luck had him over his head with the school and me. Lucky for him, he was of use.
I didn’t know how he explained the new online student, and I didn’t care. That was his problem.
Peter flipped through a leather-bound notebook. “It’s no surprise she’s behind with as often as she’s moved around. She missed a lot of school before officially leaving halfway through tenth grade.”
That wasn’t news to me.
According to the file Cole had found, the education department in Texas had made a half-assed effort when she’d become truant more often than not, but after a short time, her case had fallen through the cracks.
“Did she say why?” I asked, something no amount of Cole’s research could drag up.
“She didn’t seem to want to talk about it.”
“What else?” I asked.
“For the four core subjects, I combined chunks of placement exams ranging from eighth to twelfth grade so I could get an idea of where she was. The good news is, she didn’t score as poorly as I’d expected. World and US History were strong.” His brows lowered. “She did exceptionally well on ancient civilizations, which was surprising.”
Since I’m the one who loaded her iPad with the dullest books I could find, including multiple on the topic, I’m not surprised.
“Her English scores were off the charts. She could pass both courses today with ease. Actually, she would likely pass some college courses. Her comprehension is great, her writing skills aren’t fine-tuned but they’re good, and, as I said, she’s bright. She can piece together what she doesn’t know.”
“What about science and math?”
“In science, if she could use common sense to figure out, she did fine. Earth Science topics were done well since she’d completed ninth grade, but Chemistry and Biology weren’t as strong. A lot is knowledge that can only come from doing the specific research, experiments, and memorizations. If she passed, it would be just barely. But that’s a big if.” His eyes darted to where Marco stood by the door then back to me. He fidgeted with some papers and cleared his throat.
Growing impatient, I bit out, “What?”
“She’s, uh, very behind in math. She can’t use common sense and accrued knowledge to solve problems. It’s all formula based. Rigid. If you don’t know the operations, it’s impossible. Online lessons will help, but it won’t be enough.”
“Teach her then.”
He cleared his throat again. “I can handle getting her caught up in the sciences, but math isn’t my strength, either.”
That’s not surprising given how often he loses at the tables.
“I can recommend some tutors, ones I think could be bought. But I don’t have the ability to teach her what she needs.”
“I’ve got it handled,” I said with a sigh.
“She needs to pass the subject to graduate.”
“She will. Is that all?”
Standing, he handed me a printout. “Here’s a supply list she’ll need.”
I set it to the side and nodded.
“I’ll begin sending her online resources and video lessons when I get to my office. And I’ll be back Saturday morning to work with her.”
As he left, I picked up my cell.
Me: How’d you like a promotion?
Ash: The only position above mine is yours, and you couldn’t pay me enough to take on that headache. So what’s the promotion?
Me: Math tutor.
Ash had a gift for numbers. His wasn’t as advanced as Rain Man, but if he were a gambling man, I’d ban him from my casinos.
If anyone could get Juliet caught up, it was Ash.
The bastard.
Ash: Does that mean I’m no longer banned from being around her?
I ran my hand down my face, knowing what was coming.
Me: Yes.
Ash: Good. It’s been a while since anyone’s called me a handsome goon.
Before I could respond, either to tell him he was dead or fired, he texted again.
Ash: I’ll start tomorrow after breakfast and work with her every morning, unless we have something going on.
Me: I appreciate it.
Ash: Hey, the promotion includes a big pay raise I gotta earn.
I shook my head but didn’t argue. If he got her caught up, I’d pay him a shit-ton on top of the already generous shit-ton he earned.
Me: She’s behind.
Ash: Not for long.
Ash: Now excuse me while I go piss on Shamus’ unmarked grave, the dumb asshole.
Every time I thought we’d discovered all the ways her piece of shit father had fucked up her life, another thing came along to show what a scumbag he’d been.
Guessing where she was after such a long day, I pressed the button to open my blinds before spinning my chair to look out