Straight Up Love (Boys of Jackson Harbor 2)

I wait for him to say more, but he just looks at me, and as the seconds tick away, I realize what he’s not saying, and I freeze. I knew layoffs were coming, but I naively believed what he told me that night at Howell’s. I thought I wouldn’t be affected. But he’s staring at me as if he’s waiting for me to understand something. He wants me to guess it before he has to say it out loud.

I won’t give him the satisfaction. “Okay?”

He sighs heavily, his annoyance weighing in the air as unmistakably as his cheap cologne. “I’ve always appreciated your work ethic and your rapport with your students. But as you know, we have to look outside the classroom, too. Miss Quincy has taken our cheerleaders to state championships two years in a row. Not only is it an invaluable experience for the girls and a pathway to scholarships, it’s good for the school. Girls want to come here because they want to be on that team.”

My stomach sinks. “But I have seniority.”

“This is a private school, Miss McKinley. We’ve never used years of service as a metric for teacher evaluation.”

“But what about the theater program? Those kids—”

“Do you really think the theater program is going to bring kids to this school?”

I lean forward, feeling desperate. “If you’d give me some money to work with, it might. The cheerleaders have gotten everything they’ve asked for and more, and meanwhile the theater kids are expected to put on major productions with nothing but the paltry budget they get from fundraisers.”

He holds up a hand. “I could have waited until the end of the school year to deliver this news, but I’m telling you now as a professional courtesy. I knew you’d want to prepare yourself.”

I shake my head. This isn’t just about me and my job. Every year, kids find themselves through the drama club. They forge friendships and develop confidence. They create something they can be proud of. “We’ve already started planning next year. These kids are counting on me.”

“Mr. Wick will take over the drama club.”

I gape at him. Mr. Wick is the orchestra instructor who hasn’t taught a drama class in the entire time I’ve been here. “Mr. Wick hates theater. He mocks the kids who want to do it and resents having to put his orchestra in the pit for our musicals.”

“Enough, Ava. I’ve done you a favor by telling you sooner than I needed to, and frankly, your behavior is making me regret that decision.”

Protest after protest surges up my throat, but I swallow them all back and focus on keeping the burning tears at the back of my eyes from making their way down my cheeks. “This is all just a very big shock.”

“I want you to have as much time as possible to find a new job. We had to make hard decisions, and I don’t like that any more than you do. I don’t want you to disrupt the last two weeks of our school year because you’re pouting about not being chosen.”

I’m pouting? This is my job. It’s my life. I’ve given this place everything for eight years, and now I’m pouting?

“I hope I can trust you to handle this properly with the students. The last thing we need is you making us look like the bad guys.”

“I’ll do what’s expected of me. Just like I always do.” I push my chair back and stand. “Is that all?”

“It is.” He folds his arms and leans back in his chair. “I’m sorry I don’t have better news, Ava, but you and I both know you already have one foot out the door.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? I’ve been fully dedicated to Windsor Prep since I graduated from college.”

He arches a brow. “Why would I keep on an employee who’s considering jobs in Florida when I could keep the ones who want to be here?”

“Knock, knock!” Ellie calls from the foyer, her heels tapping on my hardwood floor.

Shit. I completely forgot it was girls’ night. I’m in sweatpants and a ratty old T-shirt, and am feeling as prepared for a night at Jackson Brews with the girls as I am for a walk across a beauty pageant stage.

“What’s wrong?” Ellie asks as soon as she spots me. “Ava, what happened?”

I wipe my cheeks. “I lost my job.”

“No!” Ellie’s face crumples. “Seriously?”

I nod.

“I knew they were doing layoffs. It shouldn’t come as a complete surprise.”

“Yeah, but they’re getting rid of one of their longest-serving, most dedicated teachers?”

I shrug. “It was me or Miss Quincy, and she’s got the cheer team, which brings in all the money.”