Chapter 30

Austin

Two anatomical diagrams of a plants. They are titled "(a) Vertical section," and "(b) Vertical section," and terms "stigma," "anthers," "style," and "ovary" are labelled.

“Is Grandpa happy at Brayside?” I ask my mom over dinner.

“I think so. Why?”

I focus on my food, worried I’ll give away what I’m really worried about. Is Grandpa going to lose his job? “How old is he now, anyway?”

“He’ll be sixty-three in December.”

He’s old, but not that old. “Do you think he’ll want to retire soon?”

Mom shakes her head. “I can’t imagine Grandpa retired. What would he do with himself?” Hearing Mom’s words does nothing to make me feel better.

After dinner, I’m supposed to be labeling the parts of a plant for science, but I can’t concentrate. Finding that job posting on Charlie’s desk has me all twisted up. On the one hand, I think I should tell Grandpa, warn him that his job is on the line.

But on the other hand, if I tell Grandpa what I found, Charlie will want to know how he found out. Grandpa could get in trouble for snooping. Or be mad at me because I was snooping. It doesn’t seem fair that Charlie would toss Grandpa out after seventeen years of working at Brayside. I can’t even imagine how Brayside would function without Grandpa there.

Which is what gives me an idea.

I have to make Charlie see how important Grandpa is to Brayside. But I can’t do it alone.