Read Online Wind Chime Wedding (A Wind Chime Novel Book 2) by Sophie Moss - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Sophie Moss
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air.
She wished she could feel so lighthearted.
Her conversation with Nick Foley had gone well enough. He had listened patiently to her stories about Taylor and had assured her that he would do everything in his power to keep the school open. But she had seen him exchange several tense looks across the table with Colin during dinner. And Colin had spent most of the hour before dinner huddled in a corner with his father’s campaign manager.
When she’d confronted Colin about it at the end of the night, he’d admitted that they’d run into a slight complication, but he wouldn’t give her any details—only that they might need a few more days to work on the situation with the school.
Motioning for Shelley to slow down so their neighbors walking ahead of them wouldn’t overhear, Becca lowered her voice. “Colin wants us to keep the news to ourselves for a few more days.”
Shelley nodded. “I got a similar email from Glenn Davis last night. He wants me to postpone the announcement to the teachers until Friday.”
Becca paused under the boughs of a flowering dogwood tree. Sunlight slanted through the branches, dappling the sidewalk. “What did you tell him?”
“I said I needed some time to think about it,” Shelley replied. “I don’t like the idea of this news getting out without me being able to break it to the rest of the staff first. And, frankly, now that I know who the board hired as their consultant, I’m not sure the governor can help us.”
“Who did they hire?”
“Lydia Vanzant.”
“Nick Foley’s ex-wife?”
Shelley nodded.
Becca felt a wave of uneasiness. Lydia Vanzant wasn’t just the former wife of their governor. She was also one of the most respected figures in the field of education. She had served as the chief administrator in the Baltimore County School District for three decades before being elected Chancellor of the Prince George’s County Public Schools. She had successfully transformed two of the worst school districts in their state into two of the best.
Not everyone agreed with her tactics, but her track record was indisputable. In every school district where she’d served, test scores had gone up, attrition rates had fallen, and graduation rates had reached nearly one hundred percent.
Unfortunately, her hardline reform strategies included a strong push for consolidation.
“Can our district even afford to hire her?” Becca asked. “Her consultant rates must be through the roof.”
“No,” Shelley murmured. “Which is why I think this might be personal.”
Becca felt a sinking feeling form in her gut. “Are Lydia and the governor even on speaking terms?”
“I don’t know,” Shelley admitted as they started to walk again. “It was a really nasty divorce. They both said some terrible things about each other, and the papers printed every detail they could get their hands on. It almost cost Nick Foley his first election.”
No wonder Colin had said they’d needed more time, Becca thought. But why had he kept the news about Lydia from her? If his mother was the complication they’d run into, he must have known she would find out eventually.
The café came into view, with its pale blue siding and dark purple shutters. Wind chimes hung from the beams of the porch, sparkling in the sunlight and filling the air with their soft tinkling songs. The small front yard was already packed with islanders and an egg dyeing station had been set up under the oak tree for the kids.
“I feel uncomfortable keeping this from Annie,” Becca said. “From everyone.”
“Me, too,” Shelley said. “They deserve to know.”
“What should we do?”
Shelley took a deep breath. “Glenn assured me that they would have everything under control by the end of the week. I would hate to upset everyone on the island unnecessarily. I haven’t made my final decision yet, but I’m leaning toward keeping quiet.”
Becca nodded. She understood where Shelley was coming from, but it
She wished she could feel so lighthearted.
Her conversation with Nick Foley had gone well enough. He had listened patiently to her stories about Taylor and had assured her that he would do everything in his power to keep the school open. But she had seen him exchange several tense looks across the table with Colin during dinner. And Colin had spent most of the hour before dinner huddled in a corner with his father’s campaign manager.
When she’d confronted Colin about it at the end of the night, he’d admitted that they’d run into a slight complication, but he wouldn’t give her any details—only that they might need a few more days to work on the situation with the school.
Motioning for Shelley to slow down so their neighbors walking ahead of them wouldn’t overhear, Becca lowered her voice. “Colin wants us to keep the news to ourselves for a few more days.”
Shelley nodded. “I got a similar email from Glenn Davis last night. He wants me to postpone the announcement to the teachers until Friday.”
Becca paused under the boughs of a flowering dogwood tree. Sunlight slanted through the branches, dappling the sidewalk. “What did you tell him?”
“I said I needed some time to think about it,” Shelley replied. “I don’t like the idea of this news getting out without me being able to break it to the rest of the staff first. And, frankly, now that I know who the board hired as their consultant, I’m not sure the governor can help us.”
“Who did they hire?”
“Lydia Vanzant.”
“Nick Foley’s ex-wife?”
Shelley nodded.
Becca felt a wave of uneasiness. Lydia Vanzant wasn’t just the former wife of their governor. She was also one of the most respected figures in the field of education. She had served as the chief administrator in the Baltimore County School District for three decades before being elected Chancellor of the Prince George’s County Public Schools. She had successfully transformed two of the worst school districts in their state into two of the best.
Not everyone agreed with her tactics, but her track record was indisputable. In every school district where she’d served, test scores had gone up, attrition rates had fallen, and graduation rates had reached nearly one hundred percent.
Unfortunately, her hardline reform strategies included a strong push for consolidation.
“Can our district even afford to hire her?” Becca asked. “Her consultant rates must be through the roof.”
“No,” Shelley murmured. “Which is why I think this might be personal.”
Becca felt a sinking feeling form in her gut. “Are Lydia and the governor even on speaking terms?”
“I don’t know,” Shelley admitted as they started to walk again. “It was a really nasty divorce. They both said some terrible things about each other, and the papers printed every detail they could get their hands on. It almost cost Nick Foley his first election.”
No wonder Colin had said they’d needed more time, Becca thought. But why had he kept the news about Lydia from her? If his mother was the complication they’d run into, he must have known she would find out eventually.
The café came into view, with its pale blue siding and dark purple shutters. Wind chimes hung from the beams of the porch, sparkling in the sunlight and filling the air with their soft tinkling songs. The small front yard was already packed with islanders and an egg dyeing station had been set up under the oak tree for the kids.
“I feel uncomfortable keeping this from Annie,” Becca said. “From everyone.”
“Me, too,” Shelley said. “They deserve to know.”
“What should we do?”
Shelley took a deep breath. “Glenn assured me that they would have everything under control by the end of the week. I would hate to upset everyone on the island unnecessarily. I haven’t made my final decision yet, but I’m leaning toward keeping quiet.”
Becca nodded. She understood where Shelley was coming from, but it
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