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“See you Wednesday!”
I said goodbye to each kid, smiling and waving, then pulled my phone out of my pocket when it vibrated and scowled at the display. “I should probably take this. Nana has called about a dozen times today. If I don’t answer soon, she’ll turn up in person and drag me home by the ear.”
“Nana means business, huh?”
I pulled a face. “Unfortunately. Do you mind waiting a minute? I won’t be long. I just want to respond before she sends out a search party.”
“Sure, I’ll just go find my son before I need to borrow Nana’s search party,” he joked.
“He’s probably trying to play catch-up. Today wasn’t our most focused day. But don’t be too hard on him, all right? Like I said, he didn’t get all the attention he needed.”
He nodded. “Well, then a few extra minutes spent on his work won’t hurt. Make your call. We’ll be here.”
CHAPTER8
HUNTER
Toby lookedup from his school tablet when I entered the classroom, a guilty expression on his face. “Am I in trouble?”
It was so similar to my first reaction to Clark’s worries–-and his teasing remark that Rhodes boys always expect trouble–that I chuckled. “Nah, kid. Every day can’t be our best day, right?”
Toby slumped, looking relieved, and I didn’t think it was just about escaping punishment. Could it be that all this acting out at school wasn’t defiance at all, but rooted in something else? I knew he was mourning the loss of our family as he knew it, that he wanted to go home to Minneapolis, but perhaps I had been simplifying the situation by believing he was choosing this behavior. I knew what it felt like to be frustrated and overwhelmed, and my son looked to be both.
I pulled up a spare chair next to him and ruffled his dark hair. Toby had taken more after his mother than me, so small for his age people often assumed he was younger. He was almost dainty, where I had always been husky. “Mr. Fletcher said he was pretty busy today, and it’s hard to work with all the kids at once.”
Toby looked glum. “He’s got more important stuff to do. The others need his help with this big project. I’m kind of in the way.”
“I don’t know. He thinks you’re pretty important.”
“He does?”
“Important enough he wants to offer you some private tutoring sessions.”
“Just him and me?”
“Yep. What do you think of that?”
Toby looked torn. “So I wouldn’t come here anymore? I guess that makes sense.”
“No, Tobes, you would. Mr. Fletcher wants you to be part of the big project. He thinks he can help you at other times so you don’t miss out.”
“So even more school?” Toby said with a sigh so weary I had to fight a smile. “I’ll think about it.”
I almost told him that he didn’t have a choice, but at the last minute I remembered Clark’s spiel about people needing to opt in to get the most out of things. Toby would benefit a whole lot more from Clark’s efforts if he wanted to cooperate. And if not…well, it wasn’t fair to ask Clark to waste his time.
“Okay, why don’t you think it over while you finish what you’re working on,” I said, standing up. “Mr. Fletcher will probably be back to talk to us soon, so it’d be good if you had an answer for him.”
To give Toby some space, I wandered the classroom, studying the many presidential portraits and maps decorating the walls. If Clark hadn’t already told me he was a history teacher, this would have been a pretty big clue. He had the standard US map and the state of Nebraska on one stretch of wall, but also a map of Granville and surrounding areas, covered in little pushpins.
A closer look showed me that the pins marked historical locations around town. The Grand House, where the city’s founder lived; the statue of Arthur Grand, in the park; the historic cemetery behind the hospital.
I was closer to the doorway now, and Clark’s voice filtered in from the hallway.
“Nana, for the last time, I was trying… Yeah, well, maybe I should run all your proposed dates through my friends first if you think Percy Helix was a good choice!”
I smirked at his sass, then had to muffle a laugh when he followed it up with, “No, I’m not being sassy. I’m sorry, Nana.”
Fuck, that was adorable.
