Free Where Dreams Begin by Phoebe Conn

his breath.
    “Cut it out,” Max emphasized with a shove. “She’s trying to do something good here.”
    “You go on and help her spread sunshine. I’ll be outside.” Rafael slung his backpack over his shoulder and left Max to deal with the books.
    “He’s just being a jerk,” Max complained. “He only reads comics.”
    After lunch, the crowd in the hall had thinned, but Nick ambled up to join them, followed by Polly, again wearing her purple high-tops and a print dress. “Need some help?” Nick asked.
    Catherine hoped that if she stepped out of the way, they would take the initiative and organize the center’s small library. “I brought some new shelves,” she said, “but I’m not sure how best to go about using them.”
    “Why don’t we take all the books off the old shelves and make sections for science fiction, true crime and chicks’ books,” Nick suggested.
    “I like science fiction, and I’m a chick,” Polly announced proudly.
    “Whatever.” Max sighed, but he began removing the books from the shelves and scattering them into piles on the floor.
    Luke walked up behind Catherine so quietly that she jumped when he spoke her name. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. Where did you get the new bookcases?”
    “Target. They’re inexpensive and sturdy, and there wasn’t room on the old shelves for the books I brought in.”
    “Get a form from Pam so you can list the donation on your taxes.”
    “Thank you, I will.” Catherine folded her arms across her waist and watched Max, Nick and Polly sort the books into several categories she would never have even considered.
    Luke turned his back toward the teens. “It’s clever of you to get them to do the work,” he whispered.
    “It’s a technique I found useful as a teacher,” Catherine confided softly. “If an adult appears perplexed by a problem, kids will leap in to solve it. Besides, they’re the ones who’ll be using the books, so they ought to put them where they can find them.”
    Luke’s voice was still low, but his meaning clear. “I won’t argue with your strategy, but in the future, make sure you have my approval before you purchase anything for use here at Lost Angel.”
    Catherine had expected him to thank her for not only keeping her promise about the books, but for providing additional shelves. It would have been the courteous thing to do, but clearly he preferred protocol to manners. She dropped her hands to her sides and turned to face him squarely.
    “As I’m sure you’ll recall, I received your approval to donate books last Thursday. They couldn’t be left on the floor.” Out of the corner of her eye, she spied Max, Nick and Polly pretending to sort books while they strained to listen.
    “I recall that conversation vividly,” Luke replied, “but, Mrs. Brooks—”
    “I understand your concern,” Catherine interrupted, “but now I have a question about something else.”
    Luke turned back toward the scattered heaps of books and jammed his hands into his pockets. “I’m almost afraid to ask what it is.”
    Catherine ignored his sarcasm. “I hadn’t stopped to consider this, and I should have, but Rafael just made a crack about some of the kids not being able to read. Is anyone doing any tutoring here to enhance the kids’ chances of getting good jobs or a GED?”
    “Education isn’t our focus. The city libraries sponsor literacy programs, and they’re readily available through adult education in many schools.”
    Catherine watched the muscles tighten along his jaw in a clear warning that she was treading on dangerous ground, but the idea was too good to abandon. “If they aren’t filling out job applications, the kids are sitting here all day rapping with their friends and playing games. Wouldn’t an opportunity to improve their reading skills be a worthwhile alternative?”
    “What about math?” Luke countered. “Hasn’t it occurred to you that their academic skills are lousy across the