Page 86 of Yours, Unexpectedly

“To use your words, that’s wonderful.” My eyes crinkle at her reply. I think I am going to like this woman. “Can you meet us at PS 76 at 8 a.m.? We will be serving breakfast and providing childcare while we do a parent education event.”

“Absolutely! I look forward to it!” My reply is a touch too enthusiastic, but this job is my dream job, and I am still in shock that they called me.

We say our goodbyes and I hang up, falling backwards onto the couch.

Anders and I might actually be able to make this work.

We arrived at our hotel yesterday evening. It’s no Plaza seeing as neither of us can afford that luxury, but it’s nice to be able to get away from campus for a few days. Anders had rehearsal last night, so I holed up in the room donning the synthetic bathrobe provided by the hotel. Luci made me a playlist called “Bex’s Boss Beats,” and I listened to it on repeat while I did final preparations for my interview.

I’m up bright and early so I can get to the school on time, and Anders is still gloriously naked and completely passed out in the bed next to me. I contemplate waking him for a quickie, knowing it’ll calm my frayed nerves but decide against it. He needs the sleep to prepare for his performance tonight.

After taking a short shower and getting ready, I press a kiss to Anders’ forehead before heading out the door. He stirs, though, and angles his head so his lips meet mine—raw tenderness passing from his mouth to mine. He pulls back, his gaze sleepy.

“You’re amazing. They’d be lucky to have you. Go kick ass.” He punctuates each sentence with another gentle kiss. Smiling against my lips he adds, “I love you.”

The drumbeat of my heart kicks up a notch. I don’t know that I’ll ever get tired of hearing those words. “I love you, too. Go back to sleep. You’ll be gone by the time I get back, but I’ll try to find you when I get to the theater tonight.”

He nods before burrowing back into his blanket cocoon. “You got this, Baby Bardot,” is the last thing I hear as the door clicks shut.

Shockingly, I’m able to navigate the subway system and arrive early to my meeting with Claudette. Walking up to the building, I see a line of people wrapped around it. I’m shocked by the turnout but I guess I shouldn’t be considering how established SchoolsFirst is. From my internet sleuthing, I know a lot of families and schools in the city depend on their support.

I get to the front of the line just as a woman around my mom’s age steps out and announces the gate will open in five minutes. Her black hair is streaked in gray and she has warm tan skin—she looks exactly like her picture online which is tremendously helpful.

“Ms. Ortiz!” I call and her deep brown eyes meet mine. “I’m Rebecca Bardot, but please call me Bex.” I reach out my hand to shake hers.

A small smile tips her lips. “Please, call me Claudette. It’s a pleasure to meet you, come on in,” she says, shaking my hand with a firm grip.

I follow her beyond the gate and up into the school building. We make small talk as she navigates me through the halls. There’s colorful children’s artwork lining the walls, and I see a display of collages made from magazine clippings that makes me smile.

“I’m assuming you found everything all right?” she asks.

“Yes, thank you. I’ve been to the city several times, but I still get slightly nervous that I’ll get on the wrong train and end up on Coney Island.”

She chuckles. “Well, I’m glad that hasn’t happened yet. I’m sure you’ll get used to navigating the city,” she says with a wink.

“That’s the hope.” I can’t help the grin that takes over my face.

We arrive in the cafeteria to see several people scurrying around working on last minute preparations. I immediately jump in and end up serving scrambled eggs for the next thirty minutes. Eventually, the line dies down and I walk around and introduce myself to some families as they eat. Every single family has something lovely to say about Claudette and her team. Each conversation is confirmation that this is where I want to be.

That’s about how the rest of the morning goes. I try to help where I can while also attempting to catch a bit of the presentation Claudette prepared on the importance of reading as a family. She gives multiple attainable resources, even bringing in a representative from the city’s public library to help get library cards for those who don’t have them, and she does it all without judgment or shame—truly meeting the families where they are. My admiration for her continues to grow with each passing moment. Hell, I want to be her when I grow up.

We send families away with sack lunches, and the last person leaves around eleven thirty. We make our way back to the cafeteria, and everyone pitches in to clean up before Claudette thanks the volunteers for coming.

Grabbing two sack lunches, she gestures for me to sit at a table with four other people. Formal introductions are made, though I met most of them throughout the morning, and I find out that these are four of the other community liaisons currently on the team—my potential co-workers. They ask thoughtful questions about my time at Hawthorne, what has drawn me to social work and particularly SchoolsFirst, and what I look for in a team. I’m honestly shocked at how easy all of this has been. They even provide opportunities to further my education, if that is something I want to do.

We joke and laugh as we enjoy our sack lunches, and I get an overwhelming feeling that this is right. This is where I’m meant to be.

After almost two hours of talking, Claudette walks me out front.

“It was a tremendous pleasure to meet you today, Bex. I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend in the city. What are your plans for tonight if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Oh, my boyfriend is in the MFA Acting program at Hawthorne, and they have their showcase tonight.”

She stops and turns toward me as we get to the bottom of the stairs. “What a coincidence. I was speaking with one of our donors yesterday and her son is also in town for his MFA showcase.”

Lead fills my stomach. Surely she’s not talking about the Olssons. I don’t know why, but I have a bad feeling about being connected to Erik and Alice in this capacity.

“You wouldn’t happen to be dating Anders Olsson?” she asks.

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