Chapter 13
Janae walked into the district office, heading straight for the auditorium. She’d been a member of the PTA since James had started pre-K, so there wasn’t a corner of any of the schools he’d attended that she wasn’t familiar with.
Monroe Hills Area School District was small in comparison to some of the bigger districts like Mt.
Pocono. Most of its schools, with the exception of the middle school and high school, were one- to two-story buildings that made the schools look more modern and welcoming than some of the tall, institutional-looking schools she’d seen in big cities like New York.
“Hi, Janae,” Harriet called out as she found Janae walking through the main corridor. The fact that the administrative assistant to the superintendent knew her by name was one of the things she appreciated about her child attending school in a small town.
With the exception of this new interim superintendent, these people weren’t strangers.
They knew her, they knew her son, and Janae and James knew them.
It didn’t mean they always saw things eye to eye.
It did make it easier to talk across the aisle, so to speak, because they were in such close proximity to the community they served.
“I’m glad to see you could make it. I imagine you want to talk about the arts program being cut.”
There wasn’t any use in subterfuge. Janae anticipated every person in that room knew why she was here today. Janae intended to lay it all on the line when she stepped up to the podium to speak.
“Yeah. I know I’m a little early. But I was hoping to get a glimpse of the new superintendent. What are your thoughts on them?”
Harriet moved her head back and forth as if she was considering how best to answer Janae’s question.
“I’ve only worked with him for a few weeks, but so far he’s organized, forthright, and direct.
He has a very clear vision of how he wants to attack the district’s problems. Even though he’s comfortable in his authority, he seems open to listening to those around him.
I think if this board gives him a chance, he could probably do some real good for our kids. ”
Janae’s body relaxed with Harriet’s assessment.
A level head and an open ear was a recipient for success in leadership as far as she was concerned.
As a supervisor, she knew you couldn’t always meet every desire of the people under your supervision, but listening and giving their views real consideration always led to better outcomes.
The board had decided to hire an outsider. That decision had received lots of criticism. That was probably why they hadn’t released a name yet.
Janae could easily see that decision as being part keeping their in-boxes from being overrun and part giving the individual the chance to get settled in town without every parent in Monroe Hills showing up on their doorstep about district matters.
Monroe Hills was pretty insular, so whomever this person was, they had to be truly impressive for the board to forgo hiring from within.
Granted, the last time they’d tried that the superintendent had caused their school district to suffer.
Student performance was down, and his overspending was probably why the district was in the financial straits it was in, and needed to put the arts program on the chopping block in the first place.
Hopefully, this new person was better equipped to handle their current situation. And if they were, they’d see that cutting the arts program wasn’t the only option to save money.
Janae could see more people entering the building. “I guess I’d better get inside if I want to get a good seat. You know half the people here tonight probably don’t have a kid or grandkid in the district. They just want to be nosy and see who the new guy is.”
She said her goodbyes to Harriet and made her way into the auditorium, seating herself on an aisle seat that would make getting to the podium easier.
As the crowd gathered, Janae wondered if she’d see Adam tonight. He was teaching in the district now. It wasn’t uncommon to see teachers attending these meetings too.
They’d only communicated through texts these last couple of days since their night together. Their schedules had been hectic, but he’d made it his business to send her messages throughout the day to let her know he was thinking of her.
The tiny spark of excitement that flashed inside her at the thought of seeing Adam should have concerned her. She didn’t allow herself the luxury of getting excited by people. Not when experience had taught her they only let you down.
Yet being in Adam’s presence had become something she not only enjoyed but hoped for. She wouldn’t overthink the reason behind it. That would be a joy killer. And their night together on that summit had been nothing but pure joy, so she refused to ruin it by analyzing it to death.
The board filed out on to the stage. The president of the school board sat in the center, leaving a seat open to her right.
“Good evening, everyone. Please take your seats so we can begin promptly.”
Janae grabbed her phone from her purse and pulled up the posted agenda she’d downloaded earlier. A quick glance showed her they were saving the introduction of the new superintendent till the end, just before they opened up the floor to the public.
The meeting went as meetings like these usually go. Declarations followed by statistics, followed by projections of where their interventions would lead the district in the future.
Janae wasn’t exactly disinterested in the information presented. But her focus was only on the arts program tonight.
“Now, let’s get to the part that I’m sure you’ve all been waiting for.”
There was a low chuckle throughout the room as attendees in the audience laughed at the president’s joke.
“As you all know, this board hired an interim superintendent over the summer, and we’ve waited until the first board meeting of the school year to announce our selection.
“While he hasn’t worked for our district before, he and his family have been members of our community for years.”
Janae looked around the rest of the room to see the audience’s reaction to that news. Whispers hummed throughout the room as folks tried to guess who it could be.
A little niggle of unease tickled the back of Janae’s mind. She wasn’t sure what the issue was, but she dismissed it as her curiosity.
“He’s spent the last twenty years teaching and administrating in the New York City public school system, and we are proud to have one of Monroe Hills’ favorite sons return. Please join us in welcoming the new interim superintendent, Dr. Adam Henderson, to Monroe Hills Area School District.”
Janae’s jaw dropped as her hands gripped the arms of her chair.
Her chest tightened while she watched his easy gait across the stage as he confidently took his seat next to the president.
“Thank you, Madam President, for that warm welcome. It’s my absolute pleasure to be here in an official capacity, meeting everyone.
I grew up in this very school district. That means I have a personal stake in seeing it succeed.
And with your help, I believe we can make Monroe Hills Area School District the best school district in all of Pennsylvania. ”
The crowd stood up, clapping for the former NBA star who had returned home to do good for his hometown.
It was a pretty compelling and uplifting story, and the attendees were obviously thrilled with this development.
But as Janae let the truth of the moment unfold in her head, the only thing she could feel was rage coursing through her, building pressure within her chest as it sought an escape.
Dr. Adam Henderson, her childhood crush, the man who insisted on them reconnecting, was the damn enemy who was shutting down the very program her kid needed to get into college.
Adam had played her. Janae was seriously slipping. But she’d be damned if she’d be caught off guard again.
Adam sat back, easily answering the few questions the attendees had. Grateful to the board for bringing him on toward the end, he was comfortable, and just a little bit relieved in his belief that everything was about to be tied up in one pretty uneventful bow.
He was closing the folder before him, about to hand the microphone back to the president, when he heard a familiar voice come through the speakers.
“Excuse me, Dr. Henderson. Before you go, I have a few questions for you regarding the closing of the arts programs throughout the district.”
He’d know that voice in his sleep. Its sultry tones as of late had been inviting and welcoming to him. Tonight, however, when his eyes searched through the auditorium to find the owner of that voice standing behind the podium, it was anything but warm.
Their eyes locked, closing out the rest of the people in the large gathering space, until the only thing Adam saw was her.
There, Janae Sanders stood in all her bold glory. She wore a red blazer with a white button-down shirt underneath and a fitted pair of dark-wash jeans that meant even the blazer couldn’t conceal the curves beneath.
His natural instinct in seeing her was to smile.
But when the fire in her eyes locked onto his, coupled with the stiff set of her shoulders, the smile dripped from his lips.
Janae was pissed, and at the moment the controlled rage that seemed to be simmering beneath her deep brown skin was directed at him, or at least the dais he was currently sitting on.
“Dr. Henderson, I am Janae Sanders. My son, James, is a high school student within the district. I’m also the president of the district’s PTA.”
Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit. Harriet’s reminder that the PTA president wanted to speak at the meeting smacked him square in the forehead.
He’d never even bothered to ask what the person’s name was.