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“I could eat.” He shrugs. “And I’ve been thinking about your homemade pot pie since the gym.”
“Well, I’ll have to make you one. Sorry, but the one from the other night is all gone.”
“Sounds good.” His lips brush my mouth before he pulls me back down onto his chest. “You sleepy now?”
“Not really, but I will be soon.” My finger traces a figure eight on his pullover. “Are you up for talking? Cuddling?” I laugh, still not quite believing Oliver’s by my side.
“I’m always up for cuddling with you. What do you want to talk about?”
“Why didn’t you become a teacher?” I tilt my head to look up at him. “That’s what you studied in college.”
“It is, but I don’t know. I intended to apply for teaching jobs, and then kind of fell into making custom furniture. It started out as a favor for a friend and went from there.”
“I didn’t know you could make things.”
He chuckles. “Yeah, I wasn’t so sure I could either. I love working with my hands, and Pop taught me a lot all those years of helping him build things. I figured I’d give it a try and that was that.”
“Do you think you’ll take Coach’s job now that he’s retiring?” I’m not sure why I’m asking when I’m pretty sure he wants to keep the Winslow Nest.
“I don’t think so. It’s something I can always fall back on. I want to keep the Nest.”
I bite my lip to keep me from bringing up Dot. She’s the only thing standing in his way and I’ll help him in any way I can, even though it feels more complicated than he’s letting on.
“And look at you and how you turned your love of books into a career.” He squeezes my hip. “Do you like being the town librarian?”
“Uh-huh. Love it, and I never realized there’s so much more I can do in this position.”
“Like what?”
My stomach flips in that giddy kind of way when you’re eager to share. “Since working at the library, I’ve always wanted to make the role more than just that, create programs and activities for the community. Fill a need and also bring us together like the book clubs, Sally’s yoga classes, the fundraisers. And now, I’m trying to launch a program, Bright Horizons, to help foster kids with college.”
He slides down so we’re face-to-face. “That’s cool. Tell me more about this Bright Horizons.”
“Do you remember that Serena dropped out of college?”
“Yeah.” He frowns, at first not following how my sister’s best friend fits into this.
“Do you remember why?”
“Um, something about not being able to afford it or, I’m not really sure, but I think it had to do with money.”
“Yes. It always bothered me when I heard how, even with a student loan that she only got approved for because of Reggie, that she still didn’t have enough support, financial and otherwise, to make a go of college.”
Slowly the details dawn on his face. Oliver remembers and this spurs me on.
“And since graduation, I started working with Reggie and I kind of fell into helping the foster kids with their college applications. Not all of them wanted college, most believing it wasn’t something they could have. But it got me thinking about how we could better support them, as a whole. The town. That’s how I got the idea for Bright Horizons.”
“How does it work?” His tone is keen and interested.
“In a nutshell, it’s designed to help foster kids from Reggie’s home, once they age out of the system and if they want to go to college. In addition to helping them with their school selection and applications, there would be a fund for incidental expenses supported by the town and through fundraisers. A big part of the program is that willing families could sponsor a child during their two- or four-year college program. This is huge. The families would help them get set up for college with the basics for living on their own, in the dorm or off campus. Sponsorship works on a sliding scale, with families providing more in the first two years and decreasing amounts for subsequent years. In turn, for the student to continue to be eligible, they must maintain a certain grade point average and have a part-time job.”
“Wow. This is amazing, and you’ve brought this to life?”
“Almost. My proposal is with the city council, and I was told it’s just a formality for them to review and approve it. Everyone loves it…”
“What’s not to love? This is fantastic. So as soon as you hear from the city council, then what?”
“You make it sound like it’s a done deal.”
