don’t have. And—” Suddenly, my mouth goes dry and my words falter as my brother Jess walks through the front door with none other than Amaryllis’s brother.

“Who is that?” Karyn whispers, her voice cracking as she stares at the intense male looking deliciously sinful.

“Eyes off the prize.” Tom snaps his fingers before her eyes to draw her attention away from the new person in the bar.

“Oh, shut up. You look all the time,” Karyn teases, but she isn’t wrong. My brother would never cheat on his wife, but he’s a notorious flirt, and honestly, sometimes, I find it insulting on her behalf. Karyn is beautiful, and my brother can be an idiot. My brother Jess can be too. Instead of going after the woman he fell in love with this summer, he let her go, and he’s still pining over her.