Chapter 11
Chapter
In her office on Monday morning, Bernadine was still a bit blue. She’d spoken with Crystal Saturday evening, and she and her friend Mona were ecstatic about their new apartment. Crystal’s happiness and excitement did much to salve Bernadine’s sense of loss, but she still missed her child.
Deciding she needed to stop wallowing and begin her day, she booted up her desktop. But then she heard, “Morning, Bernadine.”
Seeing Luis Acosta in the doorway brought on a smile. “Morning, Luis. Come on in. How are you?”
“I’m well.”
“What brings you by?”
“Had to see Lily about ordering gear for a new volunteer. Her name’s Gail Howell. She’ll be our first woman team member. She just moved back to Franklin from St. Louis to take care of her dad. She was a firefighter there for six years.”
“Would love to meet her.”
“I’ll let her know. Have a question about something else, though.”
“Okay.”
“Is anyone moving into Crystal’s old place?”
“Not yet, as far as I know. Is someone interested?”
“Yes. Felicia.”
Bernadine was taken aback. “Really?”
“Yeah. She likes Henry Adams a lot.”
Bernadine thought back to the times she’d seen them together. “Seems as if she might be liking more than just Henry Adams.”
He smiled.
“Okay. I’m going to be nosy. Are things getting serious between you two?”
“Let’s just say we’re exploring the possibilities.” He paused, and as he focused on something only he could see, he gave the impression that he was thinking about her. “She’s an amazing lady,” he said quietly.
“Is she getting along with Anna and the kids?”
“Yes. After losing my Lissa, I didn’t think I’d be able to open my heart again. She’s changed that.”
He’d lost his wife and the mother of Maria and Alfonso in a housefire. “I’m so happy for you, Luis. How about you tell her that if she’s serious about the apartment, it’s hers, and for her to let me know when she wants to move in so we can talk about the lease and all that.”
“Great. Will do. Thanks, Bernadine.”
“You’re welcome.”
After his departure, her spirit felt much lighter. She looked forward to the unfolding of another Henry Adams love story.
A few minutes later, Lily entered her office. “Did Luis stop by?”
“Yes. He told me about the new lady firefighter and that Felicia Cisneros wants to move into Crystal’s old apartment.”
Lily’s jaw dropped. “What? He told me about the firefighter but didn’t say anything about Felicia. Are they hooking up?”
“‘Exploring the possibilities’ is how he explained it. And she was invited to Alfonso’s birthday dinner a couple of weekends ago.”
“Wow. Good for them. Did he say when she’s coming?”
“No, but we’ll see.”
“Love it. Trent picked up the mail. Here’s yours.”
Bernadine took the two pieces Lily handed her and stared curiously at an envelope with Devon’s name as the return address. “What is this from Devon?”
“Go ahead and open it.”
Curious, Bernadine complied and, after unfolding the piece of paper inside, she read:
Dear Ms. Bernadine,
I’m writing to apologize for my actions during the Welcome Circle. My conduct was rude, hurtful, and disrespectful. I hope you will forgive me. I promise to do better in the future.
Sincerely,
Devon July
Bernadine smiled and set the note aside. “I’m impressed. Tell him thank you. Why’s it handwritten?”
“Trent and I didn’t want it to be easy. After the stunt he pulled, we wanted his apology to be memorable. He had to write one to almost everyone there that night.” Lily explained the rest about the stamps and the post office.
Bernadine chuckled. “Now I’m really impressed.” She read over the note again. “His cursive is pretty good.”
“Thanks to Jack and Nori. Unlike some schools, the Academy still teaches it, and makes the kids use it. I wonder if Myra Keene has a problem with that too. Never mind. Talking about her will ruin my morning, although I do wonder what the heck she was doing with Clay at the restaurant opening.”
“Mal said they met at Clark’s. That’s all I know.”
“That’s more than enough for me. Good grief.”
Bernadine saw that Lily had her purse and was holding her car keys. “Where are you headed?”
“To pick up Gen. We’re going to Franklin. She wants to talk to their library board about a grant she’s found that funds books for literacy programs in small towns. I’m tagging along to get up to speed on the ins and outs in case we need to play a part in the process.”
“Sounds like a worthy project.”
“We’ll see. I’ll be back by lunchtime.”
“Okay.”
Before Bernadine could settle back in, Marie knocked on the open door. “Morning, Bernadine. Do you have a few minutes?”
“Hey, Marie. I do. Come on in. Have a seat. How are you?”
“Not bad.” She sat. “How about you?”
“Honestly? Missing Crystal.”
