Page 157 of Holy Hearts
Pulling my phone out, I type in a number I have memorized. It rings a few times before a female voice answers.
“Kai? It’s Juliet. One sec, let me grab Chase. He’s in the garage working on one of his damn cars.”
I chuckle. “Thanks, Jules.”
“How are you?” she asks. I can hear the creaking floorboards of their old town house just outside of San Francisco.
“I’ve been better,” I tell her honestly.
“Who do I need to beat up?” she asks, and there’s the sound of a door opening.
Huffing a laugh, warmth fills me at her words. I never had a sister, but Juliet feels like one now that she’s married to Chase, my younger brother.
“No one. It’s all on me this time.”
“I see,” she muses. “Well, I’ll hand you over to Chase. And, Kai?”
“Yeah?”
“You can always talk to us, you know. Or maybe come up here for a visit. Maybe the fresh, foggy air would do you some good.”
I stop walking. “Yeah. Maybe I will. Thanks, Jules.”
After we say goodbye, I hear her mutter something to Chase.
“Hey,” he says, sounding out of breath. “What’s up?”
“We need to talk about Rod Dumplant,” I say firmly.
Chase exhales. “Yeah. I heard about what happened. The whole board heard, actually, because Rod sent a very angry email about the situation with Bradleigh, and then something about ‘moral decay within leadership’ and the risk of setting a dangerous precedent for the school’s values.’ I meant to call you about it.”
“Wonderful,” I mutter.
“Don’t worry about him, Kai. He’s made a lot of enemies. The last thing he wants is for us to vote him out.”
“And how much would you be paying the rest of the board members to do that?” I ask, grinning.
“That’s neither here nor there, but they’d be remiss to forget that I have the most sway with the board of directors, and I could replace them all if I wanted to.”
“You don’t have to do that,” I tell him.
“Why? You’re my brother. If he’s making your life hell, then there are ways to take care of that. Bigotry has no place at Saint Helena, or anywhere.”
I sit with his words for a few seconds, feeling unexpectedly emotional.
“Should I call an emergency meeting?” Chase asks. “I can probably get on a flight over the weekend, and we can sort it out together…”
“Actually, can I come up to you?”
He’s quiet for a second. “You’re always welcome, Kai. Just let me know when so I can take some time off work.”
“Sure,” I answer, forming a tentative plan in my head.
“Everything else okay?” he asks, his tone tinged with concern.
I run a hand through my hair. “Not really. But I can tell you in person.”
“Okay. I’ll see you soon, yeah?”
