A smile spreads across his face. “The guys have pretty much adopted the team. If we’ve got practice or a game, we take the truck and stay close. If a call comes in, we roll out, and Principal Masters steps in. But we’ve made it to everything so far. Even Bucky loves it. The guys even have a dry-erase board in the common room for plays. We’re all having fun with it. We are having the team over for spaghetti night every week to build up morale.”
My chest tightens. “That’s really cool,” I say. “Tell them thank you. All of them. I’d love to make you guys dinner sometime soon. Maybe desserts.”
Not just Ollie showing up for my brother.The whole damn fire department.
He pushes off the workbench. “You don’t have to do that, but we wouldn’t turn it down. I gotta go.”
He heads up the stairs, then pauses and looks back when he catches me watching him.
He smirks.I immediately regret having eyes.Kill me.Bury me.Friends do not stare at their friends like that.
Later that afternoon, an older gentleman in a dark brown jacket, button-down shirt and khaki pants walks into the shop.“Poppy Murphy?” he asks with a kind smile.
“That’s me,” I say, wiping my hands on a rag. “What can I do for you?”
“I’m Jim Fisher,” he says. “I’ve been trying to get ahold of you for over a week now. I’ve called and left voicemails. I teach automotive tech at the high school. I’m retiring after this year and… well, some of the teachers were talking. They think you’d be great to take over.”
I blink. Hard. Oh, wow. I haven’t had time to return his calls. I didn’t know what he wanted. Okay, now I feel bad.
“Wait,” I say. “You want me to teach?”
He nods, like he’s been waiting for the moment to explain. “If you’d be interested, we’d have you work with me this year and take over next. It’s good pay with benefits.”
He pauses, then smiles, softer now. “And honestly, your name’s been coming up for a while.”
I continue to gape at him in disbelief.
“Mack talks about you at school,” he says. “Not in a bragging way. Just matter of fact. My sister also teaches fifth grade and she’s mentioned you more than once. Says Owen’s proud of you and talks about you all the time. I think she had him last year.”
My throat tightens as he continues.
“A couple of the firefighters who help with basketball practice have talked about you too,” he adds. “They say when something breaks, you’re the one people call. You don’t cut corners. You explain things. You treat people right.”
He chuckles. “My wife brought her car to your shop last fall when I was out of town for a conference in Tennessee. When I came home, she told me I had to meet you. Said you didn’t talk down to her, didn’t upsell her, just fixed the problem andsent her on her way. That matters. We need a strong, younger mechanic the kids can all learn from and look up to.”
He leans back in his chair. “We want more female students in the trades. We want someone they can see themselves in. Around here, you’re kind of a pioneer whether you meant to be or not.”
His gaze meets mine, steady and sincere. “I think you’d be a great fit at the school. Really hoping you’ll say yes.”
The room feels very quiet after that.
And for the first time, it sinks in that this isn’t just an opportunity. It’s recognition for everything I’ve been building.
“I don’t have a teaching certificate,” I say, my mind racing a mile a minute, trying to think of reasons why this won’t work. Something I have a bad habit of doing. When you live your life waiting for the other shoe to drop, it’s hard to see the good things in front of you when they happen. But all I can think about is that this sounds like a dream.
“We know,” he replies easily. “You don’t need one for this position. You’re a licensed mechanic. And over at the trade school, they still talk about you. You’ve got quite a reputation for being great to work with. You’re very good at what you do. We just have to run a background check and do your fingerprints. Then the school can help you earn certification through its system. We have time to do that before next year.”
Wow. I swallow, not trusting my voice to respond. This is wildly unexpected but so cool.
“Just think about it,” he says, handing me a card with his email and number on it. “We really want you. It’s a good salary, benefits, 401 (k), all of that. I heard that you’re raising your brother. He’d be able to hang out with you after school, and you would be on his school schedule. Holidays and summers off.”
“Wow, that sounds incredible. Thank you for considering me for this opportunity. I’ll definitely think aboutthis and talk it over with my...my family.” I almost said my Ollie. Because that’s who I want to talk about it with. Immediately, I think of calling him to tell him the news.
I stare at the card long after he leaves. Did this really happen? It would mean a steady paycheck and insurance for Owen and me. I’ve been paying for everything out of pocket for us, and that has been hard. And a teaching position? This is a dream come true.
I look around my shop. At the lifts. The stains and the memories. Some of the memories are good, but not all. I wouldn’t have to take abuse from rude customers. I could teach kids who actually want to learn. I could help girls who don’t yet see themselves in these spaces. And that really excites me. I haven’t been excited about what I do for a long time. I sit on one of the stools and just stare at the toolbox, its tools missing again. My dad takes what he wants, even though some of them are mine. He thinks he has a right to anything I have here, and I have nothing solid. Everything I have could be taken away by him at any time. He makes sure that we know that, too. This could be something he can’t take away from me.
The door opens again, and Maggie comes in wearing her denim coat, denim jeans, and braided leather purse with intricate beading. Maggie is like our very own Dolly Parton here in Bridger Falls, and she has her hand in almost anything that goes on. That’s the life of Maggie.
