CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
JAYEHADTAKENnote of the number of people at the meeting and that had angered him even more. He switched his gaze to Velvet and kept his focus on her as he approached. For her to state in front of a room full of people that he loved her and with so much conviction in her voice, it meant she truly believed it. He was glad because he did love her with every bone in his body.
He came to a stop beside her and gave her an assuring smile before turning his attention to the seven individuals sitting at the table. “I want to know what right any of you have to question Ms. Spencer about anything I purchased for her? Especially when it was to be my surprise wedding gift to her.”
Loud gasps sounded around the room behind him, but Jaye didn’t care. Granted, he hadn’t asked Velvet to marry him yet, but now that she knew he loved her, the proposal would come when they were alone.
“Wedding gift?” Mr. Beaks exclaimed. “When did the two of you become engaged?”
When the eyes of everyone at the table went to Velvet’s left hand, Jaye said, “Not that it’s anyone’s business, but my proposal was something I’d planned to do in private when I felt the time was right. That’s all you need to know.”
Dwight Beaks looked flustered. “But the two of you were never seen around town together. And you’ve only known her for a few months. If you came here looking for a wife, you could have done better. We have several well-bred women living here from good families that are more on your social scale.”
Hearing the man’s absurd spiel, Jaye and Velvet looked at each other, and unable to help themselves, they laughed. That angered Dwight Beaks. “The two of you find something funny about what I said?”
“They aren’t the only ones,” a loud voice said. “Although I’m not laughing.”
Every head in that room swiveled around to find who had spoken. Reid Lacroix stood in the back. Silence descended as he made his way to the front. Unlike Jaye’s earlier expression that had been unreadable, there was no mistaking the anger on Reid’s face.
“Mr. Lacroix, we didn’t know you had returned from your trip to Hawaii,” one of the board members, who had remained quiet all this time, quickly said. “We hope you had a nice time with your lovely wife and beautiful granddaughters.”
Without answering the man, Reid came to stand beside Jaye and Velvet. He demanded, “What’s going on here?”
When all the men at the table appeared too ill at ease to answer him, the lone woman on the board said, “From what I gather, Mr. Lacroix, there are some members on this school board who are trying to fire Ms. Spencer because Mr. Colfax purchased land as a gift for her. They feel that constitutes a conflict of interest.”
Reid frowned. “Why?”
Dwight Beaks found his voice and said, “Because since Mr. Colfax will start a co-op bank in both the junior and senior high schools, that makes him a partner of the Catalina Cove school system. Velvet Spencer is one of the teachers. It’s our understanding that he purchased land for her worth over a million dollars. No disclosure of the purchase of that land was made by either of them.”
Reid waved off his words. “I’m the one who sold Mr. Colfax the property knowing full well who it was intended for. Since I consider myself a partner of the Catalina Cove school system, due to the numerous programs I’ve put in place, such as the internship program for high school seniors, I didn’t complete a disclosure, either. Am I in violation of a conflict of interest as well?”
Nobody on the board said anything, but a few shook their heads.
Reid Lacroix asked, “Then why are they?”
When no response was provided, Mr. Lacroix said, “Frankly, I am offended by what this school board tried doing to Ms. Spencer here tonight, mainly because I’m the one who personally invited her to come to Catalina Cove.”
From the loud murmurs around the room, Jaye figured what Reid had just revealed was news to everyone.
“You?” several board members said in surprise.
“Yes, me. Velvet’s parents were good friends of mine for years. And as far as anyone questioning her social class, just so you know, Velvet Spencer owns every Spencer’s restaurant in the country. Even the one located here.”
More gasps were heard, even from the front table. “Just think,” Reid added, ignoring the shocked faces of the individuals sitting before him, “Catalina Cove has had an heiress—one who is probably twice as wealthy as I am—living among us for two years, and tonight all of you treated her like crap.”
“But—but we didn’t know. We thought she was a mere schoolteacher,” one of the board members said.
“It should not have mattered if she was a garbage collector. Everyone, regardless of their occupation, deserves respect. And maybe it’s time for some of you to stop looking down on teachers. If you feel they aren’t getting paid enough, then you ought to vote to give them raises.” From the cheers heard around the room, it was obvious several teachers were in attendance.
“And another thing,” Reid said when the room got quiet again. “Some of you have been on this board a long time. Too long. Maybe you need to do what I’m about to do in a few months. Retire. In fact, I strongly suggest it.”
Instead of commenting on Reid’s suggestion, Dwight Beaks switched his gaze from Reid to Velvet. “Ms. Spencer, this school board apologizes for any inconvenience or embarrassment your appearance here tonight might have caused you. That was not our intent.”
“Wasn’t it?” Velvet said, frowning deeply as her gaze moved from one board member to another. “Teaching is my choice and a profession I love. The one thing I’ve noticed since working in the Catalina Cove school system is the inferiority reference that’s always made to teachers. That needs to stop. I agree with Reid that all the teachers should get a raise.”
“At least thirty percent or more,” Jaye tacked on and grinned at the shocked look on several members’ faces. However, by the applause around the room, a lot of people evidently agreed.
“That’s a good idea,” Reid said, nodding. “It’s not like this school district can’t afford it. I suggest you make it happen even if you have to reduce your own salaries to do so. Just think of all the young people who left here after college to teach elsewhere. It’s time they were given an incentive to come back home.”
