Page 6 of It Started with a Sunset
“So you want them to just sit down and do scholarship stuff.”
Brock nodded. “I did a campus tour here in September of my junior year of high school. They said nothing about scholarships, and I knew I’d never be able to go here. I didn’t want to keep tempting myself with something I couldn’t have, so I stayed away for more than a year until a friend begged me to go with her on a tour so she wouldn’t have to go alone. They talked about scholarships that time, and I finally felt like it was a possibility.”
“I get it, Brock. I know your job is important. Aquamoose Tracks just isn’t the event for it, though. We are supposed to make them feel like they’re living a day in the life of a student here, so we need to take them to fun student activities around campus. A big school event, like a football or basketball game or gymnastics competition. Let them check out campus. Hang out with college students, doing college student things. Stuff like that. Not drudgery-type stuff that feels like homework that they can sit at home and do.”
Brock leaned back in her comfy chair, his arms folded, his eyes on her. They were pretty eyes—she’d give him that. They were all dark and had the perfect amount of smile crinkles and his dark-framed glasses made him look all studious. But not “studious” like a teenager doing homework on a Saturday night instead of hanging out with friends. More of a “model trying to look studious” studious.
He must’ve felt her attention being on his glasses for a moment because he used two fingers at his temple to give them a nudge up, and good golly, if it wasn’t the most attractive thing ever.
“You mean stuff like actual homework? What is more of a ‘day in the life of a college student’ than doing something that resembles homework? Social activities aren’t the only reason kids go to college. It isn’t even the main reason. They go to college because they want to learn. They’re coming to this event because they want to learn all about what it’ll take to get here.”
Okay, he had a point. A small point. But it wasn’t like they skipped talking about scholarships altogether—they always took a minute to tell them they had a website page that had all the scholarships listed and gave them info on how to set up a meeting with Brock if needed. They just never did it as a full presentation during the part while the parents were present. And she wasn’t convinced that it wouldn’t totally bomb.
But shewasenjoying the verbal sparring with Brock. She and Pavani agreed on most everything, so their planning sessions were more about getting hyped up for it and discussing things that would make it even more awesome. Brock was challenging her and her way of thinking. It was fun. Not that she’d tell Brock that—this had turned into a competition, and she wasn’t about to lose any points to him. Plus, she liked seeing the earnest way he tried to convince her of everything.
Just thinking about competing with him sparked something brilliant. “I’ve got the perfect idea.”
Brock’s eyebrows rose in challenge, clearly expecting her idea to be anything but perfect.
“We each do a presentation on the part we think is most important. Me on the stuff that’s going to make them feel like they belong here, and you about scholarships. We always have them fill out surveys at the end to let us know how we did and what they liked; we’ll see which of us gets the higher score.” She was thinking things through and making it up as she went, details falling into place as she spoke. “In fact, we’ll specifically have them rate each of the presentations on not only how helpful it was, but also how much it helped them make their decision on whether or not to come to Lake Baldwin State.”
Brock started nodding slowly about halfway through her proposal, nodding a bit more enthusiastically by the end. “Okay, but neither of us—or anyone else helping out—can encourage students to rate our presentations higher. We don’t even mention the evaluations during our sessions.”
Summer held out a hand. “Agreed. I’m in.”
He leaned forward in his chair, reaching across her desk to shake her hand. “I am, too.”
It was a nice handshake. So much so that she might’ve held on a beat too long, just to enjoy the feel of his hand in hers, and she had to cover up the awkwardness by distracting him.
“But I’m holding you to going on that campus tour with me as soon as someone needs a fill-in.”
Brock nodded. “I’ll be there with bells on.”
She kind of couldn’t wait.
Chapter Four
Brock
Brock was on campus, headed toward the Student Center, when he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He pulled it out to see a text from his boss.
Tess Barringer to Welcome Center:Pavani is doing well enough for visitors. If you’re free at lunch, we can all go over as a group.
He was about to put the phone back in his pocket when it buzzed with another message.
Summer Graham to Welcome Center:[gif of happy dancing]
Deja Wright to Welcome Center:I’ll make sure the flowers are delivered here by then. Y’all skedaddle on over to my desk before then to sign the card.
He still didn’t think that Pavani actually wanted all of them in her hospital room, but if they were going to all go, he’d be there, too. He’d just need to hurry through everything he had scheduled for the morning so he could squeeze in time to work on the proposal for the website changes that he had planned to do during lunch.
When he got to the Welcome Center, the door to the lobby was locked. He smiled as he unlocked it. He loved when he was the first one in the office. It was so much easier to get work done when it was so quiet and free from distractions.
He’d barely gotten his computer booted, his notes out on the desk and organized, his notebook in front of him, his hand on his mouse to bring up the school’s website and his word processor when Summer walked up to his doorway, startling him. With as exuberant as she looked, he couldn’t believe she made it in the front door of the Welcome Center without him hearing a peep.
“Guess what?” Her smile lit up her whole face.
“We get to see Pavani at lunch?”
