Chapter 29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
ADAM
Iwoke up feeling every bit of my age and then some.
I guess nothing prepares the body for five hours of shoveling intensely heavy snow.
I sat up and pressed my hand over my shoulder, stretching it.
Then I yawned and stood stiffly as I made my way to my bedroom door in basketball shorts and no shirt.
I could hear voices farther inside the house. And from the smell of it, maybe breakfast.
“Can I flip it now?” Danny asked.
“Let’s wait until the bubbles pop,” Faith added.
I smiled as I thought about how different our life had been in the few months since Faith. I forced my body to walk down the hall and decided I would sneak into the bathroom and brush my teeth.
Looking in the mirror, my hair was as messed up as my muscles.
I put water on my hands and did my best to smooth down the unruly mess.
The cup that held toothbrushes on the counter now held three, and I smiled at what the future could bring.
Faith asked if I had an extra toothbrush yesterday.
I quickly brushed my teeth and then I splashed water on my face.
I wiped the water off on a nearby towel and headed toward the galley kitchen.
“Do you think you can flip this one by yourself?” Faith asked.
“Sure can. Guess that means I’m a chef,” Danny answered.
Her soft laugh filled my heart. “You sure are.” I leaned against the wall unnoticed and watched the scene play out before me as Danny slid his spatula under the pancake and dramatically slammed it over. Faith flinched. “Easy there, Champ.”
She used my nickname for him. Any lasting barrier around my heart melted.
What would she do if she lost her job? Would she go back to New York and her family?
My stomach grumbled.
One crisis at a time.
“Is someone making pancakes?” I walked toward the pair. Danny threw his hands up in excitement.
“Oh, be careful.” Faith held her hands between Danny and the pan. “That pan is hot.”
Danny jumped down off the step stool and ran into my arms. “Missed you, Dad.”
“Missed you too, Champ.” His little body wrapped against mine, filling any existing holes with his love.
“I tried to stay awake last night, but my eyelids were too heavy.” Danny sighed.
I chuckled. “That’s okay, Champ. I had a hard time opening my eyes too.
” I winked in Faith’s direction, who was staring at my chest, her mouth ajar.
She wore my dark blue sweater. It looked good on her, even if the sleeves were too long.
Her cheeks turned pink, and she shook her head.
I figured she’d seen me without a shirt before with the stitches, so it didn’t matter.
Although, I liked the effect I had on her.
Danny wiggled in my arms, wanting me to release him from the hug. I eased my grip on him. And he reached for my hand and tugged me toward the table. “I made you breakfast! I made a few black ones like Grandma, but I did better with a timer.” I sat in the chair he indicated.
Faith walked toward the table, holding a plate of towering pancakes and wearing a soft smile. This time, she focused on my face. I never wanted this to end. If only we could pretend that life hadn’t been drastically altered outside in the snow.
“Good Morning, Adam.” Faith raised a brow.
“Morning, Faith.” I reached for her hand, and she placed it in mine. I gave it a quick squeeze before she pulled it out of my grasp.
“I’ll have you know, it took constant distraction to keep this boy from waking you up for the last few hours. He is quite a determined thing.” She chuckled.
Hours? I looked for my watch, which was still by my bed. “What time is it?”
“Ten.”
My eyes went wide. I hadn’t slept in that long probably since Danny was born.
“Wow.”
“The meeting is in an hour, so you have half an hour.” She nodded toward the stack. “You’d better get eating.” She grinned. “Danny was sure you would eat at least ten.”
“Ten?” I grimaced. I didn’t want to disappoint Danny, but I wasn’t sure that was doable. “I mean, I’m hungry, but, uh…”
Faith went back into the kitchen and returned with two plates. “Maybe Danny and I can help.” She winked.
The three of us sat down to breakfast, and Danny told me all about the adventures of the day before. Danny smiled at Faith often, and she smiled back.
I sighed. Better get this meeting over with. If Faith couldn’t stick around, Danny and I needed to know sooner rather than later. “All right, let’s eat up. We have a meeting to get to.”
Danny’s bright eyes searched mine. “I get to come too, right?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I think most of the town will be there.”
Danny shoved a huge bite into his mouth. “I’ll hurry.”
I grimaced as pancake bits fell onto the table. “Maybe just focus on chewing real good.”
Faith took a small bite, and her eyes traced the walls of the house. It was like she was trying to remember everything, to burn it into her memory.
That didn’t bode well.
What would our future hold? Her gaze flicked to mine, and she gave a sad smile and then focused on her plate.
I was worried about Faith’s car, between her tire tread and her heater. But, she didn’t feel comfortable driving the truck, so I followed behind her as we drove into town. I hated every second of that thirty-minute drive.
Wondering if she was too cold every second we were apart.
Was she worried about no longer having a job?
And if so, what would she do? What would I do?
She had no other ties here, as far as I was aware.
We parked at the B the town lawyer, Scott; Luke Dennis, the fire department chief; and Dotty sat on the stage in a row of folding chairs.
