Page 51 of Besties
“Max?”
“Yeah. Listen….”
“It’s a shitty situation. I’ve already fielded calls from several schools cancelling their contracts with us. Someone has to be doing this. There is no way that Teaching Time’s reputation could possibly get trashed like this. We’ve got standards higher than the federal government—not that it’s difficult.”
He was right, of course. “I made promises today, and it might piss you off.”
“I already know about the computers. She called and asked me point-blank if it was a serious offer. I assured her that anything you said was as good as gold. I’ve already ordered them, and they’ll be set up by Thursday.”
Holy shit. Richie didn’t let moss grow under his feet. “There’s more.”
“Good. There absolutely has to be. It’s going to take a lot of work to come back from this.”
Taking a deep breath, I plunged right in, telling him about the kids being banned from play. “I promised Mr. Waterson we’d set up a scholarship to help defer the costs of their education. I know I went overboard, but—”
“That’s a fucking brilliant idea. It’s something we should have had in place a long time ago. Helping kids is our mission statement, and to be able to give back to the community like this works on so many levels.” He snickered. “Do you still doubt you’re the man for the job?”
“But I don’t know about the rest of the schools. I’ll be able to hit one more today, then I’ll have to start again tomorrow.”
“That’s fine. Like I said, this is going to take a lot of work. We need to know how this happened.”
“Rumors and innuendo. I was told we dropped the ball, and apparently Kramer’s fingerprints are all over this.”
Richie heaved a shuddering sigh. “I’ve got no idea what we’re going to do about this. Kramer was good—no, he was great—and now this? It just doesn’t add up. None of it does.”
He sounded as though he was close to a breakdown. “Do you need a hug?”
“Yes.” His voice broke and took my heart with it. “I need one badly.”
“I’ll be right there.”
I thought I heard him sniffle, and then he coughed to cover it. “No, it’s okay. Go ahead and take care of this. When you get back, I’ll collect.”
It didn’t feel right. He’d never once left me to stew about something. But this was his company, born of a dream and a desire to help kids who’d been like me.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“I love you.”
Before I could reply, he disconnected. I started the car, threw it into gear, and headed to my next school.
The lady at the desk smiled when I walked in and didn’t bat an eye when I told her who I was. “We’ve been expecting you.”
A shiver went through me as I imagined myself in a horror movie. When the office door opened and a red-haired woman with large glasses perched on a dainty nose stepped out, that fear evaporated. She came to the desk, a smile showing off beautifully white teeth.
“I was hoping you were going to make it here today.” She held out a hand. “Sophie Phillips.”
I reached out and grasped her hand with my own. “Max Henry. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Likewise. Amelia Berry called me and said I should be ready for you. Would you like a cup of coffee?”
“If it’s no bother.”
“None at all. Come along.”
I followed her into the office. It was small, but she’d made good use of the space. On the wall were pictures of each class, dressed in the same blue and gold uniform. They looked unbelievably happy. When I turned around, she was holding out a cup of coffee to me. I took it gratefully.
“Thank you.” I took a sip. It was delicious. “This is good.”
