Chapter 29 The Offer
The Offer
My mood hadn’t improved by the time I accepted Richmond’s dry knuckle kiss and sat down in one of the hard chairs.
“Ms. Burke. Thank you so much for taking the time to meet today. I had hoped to catch you before the holiday, but I’m afraid my schedule got away from me.”
I smiled politely, hands clasped in my lap, waiting for the axe to drop. It was odd that he was so eager to fire me, but I was grateful that he waited until after the break.
“I would like to formally offer you the post as chemistry teacher. You and Mr. Cooper will finish out this term as you have been. Then, you will take over responsibilities for all sections as well as the syllabus and curriculum in the spring.”
I shook my head. His words made no sense. “I… you… what?” I stammered. “I’m sorry, sir. I misheard you. You said I got the job? I’m not fired?”
Richmond laughed in a hearty way that felt borderline patronizing. “Why yes, of course, my dear.”
His confirmation only served to further confuse me. “I don’t mean to argue, but I know I’m not the best candidate. Jack—Mr. Cooper has been outperforming my classes all term. And all of the students love him.”
“Well, yes, you did have a rocky start, but your improvement has been nothing short of remarkable.”
“I improved because of Jack!” I insisted. I leaned forward, gripping in the seat of my chair so hard that my fingers started to cramp. “Mr. Cooper is the reason I’ve been doing so much better.”
“But the fact of the matter is that you did improve. And Newbury Academy is pleased to welcome to its faculty a member of your sparkling legacy.”
I sat up straighter. “Wait—are you saying that you’re hiring me because I’m a Burke? I thought I was hired based on my qualifications.”
Shock and hurt coursed through my blood with adrenaline. And anger. So much anger.
“My dear, while your qualifications are nothing to sniff at, there are thousands of new graduates, even from Ivy League institutions, that would kill to work here. Your legacy makes you unique, Ms. Burke.”
Suddenly, I remembered Ashley’s comment at breakfast—the school recently received a large donation. I met Richmond’s eye in a piercing gaze through a haze of red.
“Did you talk to my father? Did he pay you to hire me?”
Richmond’s eyes narrowed even as he tugged on his lapels. “The board of directors oversees all staff appointments. Therefore, Mr. Burke could not have had any involvement.”
Matthew Burke didn’t need to be on the board to have influence. All he had to do was pick up the phone, and any one of the board members would have happily supported his request. And even more, if it was tied to a check.
“I see,” I said through gritted teeth. “And the donation?”
“I assure you the donation had no bearing on the hiring decision.”
Richmond was lying, and he knew I knew it. I lived with my parents long enough to know how these games worked.
Then, another realization hit me like an atom bomb. My heart leapt into my throat even as my pulse raced.
“Does Jack—Mr. Cooper—does he know?”
“Yes,” Richmond replied in a clipped tone. He seemed to be getting annoyed with my lack of gratitude. “He was notified prior to the break. To allow time to find alternative employment.”
My heart dropped like a stone into my gut.
No wonder. No fucking wonder. Of course, Jack was furious. He had essentially been fired. But Jack had been more than furious. He had refused to talk to me…
Oh.
Oh no.
He thought I knew.
He thought I knew and maybe even thought I was involved in the donation. He knew I wasn’t in contact with my parents, that I barely spoke with them, but he still thought I had used their money and connections to steal his job.
I swallowed hard and dropped my chin to my chest. I didn’t know what to do, but I couldn’t stay here in this horribly uncomfortable chair.
I muttered a quick “excuse me” as I bolted from the office. I didn’t stop when TJ called after me, continuing out into the bitter November air.
This was wrong.
This was all wrong.
Yes, I had gotten the job, but I didn’t want it like this.
If I couldn’t do it on my own, with my own skills and qualifications, then I didn’t want it at all.
And the idea of taking something from someone I loved, someone more deserving, made me physically ill.
I had turned my back on my parents’ influence years ago, but they wouldn’t let me go.
And now, Jack was involved too. Somehow, he had become even more important to me than my dream of working at this school.
I screamed and stomped my foot, startling several birds in a nearby chestnut tree who took flight in a great flapping of feathers.
Every nerve in my body felt raw. I was so stupid.
Of course, I couldn’t do it on my own. Of course, my parents had interfered—had thrown money at the problem like they always did.
There was a time when this wouldn’t have bothered me. A time when I would have expected it and even been grateful.
