Page 39 of Sweet Surrender

“I don’t know about that,” Zane said.

Honestly, he almost never had reason to send an email to anyone, let alone an important one. Becca had said to sendsomething simple, but he’d been sort of intimidated and ended up searching online for a couple of examples of how to reach out to a child’s school before he got started. It had taken him pretty much all evening after he put the boys to bed.

“She called me right after I sent it,” he told her. “Like you said she would.”

“Principal Chittenden is pretty great,” Becca said happily.

“Oh, my ears are burning,” the principal said from the doorway. “Thank you for your letter, Mr. Lawrence. I can’t say the last time I received such a formal and respectful parent message.”

Zane rose and shook her outstretched hand.

“Did you two get started without me?” the principal teased, heading for one of the student desks.

“Take this chair,” Zane told her, indicating the one where he had been sitting.

“Oh please, Mr. Lawrence,” she laughed. “I think we both know you won’t fit on one of these little chairs.”

He had to smile at that. She was right about that. He’d be better off sitting on the floor.

“Hi, Mrs. Staley,” Becca said.

He turned to see Denise Staley walk in. He’d known her half his life, and still wondered why she had chosen to become a teacher. Denise had always been super smart and she had a heart of gold, but she was a little uptight, so sometimes it didn’t come through.

And he honestly wondered even more these days, when it seemed that she was giving Nick an especially hard time.

But of course, he couldn’t say anything like that.

“Hi, Denise,” he said, gesturing toward his chair again.

She took it, and he was looking around for the best place to stand when Principal Chittenden cleared her throat.

“I’m glad we’re all here,” she said. “If changes are going to be made, it’s best to consider them as quickly as possible, so that the class dynamics can settle. Mr. Lawrence, you’ve requested that we reconsider the boys’ placement. You have the floor.”

“Oh,” he said, his eyes moving to Becca. She hadn’t warned him about this.

But she merely nodded and looked up at him with complete confidence, like she was sure he would do a great job.

Suddenly, he was very happy that he’d taken a little time to write that email last night. It had forced him to decide exactly how to explain why he and Becca thought the boys should be together.

“I know the school has a policy against putting twins in the same classroom,” he began slowly. “And it’s a policy that makes sense in most cases. Children deserve a chance to make their own friends and their own reputation. And I know that siblings may be more likely than other students to argue.”

“Correct,” Denise said, in a tone that seemed to sayso what are we doing here?

“But I asked for this meeting because in the case of Nick and Cal, I think the benefits will outweigh the risks,” he said quickly. “I’m sure you all are aware that Cal is shy. He does better in social situations when his brother is there.”

The women all nodded, and he felt a little more relaxed.

“And Nick has been struggling with his schoolwork,” he went on. “I think Cal could be a good influence on him—I know he can be. Group dynamics matter. We see this every day in the herd, certain animals lead, or provide a calming influence?—”

“With all due respect, Zane,” Denise cut in. “This is a school, not a dairy farm.”

“Some of the same rules do apply, Mrs. Staley,” Principal Chittenden said with an amused smile. “But Mr. Lawrence, I think we see your point.”

“Thank you,” he said.

Becca slipped out from behind her desk and sat at a student desk, offering her chair to him. He didn’t want to take it from her, but he honestly didn’t want to be in the spotlight any longer, so he sat quickly.

“We do take parent requests seriously,” the principal said when he was seated. “After all, you know your children better than we do. In this case, it seems clear that you’re aware of the drawbacks to putting the boys together, so I think we can proceed to discussing whether it’s feasible to fulfill your request.”

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