by Sewell, Earl
More Than Words:
Bestselling authors and real-life heroines
Every year, Harlequin’s More Than Words award is given to three real-life heroines, women whose courage and vision have helped change people’s lives for the better. Once again, three bestselling Harlequin authors have written stories inspired by these remarkable women.
In The Gift of a Good Start, teacher Olivia Harris could lose more than her job when budget cuts threaten to close her school. Olivia’s nonprofit group, which helps students in need, is also at risk.
Determined to save her charity, Olivia attends an awards banquet, hoping to meet potential donors. Handsome and charismatic Langston Hill supports the Children’s Hospital, and at first, Olivia thinks he could be an ally, someone to help her nonprofit reach the next level. But Langston works for the board of education—he’s on the committee that’s trying to close her school. Olivia cares about Langston, but how can she love a man who might be responsible for shattering her dreams?
Look for all three ebooks inspired by real-life heroines: Red at Night by Katie McGarry, You Are Here by Liz Fichera and The Gift of a Good Start by Earl Sewell. Visit the Harlequin More Than Words website, at www.HarlequinMoreThanWords.com, or your favorite ebook retailer to download these free novellas today.
EARL SEWELL
More Than Words
The Gift of a Good Start
Dear Reader,
For a decade, Harlequin has been a leader in supporting and bringing awareness to women’s charitable efforts. Through Harlequin More Than Words we have had the opportunity to celebrate and encourage women who are actively working to improve their communities. Each year we honor three women who have made extraordinary differences in the lives of others, and a donation of $45,000 is divided equally among their charitable causes.
We are also pleased to spotlight the current Harlequin More Than Words recipients by enlisting three talented Harlequin authors who have written fictional stories inspired by these remarkable women and the charities they support. All three ebooks—Katie McGarry’s Red at Night, Liz Fichera’s You Are Here and Earl Sewell’s The Gift of a Good Start—are free to download at HarlequinMoreThanWords.com and other e-tailers.
In addition, More Than Words: Acts of Kindness brings together three of the most popular More Than Words stories by three bestselling authors for the first time. Whispers of the Heart by Brenda Jackson, It’s Not About the Dress by Stephanie Bond and The Princess Shoes by Maureen Child will be available at Harlequin.com or on the shelves of your favorite bookstore in March 2014.
All six of these stories are beautiful tributes to current and past Harlequin More Than Words recipients, and we hope they will inspire the real-life heroine in you.
For more information on how you can get involved, please visit our website at HarlequinMoreThanWords.com.
Together we can build strong communities!
Sincerely,
Loriana Sacilotto
Executive Vice President, Editorial
Harlequin Enterprises Ltd.
Diller Community Foundation
Name: Elizabeth Roelfs
Hometown: Diller, Nebraska
Recipient’s Related Charity: Diller Community Foundation
Website: www.nebcommfound.org/affiliated-funds/find/details/1859
How Elizabeth inspires others:
As a little girl, Elizabeth Roelfs saw the movie Of Mice and Men for the first time. The film—which is about the plight of a mentally challenged man—made Elizabeth think to herself, “Things have to be different than that.” Ever since then, Beth has been committed to helping people who are undervalued become recognized and allowed to contribute to their best ability.
As a special-education instructor in Diller, Nebraska, Beth has helped instill a culture of respect and dignity for all—especially for those who are challenged—among the school children. Beth has also distinguished herself as a member of the Diller Community Foundation, whose goal is to ensure that the small, rural district remains vibrant for future generations by attracting new jobs and opportunities to the area, and by funding local youth programs.
Beth coordinates such diverse programs as Big Buddies/Little Buddies; an entrepreneurial course; an effort that helps kids purchase school uniforms and supplies; and a summer reading program that enables children to participate in fun, literary-themed activities.
These youth-oriented programs are not only intended to aid those in need but also to actively involve the young people of Diller by giving them a voice in community plans and projects.
Coming from a small district has its challenges because “everyone here has to wear multiple hats and be willing to volunteer in a lot of different areas,” Beth says. The entire Diller community is a cross-connected, unified system to which everyone contributes. Beth hopes her nomination is a way to show the pride, support and commitment that all of Diller feels for their community.
About the Author
Earl Sewell earned his undergraduate degree in fiction writing from Columbia College in Chicago and is currently pursuing a master of fine arts degree from Goddard College. Earl’s YA novels in his Keysha and Friends series for Kimani Tru have made him a librarian and teen fan favorite. He currently resides in South Holland, Illinois, and is working on his next novel. To learn more about Earl and his books, visit his website at www.earlsewell.net.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter One
Olivia Harris leaned forward into a strong blast of wind, moving steadily with her head bowed to keep dust particles from blowing into her eyes. As she approached the entrance of the inner-city Chicago school where she worked, she feared the unforgiving wind would snatch the papers she had graded and send them sailing through the air like kites without their strings. Once she was safely inside the building, she was greeted by Claude, one of the school’s janitors.