Marie nodded understandingly. “I think we’ll all miss Big Sister.”
Bernadine agreed. “What can I do for you?”
“Just a few things and I’ll be out of your hair. First, Nori hasn’t changed her mind about leaving at the end of the school year.”
“I figured she wouldn’t. People retire for a reason. Grateful to her for stepping up, though.”
“So am I. I’ve been advertising for her replacement.”
“Any nibbles?”
“Just a couple. I’m going to give it another week to see if anyone else is interested before I start interviews.”
“And if we can’t find anyone?”
“Then I’ll go back into the classroom until we do.”
Bernadine was surprised by that, but then again, knowing Marie’s commitment to education, she shouldn’t’ve been.
“Number two. Got a call from the state superintendent about Myra Keene’s issue with Jack.”
Bernadine shook her head. Myra the Menace. “What did he tell her?”
“The same thing we did. The Academy is a private school. Find another district if she’s unhappy.”
“Good.”
“So, unless she plans to petition the Supreme Court, we should be done fooling with her.”
Bernadine considered that good news. “I was surprised to see her with Clay Friday night.”
“I was as well. They both enjoy complaining. Hope they’ll be happy.”
“Lord.”
Marie grinned and got to her feet. “That’s it for me, other than me having to tell Tamar to get over herself about the whole Mal and Aaron thing. I can’t believe she’s trying to keep them apart.”
Bernadine wished she’d been a fly on the wall for that. “How’d she take it?”
Marie shrugged. “Not really my concern, frankly. Mal and his brother’s relationship has nothing to do with her. She needed her chain yanked, and since that seems to be my job . . .”
“And we love you for it. Hopefully, she’ll act accordingly.”
“Pigs will fly first.”
“What’s going on with the natural gas folks and your land?”
It was recently discovered that the Jefferson ancestral land was sitting atop a huge deposit of natural gas.
“The company has their equipment in place. The extraction, or whatever it’s called, will begin soon.
The money they say I’m going to make took my breath away.
I’m still going to Gamblers Anonymous, so no worries on that level.
I’ll be putting every penny away for Henry Adams and my grandkids. ”
They spent a few more minutes discussing her beloved granddaughters before Marie exited with a wave and a smile.
Dear Zoey,
My parents made me write the short letter in this envelope to all the people I dissed during the Welcome Circle, but I wanted to write you a longer one too.
I’m so sorry for what I said to you about being a baby.
We have been friends ever since we met, but I didn’t act like one.
Instead of having your back, I hurt your feelings, and I was mean.
I miss hanging out with you and making music with you and the band.
I’m also sorry you hurt your hand. I hope one day we can be friends again, but I understand if you don’t want us to be.
Sincerely,
Devon July
After another lonely day at school, Devon was in his room wondering if his parents would let him go to school in Franklin, since he was so miserable at the Academy.
He was enjoying having lunch with Ellis but missed his old friends.
He’d learned a lot about life these past few weeks, and one of the things that stood out the most was the importance of friendship.
The old Devon had taken that for granted and been dumb enough to think he had the power to tell everyone what to do and how to think.
But sitting with them at lunch and being ignored while the conversations and laughs flowed around him made him realize just how inconsequential he really was.
His opinions and input weren’t needed or missed.
He also saw that Zoey was the real leader of their crew, and that she had a way of letting everyone have their say without hijacking the conversation to make it all about her.
He hadn’t noticed that before because he’d been too busy acting like the king.
A soft knock on his open door interrupted his pity party. His eyes widened with surprise seeing Zoey standing in the doorway. “Zoey?”
“Can I come in? I need to talk to you.”
Still stunned, he nodded. “Yeah.” And wondered what she wanted.
“Thanks for the letter.” She held up the envelope. “It came today.”
“You’re welcome.” An awkward silence rose between them, so he did his best to fill it. “And I meant what I said. I’m really sorry. I didn’t act like a friend.”
“No, you didn’t. You hurt my feelings bad.”
Shame grew. “I know. I’m sorry for that too.”
“I need you to stop being such a dumbass, Devon,” she said emotionally.
“I need that, too, because I don’t like not having you as my friend. And I mean that. We’ve been best friends since we were little, and I keep messing it up.”
She sighed audibly.
“I’m sorry for trying to take over the band, and you hurting your hand. Everything. I just want us to be friends like we used to be.”
The silence rose again.
He asked quietly, “Can you accept my apologies?”
She studied him for a few long moments, then responded with a tight nod.
“Thank you.” He was so relieved.
“You’re welcome, but let’s not do this again, okay? Please?”