by Jaime Maddox
The deck was in the shade, and Reese’s sunglasses were pushed up on her head, allowing Ella to see her eyes. Their color deepened, and she squinted slightly as she answered. “There is only one single woman at the party who you should think about.”
Ella suspected she knew the answer; she hoped Reese was going to say what she wanted to hear. It was with a suddenly dry mouth that she asked the question. “Who’s that?”
Reese placed her hand over her heart and rewarded Ella with a hint of a smile. “Why, me, of course.”
Ella felt herself blushing, a rare thing. Seldom did she meet an unattached woman as attractive and intelligent and successful as Reese. But Reese had set the tone of this conversation, and it was light and playful, so Ella relaxed and followed her lead. “I did notice that the women I was talking with were not quite as amazing as you.”
“I knew you were smart,” Reese said with a wink.
She turned and pulled a plate of burgers from her cart. “So, where’s my golf shirt?”
Ella bit her lip. She’d contemplated bringing the shirt but in the end decided against it. She wanted to see Reese again, and returning her shirt was a good excuse.
“It’s on my dresser.”
Reese’s eyebrows shot up, and she turned her eyes from the grill to face Ella. “I thought that’s why you were coming over today. To return it.”
Ella swallowed. “Actually, I was just making an excuse to see you.”
Reese’s eyes darkened and she nodded. “I wanted to see you, too.”
Karen interrupted them, and then the food was ready, and with everyone gathered, Ella had no chance to sit beside Reese. Instead, her sister entertained Ella as she ate.
“So how come you came to Reese’s house? Is she your friend?”
Ella nodded. “I suppose she is, but the real reason I came was to return something I borrowed from her.”
“What did you borrow?” Cass asked, and Ella heard the conversations at the table turn to murmurs as everyone seemed to listen for her answer.
“Did Reese tell you about the accident with my shirt?”
“No. What happened to your shirt?”
“Some rude man ran into me and spilled food all over me. I was such a mess, and I was upset, so Reese gave me her shirt to wear.”
“What did Reese wear?”
“She had another one.”
“She has a lot of shirts. And pants. She brings them to my house sometimes to wash them.”
“Doesn’t she have a washing machine?” Ella asked, her hands in the air in an expression of disbelief that made everyone at the table, except Cass, roar with laughter.
“Yes. My mom says she’s just lazy. When she brings them to my house, my mom washes them.”
Again, everyone laughed, and Cass looked at them all. Clearly, she didn’t understand the impact her information had on everyone else.
“Be quiet, Cassidy,” Reese said playfully.
Ella came to her rescue. “It sounds pretty smart, if you ask me. I wish my mom lived close by so she could do my wash.”
Cass laughed. “It’s fair that Mom washes Reese’s clothes, because she washes my clothes, too. If you ask her, I think she’ll wash yours.”
Mindy spoke up. “Will you wash mine, too, Mrs. Ryan?”
“I’ll even iron them,” Sharon said.
“Count me in,” Rae said.
“Me, too,” Mac added.
“Oh, no, Cass. Look what you’ve done? Mom’s going to be so busy washing clothes, she won’t have time to cook dinner and clean the house,” Reese said, shaking her head.
Cass smiled. “That’s okay. I’ll cook, because I’m a great chef. And you can clean the bathroom.”
Once again, Cass brought the house down.
Chapter 15: The Scholarship Committee
Having a long weekend agreed with Ella, and she was full of energy as she sat at her desk on the Tuesday after Labor Day. She’d wanted to linger and talk to Reese at her party on Sunday, but it seemed that none of the crowd had to work on Monday, and they were all intent on making a night of it at Reese’s. Ella had excused herself well after eleven o’clock, and the only people who’d left before her were the Ryans.
She’d spent her Monday morning relaxing and catching up on email, until a knock on her door and an invitation by Cass forced her to dress and face the world. To her delight, Reese joined them on their walk, and she’d spent the rest of the day with the Ryans. They ate, tossed a Frisbee around the yard, and then watched a movie on the television on their screened porch. Only the thought of her busy Tuesday convinced Ella to break up the party, and she’d made it an early night.
She was ready to face the fall semester full steam. The students had reported to school on Friday, and one of the reasons PMU had their golf tournament at Labor Day was as a sort of homecoming, when alums could meet the new students. After a wild weekend of orientation, they were ready for their first day of classes, and Ella was ready to roll up her sleeves and get to work.
Her first order of business was a call to Sophie to confirm the scholarship. She answered on the first ring.
“Good morning, Ella. Is the scholarship all ready to go?”
Ella leaned back in her chair and looked out at the campus, just coming to life at eight o’clock. “No, not quite.”
“Then I’d imagine you’re calling to make sure I didn’t change my mind.”
Ella laughed. There was no sense pretending; Sophie saw right through her. “That’s exactly what I’m doing. I think you were a bit shocked by the cost of the whole thing, so I wanted to give you the weekend to think about it. If you’re still committed today, I’ll get moving. If not, we’ll work out another plan.”
“Thank you, dear. It’s very kind of you to be so concerned, but I’m comfortable with my decision. You can move ahead with it as we discussed.”