But this wasn’t that time.
I was devastated. And furious.
Furious at myself for thinking I could do this on my own.
Furious at my parents for thinking I couldn’t.
Furious at Richmond for letting himself be bought.
And I was a little furious at Jack for being right about me.
Jack had me pegged from day one. He knew that I didn’t have what it took to be here, to teach here. He had called me out in that very first meeting. And I had doggedly defended myself with righteous indignation.
But he was right. I didn’t belong here. I wasn’t cut out for this. I was a silly little rich girl pretending to play teacher.
I fell onto a nearby bench and dropped my face into my hands as fat wet tears began spilling from my eyes. They were tears of anger, hurt, disappointment, and self-pity all rolled into one sloppy mess. I cried and cried, my body heaving as I gulped for air between sobs.
All of my pent-up pain and confusion at Jack’s rejection last week mixed with my self-doubt in a toxic emulsion.
I didn’t belong here, but Richmond and the board wanted me to stay.
No—they didn’t want me, they just wanted the Burke money.
That’s what it always came back to with my parents.
And I had once again fallen into the same cycle of trying to do something on my own and having them bail me out when I failed.
“Are… are you okay?”
Damnit. I was busted. I looked up and found Alan standing a few paces away on the sidewalk, a look of deepest concern on his face.
Scrubbing my sleeve over my cheeks to wipe away my tears and snot, I said, “No—I mean yes. I got the job.” I tried to smile, but it probably looked sickening. “But I think you already knew that.”
Alan nodded awkwardly. “Yes,” he said slowly, then cleared his throat. “Congratulations.”
I huffed a bitter, humorless laugh. “Don’t. I didn’t do anything.”
“You’re not happy?” Alan asked, tentatively. “You wanted this.”
“Of course, I wanted the job, but I never wanted this.” I gestured broadly, trying to encompass myself, the campus, and everything else in my fucked up little world. “There’s nothing quite like finding out your parents still have no faith in you after almost thirty years.”
“Oh.” He rubbed the toe of his Oxford on the rough stone sidewalk, scuffing the leather. “Is… there anything I can do?”
I shook my head, tears welling in my eyes. He couldn’t do anything. No one could do anything. Jack was never the problem. And neither was Richmond—not really. The real problem was my father. Suddenly, I knew exactly what I needed to do. I sat up straighter as a plan formed in my head.
“Actually, yes,” I sniffed. “Can I borrow your car?”
He gave me a questioning look before shrugging. “Sure. You know how to drive, right?” he asked as he fished in his pocket for keys.
I tried not to wince. It had been years since I had driven a car. There was no need for a car in the city, and I hadn’t really needed one here either since I mostly stayed on campus. “Well enough,” I lied, catching the keys as he tossed them to me.
“Just bring her back in one piece.”
“I’ll take good care of her,” I promised, standing up. With a plan and a sense of purpose, I felt steadier on my feet.
Alan stuffed his hands into his pockets as he regarded me. “What are you going to do?”
“Something I should have done a long time ago.”
***
The drive to Hartford felt impossibly quick as Alan’s S-Class tore up I-84. All the while, I played out scenarios in my mind, picturing all the ways this conversation could go. None of them were pleasant.
I had been naive when I sat down to that disaster dinner last August, thinking I could do what I wanted and still please my father.
I didn’t plan on making that mistake again.
This time, I would say exactly what I needed to say and leave no room for confusion.
All interference in my life would stop today.
My chest felt tight as I pulled to a stop in front of the main door and put the car in park. I took a long breath in, filling each of my alveoli to capacity, and blew it all out in a gust. This confrontation was long overdue.
I marched up the front steps and rang the bell, glaring directly into the camera so that my father would know I was finally coming to call.
I steeled myself when the door opened, and my dad stood before me in a stiff suit, blond hair perfectly styled back from his face, still tanned from hours golfing over the summer.
“Melanie. What brings you here today?”
“Cut the shit, Dad,” I said, pushing past him into the foyer. While I didn’t particularly want to go inside, it was damn cold on the portico. I clenched my hands into fists and turned to face him. “You know exactly why I’m here.”
“On the contrary,” he said, crossing his arms and lifting his chin. “Please enlighten me.”
I faced him, hands fisted on my hips, trying my damnedest to look down my nose in spite of the fact that he was half a head taller than me.
“Newbury,” I snapped. “A donation. A certain open faculty position. Any of this ringing a bell?”