Between the Lines (19 page)

Gabe – 30

“What’s
this about, Gabe?” Meg asks as soon as I get out of my car. She’s already
seated at one of the picnic tables.

“Who is
in charge of vetting people?”

“Tabitha.
I’ve already talked to her about Isaac.”

“Was she
in charge of doing a background check on Ellen West?”

“Yeah.”

“Did you
know that’s there no evidence that Ellen West existed prior to six years ago?”

Mag’s
eyes grow large, alarmed. “Who is she?”

“Did you
read her blog?” I ask instead of answering the question.

“Only
about half of it.” Mag shakes her head. “She thinks we’re hurting kids, doesn’t
she? Where the hell did she get that idea? She isn’t even from around here.”

“She
didn’t tell me.” I sit next to her on the bench.

“I can’t
let her back on the campus.” Mag looks at me. “The board assumed it would be a
fluff piece, good for advertising and reputation to further the kids’
education. We can’t risk bad publicity.”

I have to
laugh. “Actually, I think you should allow her more access, within reason, of
course.”

Mag eyes
me suspiciously.

“She’s
going to keep digging. She thinks there’s a story here. And there is, but not
one that can be put on social media or in the papers.” I push my fingers
through my hair, still struggling with how much to reveal. “For some reason
she’s worried about the kids. If you let her visit the campus a few more times,
she’s going to see all is well.”

“What if
she learns things that aren’t any of her business? These kids deserve privacy
and protection.”

“I think
she would keep it to herself,” I answer honestly. “And, she’d probably leave
without looking back.”

Mag
turns, tilts her head, narrowing her blue eyes studying me. “How well do you
know her?”

“Well
enough to trust her.”

“Do
you
know where she came from? Who she is?”

“Yeah.
We’ve gotten close.” As in, I’ve had sex with her and probably will again very
soon. And if possible, I’d be spending every moment with her.

She’s
facing me fully now, straddling the bench, full of interest. “Then tell me
about her.”

“I
can’t.”

Mag pulls
back, her eyes wide with surprise. “What?”

“I
promised to keep her confidence, but I have done a background check and checked
out her story. I won’t betray her confidence any more than I’ll tell her about
the kids at Baxter.”

She’s
studying me. “You do trust her?” Mag asks slowly.

“Yeah!
More than I do most people.”

“I want
to talk to her.”

“I’d
rather she didn’t know I came to you before I have a chance to tell her.”

Mag
smiles. “I won’t tell her then.” She gets up and dusts off her jeans. “However,
she won’t be invited back until you’ve been cleared.”

My
heartbeat increases. I may not be out of a job. “I can come back?”

“Tara’s
fairly certain. She just wants to meet with Isaac one more time. He’s adamant
about wanting you around and insists the only reason you were there in the
first place was trying to protect him.”

“How
soon?” Maybe I need to spend tonight getting ready to teach instead of having
dinner with Ellen. Though, I’d certainly rather be with Ellen.

“Probably
on Friday,” she answers. “The soccer coach is stopping by after classes and I
want you to meet with him.”

“Why?”

“Because
he’s just one of the coaches. He knows the game and it’s what he does. You’re
actually going to be in charge of the program, making sure the kids practice,
get in shape, and things like that.”

I can’t
help but grin. My dad would shit if he knew I was coaching soccer. I am half
tempted to call and give him the good news.

“That is,
if you want to. We’ll need to renegotiate it into the contract.”

“I’d love
to.” And, I’ll also have to brush up on the rules of the game. Maybe my sister
can give me some pointers.

Damn, I
wish I could see her play, but with the surgeries and therapy of the last year
and a half, I really haven’t had a chance. Before that, I was in college and
before that, well, Dad thought I had better things to do than attend my
sister’s soccer games. She was at practically all of my games, because it was
required of her, but I never got a chance to see her play.  I’ll have to make
sure I attend games next fall. It’s only about a three hour drive from here to
Syracuse. Maybe she’ll have some games during our week break in September.

Yes, I
will make that happen, one way or another.

“You
won’t be returning to classes right away,” she warns.

“Why?”

“You’ll
be escorting the reporter. Someone’s got to babysit her and it might as well be
you.”

“What
about my classes?”

“Jenna
will continue subbing.”

“Jenna?
She’s a counselor. Does she have a teaching degree?”

“No. But
it isn’t like we can call in a sub like regular schools.” She tilts her head
and gives me a look that says I should have realized that. “We’re already short
with Alexia combining her classes until a replacement for Jesse can be found,
and at this point, there’s only little over a month left of school, so we
aren’t going to rush it.”

Anger
strikes through me at Jesse’s name. Mag is one of them who determined he needed
to go. 

“We
didn’t have a choice,” she says as if reading my mind. “He won’t be out of the
hospital for another week because of all of his injuries and who knows how long
he’ll be in therapy.”

“But to
fire him? The girl recanted.” I’m glad I get to question her on this.

“Yes, she
did, but we have to be very careful about what and how things get linked back
to Baxter, if they ever are.”

“So,
that’s it.” I don’t even try to hide the fact that I’m still pissed.

“No. We
plan on revisiting the situation when he is recovered enough to teach again, to
see how things play out and if anyone ever questions his relation to Baxter.
He’s a good teacher. The kids like him. I hope he can come back.”

So they
didn’t just hang him out to dry and move on. That makes me feel a little
better.

