Page 46 of Kiss the Girl
She leaned back in her chair and sighed. “I’m pleased with how well this fundraiser is going, and I like what I see of your management skills so far, but there are other things to consider.”
“Like what?” I asked, trying not to get frustrated by more hoops.
“Do you know how long Coach Dean has been running the program here?”
“Almost thirty years.”
“Yes. And he taught here for ten years before that and played for the Bulldogs when he was in high school.”
“I’m aware.” Where was she going with this?
“The point is that he’s a man with roots in this community. He was born here and he’ll die here. A program like ours needs that kind of longevity. Do you have that kind of longevity?”
“Of course.” I almost smiled at the question. “I’m from Mineral, born and raised, and I only moved as far as Granger. I loved growing up here. If I wasn’t a deep roots kind of guy, I would have left a long time ago.”
“And yet you’re already working at your second school district after only being at the first for three years. Do you know how long the average new teacher lasts in this profession?”
“I’ve heard the stats.”
She supplied them anyway. “Four years. They leave for a number of reasons, but if they make it past that point, they’ll stay in for the full length of their career.”
“I’ve made it past that point.”
“Barely,” she said. “This is your fifth year, right? And you’ve still got big life stuff coming up that can change things.”
“Like what?”
“Legally, I can’t discuss any of that context in terms of why you might not be hired for a job.”
I sat back and studied her. Was she going where I thought she was going?
She sighed. “I’m going to make some observations by way of conversation, okay?”
I nodded.
“Male married teachers tend to grow roots so deep that you couldn’t yank them out with a backhoe. But single male teachers who get married often move away to where the wife wants to settle. If it’s here, great. If it’s not, great. And if a single male isn’t already dating someone local, let’s say, it’s hard to guess which way that might go.”
I leaned forward like it would help me read her body language better. “You’re saying you would be more open to the idea of giving me the head coach job if I were married or at least dating someone local?”
“Of course not,” she said, leaning forward and meeting my eyes directly. “That would be illegal for me to even consider as an employer.”
Words began to come out of my mouth, words that came from a deep and devilish part of me, words I was ashamed of but couldn’t stop. The coaching stipend could make a real difference for Paige and Evie. “I get that,” I said. “And not that it has anything to do with the head coaching job, but I’m dating a local girl right now.”
Dr. Boone leaned back in her chair. “Well, that’s certainly an interesting thing that I just learned about you in the course of getting to know my faculty better that definitely doesn’t have anything to do with your employment status. Do I know her?”
“Maybe. Grace Winters? She runs Handy Hardware.” I had to hope that Dr. Boone wasn’t wired into the community enough to know that Grace’s situation was temporary.
“Is that the petite brunette you were with at Brooke’s wedding?”
Holy cow. Coincidence was totally working in my favor. “That’s her,” I confirmed. “In fact, she’s helping me with the booth.”
“Oh, that’s right. It’s usually Bill Winters who supervises and provides materials. I should have made the connection faster.”
As soon as I left Dr. Boone’s office, I was going to have to run either straight to a priest or to Grace, but I owedsomeonea confession over this.
“Is it serious?” she continued. “I ask in a purely conversational, getting-to-know-my-staff way, of course.”
“Of course. I would say it’s going well.” When Dr. Boone’s expression grew a touch wary, I added, “Very, very well.” That was true. Grace and I were doing this friend thing so well that we should be poster children for how to be friends with someone even when you spend a lot of time thinking about what it would be like to make out with them and whether the answer was “really great” or “awesome.”