George stood and cleared his voice. The roar of the crowd died as people focused on the front, trying to hold their questions back.
There was a sense of uneasiness, like everyone was holding their breath, wanting to know what was coming but also fearing the words.
“Good morning, everyone.” He nodded to the crowd. “I wish we were meeting under different circumstances, but here we are.”
I appreciated his candid nature, maybe more now than ever before. No need to drag things on. My eyes shifted to Faith, several rows back and to the right. She was sitting by Rose as she chewed on her bottom lip. I forced my gaze to the front again.
“There is much to discuss and much more still to discover.” Was it the lighting, or did George look like he’d aged years in a matter of days?
“There are many needs within the community, some we are aware of and many we don’t know.
” He sighed. “But I feel we’d best get the biggest rock out of the way first. The few people who knew the extent of the damage were asked to keep it under wraps, so naturally, my phone has been ringing off the hook for the last thirty-six hours.
” Rumors and secrets spread faster in Hillsdale than wildfire on a dry summer day.
He turned to Dotty, gesturing for her to join him.
“Let’s discuss the future of the school. ”
George stepped to the side, and Dotty stood. Whatever she had to say, it would not be easy.
Dotty cleared her throat and blinked rapidly.
“First off, I’m supposed to express the regrets of the superintendent.
He was stuck in the storm and cannot make it today.
We have been communicating often through email and phone.
” She took a steadying breath as she looked at the ceiling.
“We have been doing extensive research into our resources and what it would take to get the school up to a functioning capacity.”
My stomach tightened. They were going to close it.
Dotty stared at the back of the room while her eyes glistened. “Unfortunately, there are not enough resources to continue the school year. But since education is of such fundamental importance, we are working with different school buildings as well as—”
I leaned in closer as the crowd erupted. I tried to make out what Dotty was saying. People were standing and hollering questions. I caught a scattering of words like jobs, kid’s friends, and how this town would dissolve into nothing.
That was a concern. No new families would move here if there wasn’t a school.
The businesses that hadn’t been hit by the storm would be hit by the rest of us not having income. Not to mention that none of us could survive without income for years. Would the town even survive?
Dotty held her hands up, trying to get the crowd to calm down, but people had gathered energy and weren’t stopping.
A sharp whistle pierced the sky. I flinched and turned to see Rose standing. “All right, you barbarians, sit!” she yelled.
The shock must have helped several come to their senses because people started looking embarrassed and sitting back down.
“Screaming at each other won’t help.” Rose rolled her eyes and focused back on Dotty. “Honestly.”
Dotty gave Rose a smile. “Thanks.”
Rose nodded.
“We are currently hoping to have the school rebuilt, but with grants and funds, it looks like it will be about two or three years at the earliest.” Dotty cleared her throat. “I know this is not ideal. But it is better than not reopening at all.”
“Can the kids continue going to school here in non-school buildings until then?” Angie Merritt asked.
“Potentially. They would have to be approved by the district and state education departments and comply with all safety codes.” She sighed and raised a shoulder. “But three years is a long time for students to feel displaced like that. I’m not sure if it would be most beneficial.”
More questions erupted all over the room.
“What about the boys’ basketball team? Can they still go to state?” Tony hollered.
“What are we supposed to do for work in the meantime?” Jessica asked.
“What if we hold fundraisers?” Betty Ann called over the crowd.
“What if we could raise the money by spring?” I’d recognize that voice anywhere. That was Faith.
I turned to see Faith standing in the middle of the room. She stood stiffly and was fiddling with her hands. But she wasn’t backing down either. She stood and stared at the front.
“What was that, Faith?” Dotty asked.
She took a steadying breath, her cheeks turning pink.
“Hypothetically, of course, what if we could come up with the money by spring?” She swallowed and spun her ring, uncomfortable with the attention.
“Could we keep the classes as is for now, and could the kids still take part in extracurricular activities like sports?”
Dotty raised an eyebrow. “Hypothetically, it would be a miracle.” She shook her head.
“But yes, we would find accommodations and try our best to keep every class together if it was that short term. The boys would continue to be a team if we didn’t need to split the classes and bus elsewhere.
But honestly,” she raised her hands, “I’ve looked over the damages, and I assure you the repairs will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. ”
“Okay, thanks.” Faith quickly sat, her face was flushed red. Rose grabbed Faith’s arm and pulled her toward her. Rose looked angry.
Dotty shrugged. “I think it may be in the students’ best interest, if change is going to happen, that we do so sooner rather than later.”
A rumble of disagreement started like a tumble wave through the audience.
What did Faith mean about coming up with that type of money? I turned around. Rose and Faith obviously did not agree about something.
The mayor cleared his throat. “Okay, let’s put a pin in that one for now. Scott, would you give us a report?”
Dotty turned and went back to her seat. She sat with a forceful drop.
Scott stood and went to the mic, and I desperately tried to pay attention, but all of me was begging to look at Faith.