For All She Knows (Potomac Point #3) - Jamie Beck Page 0,11
which increases not only our kids’ competitiveness but also the property values for all residents. All of this should be factored into your decision to reconsider the superintendent’s budget. Thank you.”
Well, well. Grace did just fine once she got rolling. Maybe I shouldn’t have encouraged her to be more assertive. If we’d talked about this issue instead of around it, I might understand her motivation better. From where I stood, her son made top grades, so our school’s rank wouldn’t stop colleges from fighting over him or from handing him academic scholarships. Not that the Phillipses needed those. Between Sam’s career and the extra money Grace earned from giving piano lessons, they could afford to educate their children with very little debt.
She threw me a relieved smile before making her way over to Sam, who beamed at her. I meant to return it but wasn’t sure that I did. Against my better nature, the acid burn of antagonism bubbled in my stomach.
Grace knew Rowan didn’t have Carter’s opportunities. He wasn’t as smart, and I lacked her deeper pockets. Despite what I’d said at the market earlier, it did feel a little personal. That might not be fair, but I couldn’t help it. And after listening to her arguments, even I had to concede that the proposed budget might not be the best use of town funds.
No one could miss the respectful nods she’d earned from the crowd. Not to begrudge her something she deserved, but she took general admiration for granted. Since my parents died, I’d spent lots of effort to win admiration and affection from others. Older folks liked me, and young kids, too. But my peers typically considered me a little too much. Respect was something I really wanted, yet most days I hardly even got it from my own son.
It’d be nice if fortune would break my way once. Absent that, the only sure way to lose was to quit. My mama had always said flattery would get you everywhere, so while Grace chose to attack the superintendent’s decision, I would praise him and the board. When my turn finally came, I adjusted the mic down to my level. It helped to see dozens of people I’d been working with these past months giving me a thumbs-up. I supposed that would be the silver lining if we lost—at least I’d gained more acceptance from folks.
“Good evening, everyone. I’m Mimi Gillette, and I support the proposed budget. Some folks have thrown a bunch of statistics at you, but I’m pretty sure Superintendent Musgrave already considered all that before making his decision. High school isn’t only about preparing kids for college. It’s also about preparing them for life. Team sports help many kids learn to work as a unit, to socialize, to excel and push themselves. These things matter, too, and shouldn’t get pushed aside as less important than science or math. Plenty of kids—people like me—who aren’t great students need to see that they can still become successful, happy adults by leaning in to their own special talents.
“Student athletes spend up to twenty hours per week practicing. The current fields serve multiple sports and are worn down. Sharing the existing space forces some teams to practice late at night. An upgraded sports complex will alleviate a lot of those problems. So thank you, Superintendent Musgrave, for finally putting some money into them.” I flashed my best smile with a perky nod before leaving the mic to go stand beside Rowan.
Across the room, Grace and Sam were holding hands, their expressions attentive as they listened to the last speaker—Jim Russo, another ally of theirs. Thank God our being on opposite sides of this would end soon. Meanwhile, I envied her having Sam on her arm. A solid guy. Clean-cut, devoted, dependable. Everything I’d always considered nice but boring until Dirk and the two bad boyfriends since him ground me down. Guess when it came to picking men, I hadn’t been any smarter than my son had been about his priorities. Next time around, I’d choose someone like Sam. With my increased social acceptance, I might have more opportunities to find him, too.
“Mrs. Phillips’s speech was good,” Rowan said, surly. “She made it bigger than just the school when she talked about people’s property values. Even people with no kids care about that.”
Truth. Her thoroughness didn’t surprise me nearly as much as my son’s attentiveness did. Grace had always been organized and prepared. When the boys were tykes, she’d been