Page 70 of Work with Me

Alicia sucked in a breath. I laid a hand on her shoulder to stop her from saying something she’d regret.

“Does the school have a guidance counselor?” I asked.

“Yes, of course,” the teacher said.

“Alicia, I think you should set an appointment with the counselor. Maybe the principal, too. Talk about ways the school can help him.” As much as I wanted to, I didn’t say that Mrs. O’Reilly was entirely the wrong teacher for a kid like Noah.

Alicia narrowed her eyes at Mrs. O’Reilly. “I think that’s an excellent idea.” She stood. “Thank you, Mrs. O’Reilly. I’ll talk to Noah about some of these behaviors. I’ll talk to his pediatrician and the counselor, too. We’ll get him some help.”

The teacher’s smile was tight. “Excellent. We all want what’s best for Noah.”

“We do.” Alicia rose. “Have a good night.” She strode out, and I scurried to keep up.

When we escaped the stuffy confines of the school for the fresher scents outside, I jogged around in front of her, forcing her to stop. “Are you okay?”

Her eyes glittered with tears. “No.”

Cautiously, like I’d do with a wild deer or a feral cat, I reached out and stroked her arm. “You did great in there.”

“Until I stepped into that classroom today, I had no idea how awful it was. It wasn’t like that at Open House. No wonder Noah hates school.”

“Was his teacher last year like—like her?” I only barely kept myself from calling Mrs. O’Reilly a name I’d regret.

“No. I mean, yeah, we had some issues, but nothing like that. That was a great idea you had. To talk to his counselor. And the pediatrician. I’ll call both of them tomorrow. Thank you for coming with me.”

My chest filled up with warmth. This was one thing I hadn’t fucked up.

“I wish I could promise that a diagnosis or medication will solve all his problems, but they didn’t for me. I struggled. I still do. But you’re doing the right thing. Taking steps. Helping him.”

She stepped closer and put her arms around me, resting her cheek against my shoulder. “Thank you. I wish—”

“What do you wish?”

She hugged me tighter and then stepped away. “Nothing.”

What did she wish for? I’d give her anything she wanted. Would she let me hire a tutor for Noah?

When Alicia started walking to her car, I remembered I needed a ride downtown. I pulled up the app and requested a car as I followed her.

“You’re really good at that. Advocating for kids,” she said. Her eyes were dry now.

“I am?” I couldn’t contain my grin.

“Have you ever considered funding organizations that help kids with learning issues? Or founding one yourself?”

Me, found a charitable organization? I almost laughed, but then I saw the stubborn set of her jaw. “Uh, no.”

“You’ve got considerable resources. Both mental and financial. You should use them for good.”

I stumbled back. “What?”

“You’re a very wealthy man, Jackson. You could never hope to spend everything you have. You could use it to help others.”

“But I—”I’m a fuckup,I wanted to say. Unsociable. Unreliable. Barely housetrained. But if Alicia said I wasn’t…

“Think about it.” She leaned on her car. “You could do a lot of good.”

No one had ever said anything like that to me before. No one, not even Cooper, had believed in me like that.

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