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A look of dawning awareness crossed ten faces. Ashley’s mouth flattened so much that Claire wondered if it would stay that way forever.
“I’m not exactly stupid,” Claire continued. “I can tell when someone is trying to hurt someone else, and I will not put up with it. Any questions?” Several kids shook their heads. “Great. Please get out your math homework.”
The fifth and sixth graders had their homework ready. One of the seventh graders had half of the assignment done. The remaining four older students had nothing.
“Where’s your homework?” Claire asked.
“I didn’t do it,” Dylan answered nonchalantly.
“Any particular reason?”
He shrugged. “Mr. Nelson never made us. Homework was just practice. It was the tests that counted.”
“If we could pass the tests, he said we really didn’t have to do the homework,” Lexi chimed in.
“And did you pass the tests?”
“Yes,” the older kids said in unison.
Which made Claire wonder if Mr. Nelson had even bothered to grade the tests. Because after looking at the math placement results from the day before, she was thinking these kids had either gotten a case of collective amnesia over the summer or they hadn’t learned the concepts in the first place.
“Well, things have changed,” Claire said. “Homework is no longer optional. It is very much required. If you don’t do your homework and show me your work, you will not pass math.”
The kids looked as if she’d just told them that lunch was canceled for the year.
“But if we can pass the tests…”
“I’m sorry,” Claire said pleasantly, “but this is not a negotiable issue.”
“That’s not fair.”
She simply smiled. “In order to be fair, I’ll let you do last night’s homework tonight. We’ll review today. Then, starting tomorrow, homework counts. Now, let’s see what you remember from yesterday.”
It was another long day. With each lesson she taught, it became more and more apparent that these kids had some serious holes in their education.
After school, Claire was sitting with her elbows planted on her desk, her forehead resting on her fingertips, pondering the situation, when she heard the door open. She shifted her hands to see Elena standing there, biting her lower lip.
“Hi, Elena. What can I do for you?”
“I forgot my math book.” The girl went to her desk and took out the book. She hesitated, then asked, “Are you feeling all right?”
Claire smiled. “I’m fine. Just a little tired.” And discouraged.
“We’ve never had a teacher that looked like you before,” the girl said shyly. “I like your shoes.”
Claire smiled again. She liked her shoes, too. It had taken her most of the summer to find the shade of green that perfectly matched her skirt. “Thanks. Hey, can I ask you a question?”
Elena nodded.
“Do you understand the math?”
“I do now.”
“Did you yesterday?”
She shook her head, her dark braids moving on her shoulders. “Today you went slower, and I think I got it.”
“Thanks, Elena. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“See you, Miss Flynn.”
So she needed to slow down. All right. She could do that. But it killed her to be reviewing multiplication facts and long division, when she was supposed to be moving on into other aspects of math.
And as far as English went…She glanced down at the stack of poorly punctuated drills in front of her. Yowza. She hadn’t created this monster, but she was supposed to tame it.
Welcome to the real world of education.
BRETT SAT DOWN at his computer and took a deep breath. The chores were done, and there was nothing pressing at the Ryker place. It was time. In fact, it was well past time.
Brett was going to college. Online. He just hoped no one found out—in case he failed.
During junior and senior high he’d been a poor student—not because he couldn’t do the work, but because he wouldn’t. His dad had made a career of comparing Brett’s achievements to Will’s, and Brett had invariably failed to measure up. Finally, he’d accepted the fact that in his dad’s eyes he was never going to be as good at anything as Will was, so he quit trying, telling himself he wasn’t really a loser, since he wasn’t playing the game.
But still, he had silently resented Will for being so damn good at everything, and resented their dad for constantly reminding him of it.
Brett had eventually gotten his petty revenge, though, and had done a pretty fair job of messing up a number of lives in the process. Not bad for an underachiever.
Okay. First lesson. Concentrate.
Brett started by reading the introduction. Then he reread the introduction, and wondered if maybe he should start with his humanities class instead of algebra.
There was a knock on the door and he literally jumped at the chance to put his education on hold again.
And then he looked out and saw who it was. Claire. With a bottle of wine, no less.
This could not be good.
He opened the door, but only because he had no other option.
“Yes, I know,” she said, as she walked in without waiting for an invitation. “We’re holding on to our personal space, but I need some help, and damn it, Bishop, you’re the only one who can give it to me.” She handed him the bottle and walked to the cupboards. “Where do you keep your glasses?”