Dwight Beaks loosened his tie and said, “That suggestion will definitely be taken up at the next board meeting.”
“Make sure that it does,” Reid replied.
Beaks nodded and said, “Tonight’s meeting is adjourned.”
Jaye turned to Velvet and, not caring they had an audience, pulled her into his arms, tenderly kissed her forehead, and held her close. He would kiss her the way he wanted to later when they had privacy. When he released her, she was surrounded by her friends, who gave her hugs.
Vashti had a huge grin on her face when she gave Velvet a high five. “After the way Mr. Beaks treated me when I was a teen and pregnant, it felt good seeing you put him in his place. And then for Reid to suggest he retire was icing on the cake. I’m going to be smiling for days.”
Ashley, smiling broadly, said, “I wished you could have seen the look on Webb’s face when Reid Lacroix announced how rich you are. It was priceless. And just to think, all this time he assumed he was the prize you should have been grateful to get.”
“And I don’t think Laura Crawford has picked her jaw off the floor yet,” Bryce added.
Reid approached Velvet and said, “I know you preferred to keep your identity a secret, Velvet, but I was standing out there in the hall and had heard enough. I hope you know that not everyone in Catalina Cove are pompous asses.”
Velvet smiled. “Yes, I know that, Reid.” She looked around at the group surrounding her who’d given her their support tonight. “I’ve made good friends while living here. Friends who accepted me for who I am and not for what I have.”
Jaye and Velvet thanked everyone for being there to give her their support. “We’re headed over to the Witherspoon Café,” Vashti said. “You and Jaye want to join us?”
Jaye chuckled. “Since I haven’t eaten since breakfast, that sounds good.”
Velvet looked at him. “You haven’t eaten since breakfast?”
“No, I got that call from Vaughn right before noon, and I immediately made arrangements to return here.”
She glanced over at Vaughn, who shrugged and said, “A man has to handle business when it comes to his woman. Even if she’s capable of handling it herself. That’s what love is all about.”
Velvet nodded, knowing Vaughn was right. That’s what love was about. Jaye placed his arm around her shoulders and they walked out of the auditorium with their friends.
JAYEAND VELVETleft her car parked at school and rode together to the Witherspoon Café. He would drop her off to retrieve her car in the morning on his way to the airport. The only reason he was returning to Birmingham was because there was an important meeting that he didn’t want to miss tomorrow. Knowing he had rushed back to Catalina Cove after Vaughn had called him meant everything to Velvet.
Once inside the car, he pulled her into his arms and gave her the kiss he hadn’t given her earlier.
Hours later, after a delicious meal at the Witherspoon Café, they pulled into the yard of the house on Blueberry Lane and saw a car parked in their driveway, a car neither of them recognized. “Stay put until I find out who it is,” Jaye said.
When the other driver got out, Velvet saw it was Allen Bordeaux. She wondered what he wanted. Jaye and the man conversed for a few minutes. Then Jaye returned to the car and said, “Bordeaux wants to talk to you, Velvet. I’m okay with it if you are. I’ll see you safely inside and then I need to go up to my place for a minute, anyway.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
Jaye walked her to the door and even went inside with her to start coffee. Then he left, leaving her alone with Mr. Bordeaux. She turned to the man. “You wanted to talk to me about something, Mr. Bordeaux?”
He nodded. “I came here tonight to give you this.” He took a folded sheet of paper out of his pocket and handed it to her.
Velvet read it and glanced up at him. “You’re resigning as manager of Spencer’s?”
“Yes. I figured you would be firing me, anyway.”
She tilted her head. “And why would I do that?”
“Because of what happened tonight at that school board meeting.”
She studied him. “Are you saying that you’re the person who was behind what happened tonight? The one who provided that information to the school board with the intent of making me look bad?”
“No. I never talked to anyone on the board. I did, however, tell Webb Crawford what I’d overheard about Mr. Colfax buying you that land. But I did so only because I knew he was in love with you himself. For that reason, I felt he had a right to know based on what happened with me and Lenny’s mother. I was in love with her, but I didn’t know she was only in love with money. She left me for another one of the players on another team. I was trying to spare Webb heartbreak.”
There was no need to tell Mr. Bordeaux that Webb didn’t love her; he just wanted her in his bed. “I’m sorry Lenny’s mother did that to you, and since you weren’t the one trying to get me fired tonight, then—”
“No, I would not have tried getting you fired. Lenny talked to me this weekend, and he told me how you offered to help him get his grades up. I knew he liked to draw but I didn’t know he was intentionally failing math because of me. I told him that you were right, he could do both. I hadn’t realized how much pressure he was under because of what I wanted my dream for him to be.”
Velvet nodded. “Now that you know, I’m glad you will support Lenny in fulfilling his own dreams. And as for your resignation, I’m not accepting it.” She handed the letter back to him. “You’re doing a great job as manager of Spencer’s. You always get outstanding reviews and the people you manage enjoy working for you. I couldn’t ask for more than that. Besides, our connections as parent and teacher have nothing to do with your employment.”
He released a deep sigh. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome and I look forward to helping Lenny bring his grades up so he can move on to senior high school in the fall.”
“And I appreciate you for that as well. I don’t know if you and Mr. Colfax plan to make Catalina Cove your permanent home after you marry, but I hope so. We can certainly use more teachers like you.”
Velvet gave him a broad smile. “Thank you. That means a lot coming from you.”