“I’m glad to hear you say that. I told her I knew someone who would be, and as a thank-you for my help, Corey and I would so rent the basement apartment,” she informed him eagerly.
“You would?” Her well-thought out plan hadn’t even been anywhere on his radar.
“Yep. She said the basement was divided into two units, and I know Brock would come too.” Their little friendship circle hadn’t been intact that long, but they had become fast friends. They were all his age, barely thirtyish, whether on the cusp or slightly over the hump, and all very down-to-earth people. He hadn’t met very many people like his neighbors. Thane’s parents were ivy-league, wound-up tight, scholarly type people. Very pretentious. Between them and his own time needed in coming out then starting his business at such a young age, he valued his neighbors’ pure genuineness. He would absolutely consider letting them rent if he could get his hands on the house.
Erin pushed to her feet, gathering her stuff before starting for her house. “I’m going in. I’ll get the information on the house and text you.”
“Please do. If I don’t respond in the next day or so, bother me until I do,” he called out, knowing he should go inside too. The storm was letting up, and the airlines had no problem bumping the flight time up even if he wasn’t there to board.
“Will do. Be safe.”
Chapter 3
Underdressed and completely out of place, Levi sat in the principal’s office of his old high school. The same one both his brothers currently attended. He stared down at his fifteen-year-old brother’s file, looking at the gradual decline in Luke’s grades over the last few months. His incredibly brilliant youngest brother, who had loved aviation his whole entire life, and had won the Junior High Science Fair by successfully challenging the physics of aviation, had an overall grade of thirty in his freshman AP Physics class. The rest of his classes weren’t faring much better.
“Look at this.” Mrs. Rustenhaven, who had been the principal even when he’d attended this same school almost eight years ago, sat in the chair next to him, and turned the page in the file he held. Levi, who had been leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees took a swift intake of breath, pushing back against the seat.
“I didn’t know. They didn’t tell me,” Levi said, staring at Luke’s attendance records. From his father’s funeral in early January until now, just around thirty days or so, the sliding scale attendance graph showed Luke regularly missing classes.
“We’ve been trying to give Luke room to grieve, but it’s reached the point where I felt we needed to intervene,” Mrs. Rustenhaven said, patting Levi’s knee, and taking the file from his hands, before she moved to her chair behind the desk. “It’s the only reason I called you out of work. Are you aware Luke’s out again today?”
Dammit. Levi let out a frustrated sigh, crossed his arms over his chest, and shook his head no. In all the years he’d been inside this school, he’d never had a reason to visit the principal’s office. He knew Logan, his seventeen-year-old brother, held his same views. The tickle of fear at even having to sit in this uncomfortable room made him nervous, his leg bouncing with the anxiety it caused. The principal’s office was a place for punishment. He didn’t like that Luke had broken the cycle of avoidance. He furrowed his brow and stared at Mrs. Rustenhaven.
Wait. At this point, he clearly shouldn’t assume too much about either brother. “How’s Logan doing?”
Mrs. Rustenhaven opened another folder, and Levi’s gut twisted. Life was already hard enough without both his brothers losing their shit. There was no way they would make it if his brothers didn’t pull their own weight.
“Logan’s actually doing very well. I asked their teachers to give assessments. Logan’s got his nose to the grindstone. He hasn’t made below a ninety-seven on any assignment or test this semester. He’s taking a heavy load; his grades are a lot like yours were, if I remember correctly. He’s also got positive remarks on his social skills. He’s on track to graduate a semester early, and if I’m reading this correctly, he's been accepted to the University of Virginia. They’re working on a financial offer. Is that correct?”
Levi nodded when her gaze lifted to him. That was his understanding, but he hadn’t gotten an update in a while. The tightness in his chest eased. Logan couldn’t afford for anything to get in his way where his future was concerned.
“Now, Luke on the other hand has completely withdrawn. He’s not engaging, he’s sleeping a lot in class, and of course, not turning in his homework.”
“So that would indicate depression?” Levi asked, his bouncing leg picked up a notch.