“For four million?”
“I believe that’s the number we spoke of.”
“I just wanted to be double sure, Mrs. Gates.”
“Four million. Now you’re triple sure.”
“In that case, I’d better get to work. But truly, your timing couldn’t be more perfect. I have a scholarship committee meeting at lunch today, and with your permission, I’ll announce—to the committee only—the Stephanie Gates Scholarship.”
“Oh, that sounds so wonderful, doesn’t it?”
“It sure does. Have you decided on any criteria? You don’t have to, but it will help narrow down the field of candidates.”
Sophie rattled off a short list, and Ella jotted the items on her blotter.
“And would you consider having each candidate write an essay to help the committee decide? Something like How I’ll Use the Stephanie Gates Scholarship to Improve the Lives of Stray Cats.”
Sophie chuckled. “That sounds like an essay my daughter would have written! How about something simpler? How I’ll Make the World a Better Place.”
Ella smiled. “Generic, but perfect for an eighteen-year-old ready to conquer the world. Now I’m going to get to work, conquering these forms, and I’ll talk to you soon. We’ll want to hold a press conference to announce the scholarship before we mail out the scholarship applications. We’re reviewing them today, so that gives us about a month if we want them to be in the packet for all incoming freshmen.”
“Good, good.”
They said their good-byes, and two hours later, Ella had talked to the university’s in-house counsel and had reviewed the paperwork for the scholarship template. Since this was her first such donation at PMU, she wanted to become familiar with the legalities. Filling in as much as she could without Mrs. Gates, she made progress, and by the time she walked into her lunch meeting, the foundation for the scholarship had been set.
She was excited to attend the first scholarship meeting at the school. It consisted of a group of people that included the university president, members of the faculty, admissions, financial aid, and institutional advancement—the official title of Ella�
��s office. As she walked into the boardroom, she scanned the faces and was delighted to find most of them familiar. Remembering the names that matched the faces would be a challenge, but the agenda she grabbed on the way to her seat would help.
The luncheon was a simple affair of salad and sandwiches, and after depositing her briefcase on an open seat, she proceeded to collect her food. Mary Ann Bingham was all business as she began the meeting on time, and the tactic worked, as some committee members who were still queuing for their food grew silent and then scurried to their seats.
A total of 135 scholarships were to be awarded, and the committee’s job on this day was to review the criteria for each scholarship so the applications could be mailed to students who were accepted into the next freshman class. Most of this work was already done, because the committee simply reviewed the prior year’s checklist and duplicated it. In rare instances a scholarship changed, but it was Ella’s job as the one whose department had secured the funds to make sure they were distributed appropriately. In the next weeks, she or one of her associates would personally reach out to every contact person on that list of 135, thank them for their support, review the requirements, and make any necessary changes.
Before they even started, though, there was a change. Pocono Mountains University no longer offered 135 scholarships. Thanks to Sophie Gates, they had added another.
“For anyone who is new to this committee, let me explain the process. Today we review the scholarships. Ella Townes,” Mary Ann nodded in Ella’s direction, “and her staff will contact all the individuals and corporations and foundations who’ve established them and review the criteria as well as the gifts themselves. At our next meeting, which will take place on the first Tuesday in October, we’ll review the scholarship application that will be sent to all admitted students. By November, we should have some back, and the selection committee—that’s the people from admissions and financial aid, and with some exceptions development and department chairs—will begin ranking the applicants. In May, we’ll have the list whittled down to two or three choices for each scholarship. We will confirm their intentions to attend PMU and announce the recipients at the scholarship luncheon on Memorial Day Weekend.”
When Mary Ann paused for a breath, Ella asked, “Is this the appropriate time to announce a new scholarship?”
Ella’s eyes were on the university president, who arched her eyebrows in surprise, but she sensed that everyone else was looking at her. It was a good feeling.
“Ms. Townes, you haven’t even been here a month, and already you’ve gotten us a scholarship? That’s rather impressive.”
“Thank you.”
“Well, then, yes. This would be the perfect time to tell us about a new scholarship.”
“Sophie Gates, the former owner of GateWay Printing, has decided to make a gift to PMU. She’s funding four endowed scholarships in memory of her daughter Stephanie.”
“Four?” someone asked, and Ella nodded.
“For how much?” someone else asked.
“Full tuition, room, board, books, and a stipend.”
“That’s four million dollars,” someone else said.
“Yes, it is.”
Mary Ann Bingham smiled at Ella and asked her to share the details. Ten minutes later, she knew she’d earned the respect of everyone in the room. Her career at PMU was off to a great start.
When the meeting concluded, Mary Ann called out to Ella, and Ella waited to speak with her. Before she had a chance, the director of admissions, Dick Price, grabbed her arm.
“Congratulations, Ella. What a wonderful way to begin your career at PMU.”
Ella tried to control her smile. “Thank you. This’ll be hard to top.”
He laughed. “Stephanie Gates was a lovely young woman. I’m happy her mother is able to do this for her memory.”
“Oh, did you know her?”
He waved his hand dismissively. “Of course, of course. She was valedictorian of her class. She would have gotten the Cognitio if she’d come here. I met with her several times to show her what we had to offer.”