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re pushy?”
Claire smiled at him over her shoulder as she opened a cupboard. “All the time.”
“And it doesn’t slow you down?”
“Not in the least.”
Brett gave up. “Next to the fridge.”
Claire opened the cupboard he indicated, then frowned as she pulled out a smallish glass. “What’s this?”
“It’s a wineglass.”
“No. This is an overgrown shot glass. And where’s the stem?”
“It’s a poor man’s wineglass. I can’t afford stems. You’re lucky it’s not a jelly glass.”
She smiled again as she took out a second one. “All right. But it’s small, so we’ll have to fill them more often.”
“How long do you plan on staying?”
“Has anyone ever told you you’re tactless?” she asked.
He smiled instead of answering.
“And that doesn’t slow you down?”
“Not in the least.”
Brett pulled a corkscrew out of the utensil drawer before Claire had a chance to tear the kitchen apart looking for it. He plunged it into the cork with a little more force than necessary.
“White wine?” he asked.
“Is that a problem?”
“I prefer red wine when I solve problems.”
“I’ll make a note of that.”
“Actually, I can’t see us doing a lot of joint problem solving,” he said pointedly.
Claire settled herself on one of the mismatched kitchen chairs. “I know that Will asked you to help me when you could. And I may need a lot of help before this year is over.”
She accepted the glass he offered, took a bracing drink, then reached up with her free hand to ruffle the top of her hair in a gesture that clearly suggested exhaustion, or possibly frustration. “Are you renovating?” She looked down the hall to the living room, where he was in the process of tearing up the old floor so he could lay a new one.
“The place needs work, so I try to do a little every month. Now, what can I do for you?”
“I’d like some information.”
“On…?”
“My kids. My students. I’ve survived day two, and I’m not ashamed to admit that these kids are close to getting the best of me. That means I have to plan a strategy.”
Brett was impressed, in spite of himself. He’d always admired proactive people, as long as they weren’t running roughshod over him—or trying to.
“I’ll tell you what I know, but you gotta realize I haven’t lived here that long.”
“But you’re a native of the area.”
“My grandfather and great-grandfather were natives. Granddad sold.”
“Well, you’ve got to know more than I do.” Claire reached down for her purse and pulled out a small spiral notebook. “I’m thinking that if I can just understand the lay of the land, who’s related to whom and who does what, maybe I can connect better with the kids. I don’t want any dirt or gossip. Just information that’s in the public domain.”
Brett lifted the wine to his lips, sipped. It really wasn’t that bad for white wine. “Don’t you have school records with that kind of information?”
“Allegedly, but they’re in pretty bad shape. The district is sending me copies of missing documents, but I want to know about families. Where they live. What they do.”
Brett shrugged. “I’ll tell you what I can.”
“Okay, first off, tell me about the Landaus.”
“They’re rich.” Claire waited, and he expanded. “They’re one of the few families here that are not land rich and cash poor. Landau’s a nice guy. Ashley is his stepdaughter. Only child. He married the mother about three years ago, I think.”
“How about Jesse Lane?”
Brett shook his head. “Don’t know any Lanes. They aren’t locals. It might be that new guy who has the trailer north of town.”
“Elena and Lexi Moreno.”
“They’re related to the Hernandezes.”
“Ramon and Lily?”
“Hardworking families. The Hernandezes work for the Landaus. The Morenos have their own place.”
“So I have cousins in the classroom, as well as brothers and sisters,” Claire said musingly. “Okay. Rudy Liscano.”
Brett smiled slightly. Everyone knew Rudy. Everybody liked Rudy. “Rudy’s another cousin to the Hernandezes and the Morenos. His dad works for the county-road department. He’s the one you yell at when you blow a tire.”
“I see. How about Rachel Tyler?”
“Her family has the oldest ranch in the area. They raise nice horses.”
“Dylan Masterson?”
“I’m not certain. The Mastersons aren’t local. I think they own some businesses somewhere and are out here escaping. I know they built a hell of a place on the other side of town.”
“You mean, that A-frame?”
“That’s it.” Brett drained his glass. “I think she’s an artist or something.”
“And Toni Green.”
“Her mom works at the bar. They live in the rooms over the bar.” Brett had been invited to see those rooms before the latest boyfriend had taken up residence, but he’d declined the invitation. “I think she’s escaping, too, but for a different reason.”
Claire flipped her notebook shut. “Thanks.”