“Good morning, Miss Harris. Kind of windy out there today, isn’t it?” Claude said as he pushed a broom across the floor.
“Yes it is, Claude.”
“I bet you were worried those papers would blow out of your hand. If they had, I would have come out and helped you retrieve them,” he said, resting the broom against the wall.
“I know you would have.” Olivia smiled, maneuvering around a gray trash barrel and continuing on her way toward her classroom.
“Miss Harris.” Olivia recognized the voice of Principal Bowen coming from behind her and pivoted on her heel.
“Yes,” she said.
“We’re having an emergency staff meeting in the library in ten minutes.” A frown tugged at the corners of Principal Bowen’s mouth. Olivia sensed something awful had happened, but she couldn’t imagine what.
“Are you okay?” Olivia asked.
“Yes, I’m fine.” The other woman’s eyes were glistening and seemed incongruent with her words. “It’s important that you come to the meeting in the library.”
“Okay. I’ll just put my things in my classroom,” Olivia said and held the principal’s
gaze for a moment before she kept walking. Once inside her classroom, she set the graded papers on the right corner of her desk. She pulled back her squeaky chair and opened the center desk drawer. Grabbing a notepad and a pen, she headed to the library where she took a seat next to Robyn, a coworker who taught music and phys ed.
“Do you know what this is about?” Olivia asked her friend.
“I have no idea,” Robyn said. “The office staff is directing the kids to the gym where they can keep an eye on them.”
“I saw Mrs. Bowen a moment ago and she looked shaken.”
“If I had to guess, this is probably just about some new educational requirement the state has adopted.”
“Maybe.” Olivia scribbled on her notepad to get her ink pen to work. Principal Bowen entered the room and waited for the chatter to subside. She took a deep breath and slowly let it out.
“There is no easy way to say this, so I’m going to tell you what you need to know.” Her voice was anguished. “Our school is set to close at the end of the year. You may have heard rumors in the media that the school board has a serious budget deficit and has decided to shut down a number of schools to reduce expenses. Our school, which is the educational home to the brightest children from kindergarten through to grade eight, is on the proposed list of closures.” Principal Bowen’s words hung in the air like a dark rain cloud that had just unloaded.
Olivia leaned in toward Robyn. “Did I hear her correctly?”
“I was about to ask you the same question,” Robyn said.
“I don’t like delivering this news and I know that it’s not easy to hear,” Principal Bowen said grimly, dabbing the corners of her eyes with her fingertips.
“Why is our school being targeted? We’re the top performing school in our network,” Robyn said, making no effort to mask the exasperation in her voice.
“Robyn, the message that I received is that the powers that be feel our school is underutilized,” Principal Bowen responded.
“You mean underrecognized.” The words were out of Olivia’s mouth before she had a chance to filter them.
“I agree with you, Olivia.” Principal Bowen met her gaze. “We’re not getting the respect or recognition that we deserve.”
“How long have you known that this was going to happen?” asked Ed Thomas, the fourth-grade teacher.
“I was informed early this morning. When I tried to ask more questions, I was interrupted and told that someone from Human Resources would be visiting the school to provide additional information.”
“That’s it? We’re just supposed to accept this? After going on strike and fighting for our retirement and better wages, we’re now faced with the possibility of being terminated?” Olivia said, disbelief infusing her tone.
“I know it’s a hard pill to swallow and this isn’t fair to any of us, Olivia. I know you and everyone else in this room are passionate about making a difference in the lives of students,” Principal Bowen said sympathetically. She positioned herself in front of the school librarian’s desk and rested against it.
“What school will our kids go to if we close?” Robyn asked.
“I was told Burlington Academy,” Principal Bowen replied.
“With all due respect, Burlington Academy is an underperforming school,” Olivia said. She wondered why the administration had not considered how well their school was performing.
“This isn’t right,” Ed bellowed, slapping the palm of his hand down hard on the wooden table he was sitting at. “Have parents been notified of this?”
“The administration has forwarded a letter to all parents, notifying them of the likelihood of closure. The administration does plan on holding a public hearing and taking into consideration the comments of parents and other community leaders before a final decision is made,” the principal explained.
“It sounds to me like we need to get ready for a fight. If we can get the community and parents involved, we should have a better chance convincing the administration to take our school off their list,” Olivia said.
“Olivia, I believe there will be a lot of ugly fighting and finger-pointing about this decision. The sad thing is that the children are the ones who will be caught in the crosshairs,” Principal Bowen said, shifting uncomfortably.
“Well, hell. I plan on giving them one heck of a fight. We go above and beyond the requirements of the administration and we have the data to prove it,” Olivia blurted unapologetically.
“If, in the end, our school does close, is the administration going to offer us jobs at other schools?” asked Allison Haines, the reading specialist.
“I was told around sixty schools will be closing, so I’m not sure if there will be opportunities at other locations....”
