Page 13 of To Believe In You
“Thanks to your stunt, we overlooked thirty of them.”
Tim grunted a laugh.
Matt seemed to note Adeline, and his expression turned apologetic.
Adeline might be sweet, but Key of Hope was her pet project, and she knew how to stand up to Tim when it was important. Knowing the staff would influence the kids, Adeline would never allow an unreliable and immature teacher. Or so Lina thought until her boss interlaced her fingers and remained seated, apparently content to observe.
Lina drew a breath and squared off with Tim. “He was fired from not one but two jobs.” Awestruck and Visser Landscaping—and who knew how many others?
She’d seen the video that had cost Matt the position at his family’s landscaping business—and according to the count on the footage, so had millions of other people. His coordination apparently extended beyond the control of his own body to machines he operated. Though he made it look easy to balance the little tractor thing on two wheels using the bucket as a counterbalance, she doubted that was the case.
As Pete had said, Matt was a walking liability.
“Technically, I quit Visser Landscaping.” Challenge deepened Matt’s irises to rival the blue of Lake Superior.
“I thought you’d made a commitment there.” The inconsistency—his firm no when she’d gone to Fox Valley and his interest in the job such a short time later—irked her. Shane had taught her that the weaknesses people showed were often signs of deeper flaws. As an addict, Matt must’ve mastered hiding the worst about himself.
“I’ll make good on my commitment another way.” He scanned the classrooms. “Working here will do.”
Will do?He didn’t evenwantthe position?
Adeline’s desk chair rattled, and she took up station next to Lina. “What happened to working for your dad?”
Matt’s expression once again softened for Adeline. Probably had something to do with her kind tone. “You saw the video?”
Adeline nodded.
“The property owner’s brother died in a farming accident, and he reacted strongly to my method of saving him some money.”
Adeline lifted an eyebrow. “How did that stunt save money?”
“Skid steers are clunky. The backend would’ve dragged at the bottom of the ditch, tearing up the grass. We would’ve had to fix it, which would’ve taken more hours, which would’ve increased the customer’s bill.”
Adeline nodded slowly, as if coming to terms with the explanation.
Not her too.
“Would this be a stop-gap for you until you found something else?” Adeline asked.
“Would it matter if it were? Look.” Tim lifted his hands. “He can literally start right now. You’ve found the other applications. The first time he steps out of line, send him packing and call someone else in.”
Matt shot him a look that was less than grateful.
Tim motioned him to settle down. “You’re not going to mess up, but she’ll only believe it when she sees it.” He tipped his head toward Lina.
She scoffed.
“What? It’s true, right?” A smile snuck onto Tim’s face. “Come on. Give the guy a chance. What’s the worst that could happen?”
“I’m sure I can’t even imagine.” Her parents had been letting her down her whole life, but it was Shane who’d gone and shown her how much worse a person could do.
Adeline must not have had similar experiences, because she stuck out her hand to Matt. “Welcome to Key of Hope.”
4
Matt felt like a gorilla on display in the zoo. The classrooms at the back of Key of Hope were made of glass, and from her desk in the front area, Lina kept shooting him looks clearly intended to tell him he was a monster.
The one kind of privacy the room seemed to afford was sound. As Lina worked and fielded phone calls out in the office area, he hadn’t heard a thing. Which meant he could say what he needed to say without judgmental ears overhearing.
