Chapter 98
\nThree Years Later, He Came Back Begging novel Chapter 98<\/p>\n
The mayor\u2019s meeting about the Meadows School project wrapped up without any surprises. The department heads didn\u2019t push for any major changes, though a few details clearly needed some tweaking.<\/p>\n
As the meeting was winding down, Bonnie glanced through her notebook, pages already filling up with notes. She paused when she saw Odette\u2019s name\u2014Director of the Board of Education\u2014scrawled in the margins. It hit her that Meadows School actually fell under Odette\u2019s watch, though she hadn\u2019t realized it until everyone was already sitting down.<\/p>\n
Odette had given her a gentle smile when they first made eye contact. Her feedback during the meeting was genuine, the kind that came from someone who\u2019d seen everything from every angle. She explained what students, parents, and teachers actually needed. Students wanted comfortable classrooms, spaces to hang out, and places to unwind. Parents cared about safety and whether it would be easy to drop their kids off and pick them up. The teachers just needed things to run smoothly so their jobs weren\u2019t any harder than they had to be.<\/p>\n
Bonnie really respected Odette. She’d always known the woman was fiercely capable and cared deeply about students\u2019 well-being. Back when Bonnie was still a student at The Cabinda School, Odette was principal. She was everywhere\u2014dropping into classes, sharing meals with the kids in the cafeteria, and sometimes she\u2019d even stay a few nights in the dorms just to see how things really worked. She wanted to know what life was like so she could make it better.<\/p>\n
During today\u2019s meeting, Odette listened carefully and brought up only the most important points\u2014the ones that mattered. Bonnie made a star next to all of Odette’s suggestions. It made her realize that while she and Jim had focused on making the new school look impressive, they\u2019d missed some practical things. Like, there were too many open courtyards, too many steps. Getting from the school to the sports field was a hassle, and the whole layout could definitely use some work.<\/p>\n
After Jim finished his report, the Deputy Mayor called things to a close. Everyone started filing out, leaving just Jim and Bonnie packing up their laptops.<\/p>\n
Jim gave a half-laugh, half-groan. \u201cCan you believe it? The holiday\u2019s right around the corner, and they just handed us one more project. I\u2019m already buried, and do you see them giving me another graduate as good as you? Not a chance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bonnie smiled. \u201cWe landed something new?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah. Nestor hit me up this morning. Evergreen Estates has a new business park in the High-Tech Zone they want us to design. We need some concepts before the holidays, but my team\u2019s already stretched thin.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bonnie shook her head. \u201cI just help out. Jim\u2019s in charge of the design.\u201d<\/p>\n
Odette\u2019s eyes softened, a little like a proud mom. She\u2019d always had a soft spot for Bonnie, ever since Bonnie\u2019s high school days. Bonnie was smart, beautiful, even-keeled, never showy, but confident. Odette talked about her students all the time at home, proud of each one, but there was something a little extra whenever she mentioned Bonnie.<\/p>\n
Maybe it was because Bonnie was Shirley\u2019s daughter, a staff kid, which gave them a little more of a family feeling.<\/p>\n
Every once in a while, Lawrence would joke, \u201cYou adore her so much, should I try my luck?\u201d And honestly, Odette couldn\u2019t help thinking\u2014if Lawrence\u2019s wife was someone as wonderful as Bonnie, she\u2019d be thrilled.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-766","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/kampoengnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/766","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/kampoengnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/kampoengnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/kampoengnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=766"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}