“So let go of some of the less important extracurriculars.”
“But theylikethe ones that you don’t think are important. They need to move – especially if they’re stuck inside at school all day.”
“So you want to let them quit piano?”
“I want to let them take a break from piano.” Oakley took a deep breath and gathered her courage. “And I also want to take a break from school.”
Trent looked at her like she was stupid. “They’re on summer break right now. How much more of a break to you need?”
“I’d like to take them out of school and homeschool them instead. Just for a year,” she rushed on when he shook his head. “Just to have more time together as a family, more time outside, more time for the things that they love to do. Next summer, we could circle back and–”
“And have them be a year behind everyone else when they go back to school?”
“We would still do schoolwork at home, Trent!”
“These years are fundamental. Our daughters deserve the best possible education.”
“Who’s to say that they couldn’t get that at home?”
“You’re not a trained instructor. Do you really think that you could do as well as the best teachers on the island? People with decades of experience who specialize in their subjects?”
“Yes.” Her voice was low and dangerous. “I do.”
“Really, Oakley?”
“I’ve been doing a lot of research. We could get their lessons done in a few hours a day and have more–”
“So!” His face lit up like he’d just scored a point. “You want them to spendlesstime on academics?”
“We wouldn’tneedas much time. Personalized instruction is more efficient!”
“And if they lose their spots? If there’s no room for them next year? What then?”
“Then we’ll get to spend more time with them before they’re grown and gone,” she burst out. “They’ll get more time with their cousins, and I’ll get more time with my sisters.”
“You want to pull Hayden and Harper out of school just so that they can play with their cousins down in Pualena? That’s ridiculous. What about their future?”
“Homeschooled kids can do anything that they want to! Colleges–” She ate the rest of her sentence when Trent held up a hand and glanced at his watch.
“I have to jump in the shower. I have a meeting in ten.”
She pressed her teeth together and let out a huff of breath. Then she asked, “Can we talk about this later?”
“It’s a no from me, Oakley. You can’t just upend their lives like that.” He patted her shoulder. “When you’ve had some time to calm down, you’ll realize that I’m right.”
He turned and walked away, leaving her fuming in the kitchen.
By the time her girls stumbled sleepy-eyed to the kitchen table, she had calmed down enough to greet them with a soft smile and warm hugs. While they ate a breakfast of sweet potato and eggs, she pulled up their piano teacher’s contact on her phone.
“What if we played hooky today?” she asked in a conspiratorial whisper.
Harper perked up immediately. “Can we go to the beach?”
“I don’t see why not.”
“Really?” Hayden grinned. “Can we go to a Kona beach?”
“Sure. Let’s do it.” She sent a quick note to their teacher saying that they couldn’t make it that day. They paid her monthly, regardless of missed lessons, so Oakley didn’t suppose that she would be too disappointed.