“Sixty schools! Classroom sizes are going to swell at the schools that stay open. Teachers and students are going to feel the pressure of that. I don’t see how an overcrowded classroom is going to help anyone. This is the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard of,” Robyn interjected.
“What about severance? How long will we get unemployment?” Ed asked.
“Again, someone from Human Resources will be visiting to answer those kinds of questions,” the principal responded. Calmly, she added, “I can appreciate how difficult it is to hear this, but I wanted everyone to receive the news from me and not on the evening newscast. I’m equally disappointed and, unfortunately, there’s nothing that I can do.” She paused and briefly held on to her next thought. “If you need to, you can take the remainder of the first period to digest the news. If anything changes, I’ll let everyone know right away. So, that’s it. That is all I have to say. Any more questions?” After seeing that no one had any more questions or comments, Principal Bowen headed for the door.
Olivia took in a deep breath and released it. “What a crummy way to begin the day,” she muttered, then wrote the word crummy on her notepad.
* * *
Olivia decided not to take the remainder of first period to process the bad news. She exited the library, walked down the hallway and entered the gym.
“Can my students please line up against the wall?” she called out above the buzzing noise of all the young voices. She had to repeat herself and hold up her hand so that her third-grade students would notice her. Once they had, they obediently formed a line in front of her.
“Are you guys ready for a fun day?” Olivia forced her voice to sound enthusiastic.
“Yes!” they all answered. Olivia focused on their beautiful faces and wide eyes of varying colors. She loved them all as if they were her own.
“I read my book, Miss Harris,” said Letha. She was a pudgy girl with hazel eyes and an infectious smile.
“Did you like it?” Olivia asked.
“Yes, and I read all of the words without any help.”
“That’s great. I’m so proud of you.” Olivia leaned over and gave the girl a hug. When Olivia met Letha earlier in the school year, she was very quiet and kept her head down most of the time. Whenever she tried to converse with her, Letha mumbled as if she had sand lodged in her throat. But Letha had slowly come out of her shell, and Olivia felt great about helping her develop socially and emotionally.
Olivia walked her students back to the classroom and got them settled. She had already made the choice to not let the disappointing news ruin her day.
Several hours later, when the dismissal bell rang, Olivia walked her students outside and waited for their parents and guardians to pick them up. She told as many parents as she could catch about the proposed school closure. As she had suspected, the people she told weren’t happy about it and said they would be willing to do whatever it took to keep the school open.
“As soon as I find out when the public hearing’s going to be, I’ll send a note home with your child,” Olivia said to each one of the parents she spok
e to. Once all of her students had been picked up, Olivia headed home for the evening.
* * *
Olivia opened the door of her condo and placed her purse on the end table near the entrance. She locked the door, unbuttoned her blouse and unclasped her bra as she moved toward her bedroom. After hanging up her clothes, she took a shower and put on her favorite pajamas. Then she grabbed her iPod from atop her dresser and placed it on the docking station in the dining area. She selected her favorite playlist and listened to Adele’s voice fill the space in her condo. She needed an ice cream fix. Bad. She opened the freezer door on her fridge and removed a pint of Ben & Jerry’s Karamel Sutra. Fishing a spoon out of the drawer, she headed for the balcony. She took a seat, scooped out some of the ice cream, closed her eyes and savored the taste of the soft caramel encircled by chocolate and fudge chips. The moment of indulgence was pure bliss to Olivia
Olivia’s high-rise building had an unobstructed view of Lake Michigan. As she looked out at the blue horizon where the water met the sky, she thought about the news she’d received earlier and what it meant, not only for her future as a teacher, but for the future of the nonprofit foundation she’d set up five years ago to assist students who needed help purchasing school supplies and getting additional academic support. She was inspired to start her nonprofit after her friend and college roommate forwarded her a link to an online article about the Diller Community Foundation. Olivia’s college roommate, whom she had kept in contact with over the years, knew that Olivia wanted to start some type of nonprofit. Olivia read the article about how the foundation was making a difference in the lives of young people in Diller, Nebraska. The foundation assisted struggling families with the purchase of school uniforms and supplies, among other things. The story inspired Olivia. She was enthusiastic and resolute about helping young people in the community she served in a similar way. Her passion for youth and education was in her DNA—her great-grandparents, grandparents and parents were all educators or community leaders. Through hard work and faith, Olivia launched her nonprofit organization called It Takes A Village. She believed that taking care of and educating children was not only the responsibility of parents, but the responsibility of members of the community where the children lived. Everyone could help in ways big or small to shape and nurture a young person. Like the Diller Community Foundation, Olivia’s organization helped to purchase school supplies for her students and offered tutoring to students who had to miss a significant amount of class time due to illness or some other life event. Since she started the organization, numerous students who would have otherwise fallen through the cracks had gotten the help and support they needed. Olivia’s foundation primarily served the children at the school and in the community where she worked. Now, if her school closed, she’d lose the physical space that Principal Bowen had provided for her.