"What?" she asked. "Sure, but why?"
I paused to wipe my hands off. "For a job," I explained. "We're going to need someone to keep an eye on the kids. A chaperone of sorts. A mentor they can talk to, someone who'll listen to them but also keep them in line. You'd just have to pass a background check for the state."
Her breath fell out. "Me?"
"The woman who did a damned good job of raising her son and seems to know how to keep things clean and orderly?" I nodded. "Yeah. I mean, the fact that them being criminals doesn't immediately make you hate them? That's not something easy to find."
"Yes," she breathed. "Run the check. I should pass, and having a chance to spend more time with Zeke?" A smile began to form on her lips. "That's worth more than you know."
Chapter Six
The longer I talked to Emily, the more sure I was that she'd be perfect as the youth chaperone. The fact that it would keep Zeke and Faith together didn't hurt. Ok, and I may have seen a lot of similarities between those two and how close I'd been to Cy as a kid. Mostly, I just wanted to help this woman who'd been working so hard just to stay afloat in life.
That was what Southwind was about, after all. Plus, I knew that Emily was on our side. She would gain nothing from seeing Southwind fail, would get so much more if we succeeded, and I could trust her. Maybe it wasn't the same sort of blind faith that I had with the guys or the rainbow, but hiring her still sounded a lot safer than running an ad for the position and having Simmons convince someone to apply.
So, when Darnell told the pair of us that dinner was ready, I decided to bring it up. I'd already talked to the woman about it, and while Zeke was there, so was most of the Board of Directors for Southwind. Considering that the rest of what was happening affected them as much as us, it only made sense to make sure that both Zeke and Emily were actually a part of "us."
"Cessily?" I asked as I took my chair. "Can you run a background check on Emily for me?"
She shot me a confused look, but wasn't the first to reply. As Darnell set the plate of burgers in the middle of the table, he gave me a confused look. He also blocked my view of Cess since he was leaning over her shoulder.
"Any special reason?" he asked. "You know, since I'll be doing that."
I looked over at Faith and smiled. "Yeah. I was thinking that if she can clear the state check, we could offer her and Zeke the chaperone's cottage. Emily would be great as the on-site mentor to the kids. It would also mean that Zeke could go to school here when we get the place open."
Faith sucked in an excited breath. "Really?"
"Nice," Luke said before I could answer. "So, I guess this means we need to clean up the cottage, huh?"
"I can help," Zeke offered.
"Not while you're in school," Luke told him.
The kid sighed, looking over to his mom like he was hoping for backup. Emily just shook her head. "School first, Zeke. We also aren't sure that I'll pass all the checks. This is an offer, not a guarantee."
"Mom!" he groaned. "Of course you will. I mean, why would Violet offer it if she doesn't want to hire you?"
"It's not that easy," Ash explained to the kid. "Because Southwind is a state-sponsored program and it has to do with those under the age of eighteen, all employees are required to undergo the same type of background check as a teacher. It's also notourcheck, but the state's." Then he looked over at me. "But I like how you think, Vi."
Cessily sighed. "Ok, I'll write something up for the official records and make sure Berto's on board. I vote yes."
"Yes from me," Darnell said.
"Definite yes from me," Ash said. "So long as Berto's on board, record it as a live vote, Cess?"
She already had her phone out and was typing. "Yep. Hang on. I'm seeing what he thinks." A moment later, her phone dinged softly. "He said that if everyone else approves and she passes, then he's a yes." Her phone dinged again. "We will also need a resume to keep on file."
"I can do that," Emily promised.
"Which means she has the job?" Zeke asked.
Emily just rubbed his shoulder while the guys started making and handing out plates. "Still have to do the background check, kiddo. It also sounds like the property needs some work."
"Mostly cleaning," Luke admitted. "It's been boarded up for a few years, but I did a check of the place not too long ago." He glanced at Faith to make it clear that he was talking about when his daughter wanted to move out. "With the solar, there's power. Water's from the well, and that seems to be fine. Septic is shared with the cabins, and the air conditioning was just upgraded. So, we just need a basic check of the building, maybe a few minor repairs, and a whole lot of cleaning."
Darnell accepted one of the plates Cy was handing out. "It feels like just yesterday that this whole place was a wreck and we were starting from nothing."
"Luke's been busy," Cy said as he gave the next person their food. "Hay, cabins, the cottage, and more. We still need to paint everything, and I'd normally say to contract that out, but I'm feeling a little twitchy about that."
