I'm a Good Person (Book 4)

Chapter 7

The process to find a tutor for Robert went quickly. The two dozen or so resumes which came in led to fifteen interviews in the course of a week. About six interviews in, it became clear to Grayson that he was either being too picky or expecting too much, as he had been completely unimpressed. Still, he had several more to go and the next batch of four or five seemed promising.

The first of this next group was the very first applicant under fifty, which Grayson felt might be a point in her favor where Robert was concerned. Rebecca Taylor was thirty one, a graduate of Westminster College, which wasn't more than an hour from Old Bridge. She had spent her early twenties overseas teaching English first in Germany and then in Italy. Then there was a break in her teaching before she seemed to have resumed it in the last two years. Overall, she seemed highly qualified, if not overly qualified and Grayson was interested in the kind of woman he was about to meet.

Rebecca arrived at their meeting in Grayson's office at the mill promptly at one in the afternoon, smartly dressed in a gray suit with check trimming and a black cloche hat, her matching checked clutch tucked under her arm as she entered the office. Grayson looked up at her and for a moment was surprised by her appearance. Everyone else he had seen had come looking more like schoolmarms. Grayson viewed this as a positive sign.

"Miss. Taylor," Grayson greeted, "have a seat. It is Miss, isn't it? Your resume didn't specify."

"It is, Mr. Nash. Or rather, it is now."

"I see," Grayson said, with no intention of prying further, though he had to admit that answer had made him curious, "I'm not sure how much you know about my son's situation. The ladies the agency has sent so far seem to either know the whole story or nothing at all."

"I have a sketchy picture."

"The brief version is, my seventeen year old son, Robert has almost been killed twice in the past six months," Rebecca's expression changed only slightly, her eyes somewhat widening with shock though she tried to hide it, "the man who was responsible is dead, so there's no worry on that score," he assured her, "however, the months of recouping followed by the second attack and next round of recovery have put him tremendously behind in his studies. The school has decided there is no conceivable way he can continue to attend classes and still finish."

"That's understandable."

"Rob's been through a good deal, as you can well imagine, and the town hasn't made it easy for him either what with the inquest and several newspaper articles of an unsavory nature, so I know he'd rather move on after next year as planned. With that in mind, I've spoken to the school and come up with the idea of a tutor for the spring and summer in hopes of pulling him back up to where he ought to be."

"Without knowing the particulars, I believe that sounds doable, Mr. Nash," Rebecca replied, "did Robert do well in school prior to his injuries or will he need additional assistance?"

"He has always been a high B student, overall. I don't imagine he'll be a problem pupil, except that he tends to think summers are for relaxation and wouldn't crack a school book if his life depended on it ordinarily."

Rebecca chuckled, "I can't say I blame him, but I'm sure given all he stands to gain by putting in a little extra work, he wouldn't be a problem."

"Now, the job I have in mind is obviously short term, but there is a slight wrinkle in it I feel I ought to mention before we proceed, as it seems to be the biggest stumbling block," Grayson went on. He felt good about Rebecca Taylor so far. He felt Robert might even like her, "we always go on a family trip for the summer. Out west, to Wyoming. My sister and brother-in-law's ranch. Rob's missed out on so much this past year, I would hate to deny this too. With that in mind, ideally, whomever I hire to be willing to go along with us."