Page 4 of Wanting You

No judgment, no lectures, just a show of support.

That was his dad.

“I’m thinking that I should just skip this year and try again for next fall. Obviously all the positions everywhere are filled.” Dropping down onto the couch, his head lolled back as he sighed. “Teaching elementary school has been something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I know I took a bit of a detour while I was competing with my skiing, but it feels like so many of these schools are holding it against me.”

“Have any of them specifically mentioned that?”

“Well, no, but…”

“Has your skiing career come up in any of the interviews?”

“No, but…”

“Tanner, I realize that you’ve always been an overachiever,” his father reasoned. “And there hasn’t been any obstacle you haven’t overcome. But out in the competitive job market, you have to accept that there may be applicants who are more qualified than you.”

“Dad, I graduated with honors. I have dozens of recommendations from former teachers and the school where I was a student teacher. Everyone loved me there!”

His father slowly sipped his coffee while making eye contact. It was his go-to reaction to force Tanner to dig a little deeper with whatever he was dealing with.

“Okay, if they had really loved me, they would have offered me a position somewhere,” he admitted. “And the principal told me I was sometimes a little overzealous and rubbed some teachers the wrong way. But that’s only because I’m passionate about teaching and everyone else was way too laid back!”

Placing his mug down on the coffee table, Nate smiled serenely. “Were they too laid back, or were you trying to show off? Because I think we both know…”

Groaning, Tanner shut his eyes. “I hate it when you do that.”

“What? Tell the truth?”

Forcing himself to sit up, he looked at his father. “I just…I want to be the best teacher I can be. Just like I wanted to be the best student, the best athlete, the best skier…”

“You were your high school’s valedictorian, graduated college with honors and in the top one percent of your class, and you were one of the top Alpine skiers in the country. By now, you should know that you excel at everything you do.”

“Not at getting a teaching job,” he mumbled.

“You waited until a month ago to finally get serious about applying,” his father gently reminded him.

“I sent out my first application three months ago.”

“And you only sent the one because you were so certain they were going to hire you.”

“I put my resume up online too.”

“Okay, that’s true. But you were so busy with endorsement opportunities and doing promotional events that finding a teaching position became an afterthought. Are you really surprised when most schools start up in two weeks?”

“Dad…”

“Fine,” he said with a hint of humor. “I’ve said all I’m going to say on the subject.” Reaching for his mug, he picked it up and stood. “Your mother and I are going to dinner with the Nicholsons tonight, so you’re on your own for dinner.”

Hearing that made him feel like a child, and he hated it. He’d moved back in with his parents six months ago because he’d been traveling a lot for his endorsement appearances. Being a professional athlete had made him a decent amount of money, but he was smart about how he spent it. As much as he hated having to move back into his old room, it meant he wasn’t tied down to any neighborhood, city, or state in his quest to get a full-time teaching gig.

If only someone would hire him!

Once his father was out of the room, Tanner straightened in his spot, flipped open his laptop, and challenged himself to find a school, any school, and have a lead on a job by dinnertime.

Dinner that he’d be eating alone, but that was another story.

“Focus,” he murmured before giving himself a good, long stretch and cracking his knuckles. “Let’s do this.”

He’d been completely prepared to start scrolling through all the top hiring sites, but Tanner came up short when he spotted a new email with the subject, “Interview Request.” Opening the email, he saw it was from a school in the western part of Virginia, in a town called Sweetbriar Ridge.

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