“I’m surprised to hear that. I thought she was heading to Cornell and vet school.”
“It would amaze you to learn how many times an eighteen-year-old can change their mind. Even the smart ones don’t know for sure what they want. So I meet with all the valedictorians I can and hope the seed I plant takes root.”
Ella nodded. It had been much the same for her. She’d wanted to go away for college, but she didn’t want to be away from her friends. She’d wanted to be far enough away that she could gain her independence, but not so far that she couldn’t drive home for the holidays. She’d wanted to be in a city, but not too big a city. Making a choice had been a little overwhelming, and she could appreciate that others felt the same way.
“Have you set the wheels in motion yet?” Mary Ann asked as she joined them, and Dick excused himself.
“Yes. Just this morning.”
“I’d like to meet with her, of course, to thank her. And we’ll do something wonderful to announce the scholarship.”
“I think she’d like that. It’s important to her to create a legacy so her daughter will be remembered. The more attention, the better.”
“Why PMU?” she asked.
Of all the things she and Sophie had talked about, that question hadn’t come up. Ella had been so thrilled about the scholarship, and moved by the memories of her friend, that she hadn’t thought to ask. She shrugged.
“Well, I won’t question it, then.”
Ella nodded in agreement, knowing she’d ask Sophie the first chance she had.
* * *
One of the most difficult aspects of Reese’s job was the constant switch from day shifts to evenings to overnights. Her Labor Day weekend schedule had consisted of three consecutive day shifts, followed by a day off, and now she’d transition into a string of evenings. If she truly left the ER at eleven o’clock, when she was supposed to, she wouldn’t have minded it so much. In reality, the hours between six and midnight were killers. It was a rare night that she was home before the clock struck twelve. More typically, she’d walk through her door at one in the morning, and by the time she showered and her mind stopped racing, it would be closer to two. In preparation for the night, she’d stayed up well after midnight and slept until nearly ten. As a result, she’d missed the phone call from the DA’s office when she was showering at eleven.
They’d been courteous enough to respect her schedule constraints and offered several options for her to come in and “talk” about the Stephanie Gates homicide investigation. After checking her calendar, she realized the option for the following Tuesday was the best bet for her. Besides, it was the first date they’d suggested, and as far as she was concerned, the sooner she talked to them, the better. Thinking about the case was totally nerve-racking, and she just wanted it over.
Trying not to think about it, Reese instead thought of Ella. She’d hung out with Reese’s friends for hours, and they’d all had a great time on the deck, talking and joking. Mindy brought her guitar and played for them, and they’d eventually lit a fire in the pit to chase the chill and the bugs away. Reese was disappointed when Ella decided to leave, but an hour later, when everyone else had departed as well, she’d sent her a text, thanking her for coming. To Reese’s surprise and delight, Ella replied with a winking smiley face and a four-word message.
The pleasure was mine.
They’d talked on Monday and taken a walk through the gorge with Cass and had another informal cookout at her parents’ house. Reese smiled. Even with the investigation hovering over her head, thinking of Ella made her happy.
* * *
He wasn’t sure how he’d set the wheels in motion, but the DA’s office helped him make up his mind when they called and asked him to come in and answer questions about Stephanie Gates. He managed to get an appointment for the same day, and that was perfect. The sooner they began looking at Reese as a su
spect, the better. Of course he knew that no physical evidence linked him to the crime, but if Cass ever told anyone what she’d told him, he’d have no alibi for the murder. In the past, an alibi was the only thing that had kept him from coming under scrutiny in Steph’s murder investigation. He needed to keep it that way.
But as much as he despised Reese for turning Steph on him, he didn’t actually want her to go to jail. And he knew she wouldn’t. They had no evidence to convict anyone of this crime. Throwing her out there as a suspect would just confuse things, and if he ever came under scrutiny, the same clouds of uncertainty would protect him.
Even so, it would be nice to watch Reese squirm. Always so confident and cocky, she’d paled at the golf tournament when the investigation was mentioned. She wasn’t stupid; she knew that, as Steph’s lover, she’d be the number-one suspect in her murder. He could imagine her dilemma as she debated how she’d answer the question if it was asked. Were you and Stephanie lovers?
He could imagine her weighing the odds, wondering if anyone suspected anything. What were the chances the police might divine the true nature of her relationship with Steph? Probably pretty slim, because he’d never once heard even a murmur about it, even after Reese came out of the closet.
It was his job to change the odds.
Two hours later, he met with one of the assistant district attorneys and went through many of the same questions he’d answered in the days and weeks after Steph’s accident. How did he know Steph? What had their relationship been? Where was he at the time of her murder? Could he think of any reason why someone would want to harm her? Did she have any enemies? They asked about classmates and events going on around the time of the murders, such as the prom and sporting events at school. He honestly couldn’t answer some details, and others he’d rehashed so many times he felt like the memories were real rather than fabricated. When he was done, the woman thanked him for his time and told him she would be in touch if she had any further questions.
He thanked her for her efforts to find the killer, not with an obnoxious amount of enthusiasm, but with the concern of an old friend. Before leaving the building, he sought another attorney in the office.