“None of
our decisions are ever made lightly or without thoughtful consideration,” Mag
points out.

“I know,”
I finally say. If they made snap decisions, I would have been fired in less
than a heartbeat yesterday.

“So,
Ellen knows you aren’t teaching right now, doesn’t she?” Her eyes bore into
mine. Is she worried I may have told Ellen more than I should?

“She
knows I’m on paid leave,” I blurt out.

Her eyes
widen “Why the hell did you tell her that?”

“I
didn’t, she guessed when I wouldn’t tell her why I wasn’t teaching. She also
thinks it has something to do with Isaac. I didn’t confirm or deny, of course,
but she researched me and made the connection, guessed at it. Again, I didn’t
tell her anything.”

“Are you
sure we can trust her? She’s a reporter and nothing good ever comes from reporters
snooping around.”

“I think
you’d be surprised and, I wish I could tell you, but I can’t.”

Ellen

This is
the worst meal ever! The outside of the chicken is black and the inside is
pink. I can’t ask Gabe to eat this. I can’t stomach it myself. The rice has too
much liquid and the vegetables are mush.

Why the
hell did I offer to cook him a meal? I haven’t cooked in ages and clearly
forgot how.

Well,
there’s no help for it. I’ve got to order a pizza.

After
dumping the remains of dinner into the trash, I find the number for Antonio’s
which I’ve been told is the best pizza in the State of New York, yet to be
determined by me, and order a large combination. I like tons of stuff on my
pizza, and I hope Gabe does too. If not, I hope the pieces are large enough to
pick off.  After glancing at the time, I have just enough to go get the pizza
and be back by the time he arrives. I’m just glad I had already taken a shower
and changed my clothing before I destroyed dinner.

Gabe
pulls into the parking lot behind the house right after I do. He sees the pizza
box and lifts a brow.

“Don’t
ask please.”

He
glances up at the house. “I don’t see any smoke so it can’t be all bad.”

“How was
your meeting?” I’m curious as hell, but when it comes to anything Baxter
related, he’s never forthcoming.

“Good,”
he says, taking the box from me as we head into the house and he follows me up
the first flight of stairs. My apartment is right above his, though I only have
one bedroom. He puts the pizza box on the table and I grab two beers out of the
fridge before grabbing plates, utensils and napkins. My mouth is watering from
the smell of Italian spices. Either I’m very hungry or this is the best pizza
in New York. Or, at least it smells like the best pizza in New York.

I put a
piece on his plate and then mine and we both sit. “I hope you don’t mind a lot
of toppings.”

“As long
as there isn’t pineapple or anchovies, I’m good.”

“Anything
else you don’t like or should I have gotten a different one?” There is still so
much I don’t know about Gabe and I can’t wait to learn everything, like what
his favorite food is, pizza topping, beer, color, television show. The list is
endless. We may not have a lot in common, but it doesn’t matter. I’m drawn to
him like I’ve never been drawn to anyone in my life.

“Those
are about the only two things.” He cuts a piece of his pizza because it is way
too thick to try and pick up and eat. Not like the slices I grabbed from the
corner pizzeria in college. “You’ll find I’m not exactly picky, at least where
food is concerned,” he adds with a wink.

“Any word
on when you’re going back to work?” This has to be eating at him, being on paid
leave. I don’t even know why he is, and I wished he’d tell me so that I could
offer some support.

“Hopefully
soon,” he says before taking another bite.

Damn, I
want to ask for details so badly, but that’s not allowed. It’s frustrating.
And, it’s no longer because I’m curious about Baxter as much as I care about
the guy sitting across the table from me that I’ve known all of a week.

“How many
private schools have you visited?” He asks after taking a swig of beer,
surprising me with the question.

I shrug.
“A few.”

“Was it
easy to get on the campus?”

“I had to
show identification at the door, but it was usually easy enough.”

“None of
those were boarding schools though, or were they?”

“No.”

“Because
Baxter has been entrusted with the kids 24/7, they take security to a much
higher level.” He takes another drink and sets the beer on the table. “Sure,
they have performances and gallery showings, but the foundation is very
particular about who gets on campus.”

“They do
a background check?” It seems a bit extreme to me.

“In light
of the horrible things that have happened at schools around the nation, and the
fact that this is what kids call home for a good part of the year, they aren’t going
to let anyone in who has not been thoroughly checked out.”

I get
that but I think they are being a bit extreme.

“That’s
why I met with Mag today.”

I
straighten. What the hell did he tell her?

“She
needs to know that the office isn’t doing as thorough job as she thinks.”

“Is this
about Isaac or me?” I still don’t get the problem with Isaac being where Gabe
is, but I also know he isn’t about to tell me.

“You!” He
answers bluntly. “I don’t think it’s a problem with you being there. But, had
they been thorough, they would have discovered what I did.”

“That
Ellen West didn’t exist six years ago.”

“Yeah.”
He nods. “You would have never set foot on Baxter property. Who else could slip
in? The safety of those kids is the responsibility of Baxter, which Mag takes
very seriously.”

“So, what
did you tell her?” My voice is cold, but I don’t care. I thought I could trust
him and he just pulled the rug out from under me.

“Nothing,”
he insists. “When Mag asked, I assured her that I thought it was fine that you
return.”

Whew
!

“But, she
has a few questions for you.”

“Did you
tell her anything about my past?” I need to know, and if he did, I’ll have to
ask him to leave. I can’t be with someone I don’t trust.