He rolls his eyes and backs out of the garage, but a tiny tilt at the corner of his mouth is enough to encourage me to continue.

“Being a brilliant educator must pay well.”

“Not as well as electing presidents, I’m sure.”

“I do all right, but the book deal was quite lucrative. Who’s your agent? What kind of deal did they offer? I’m telling you, Ezra, your book is fantastic and once it’s published, your whole life will change.”

“I like my life as it is.” He turns his attention away from the street long enough to spare me a quick smile. “When I was approached about writing the book, someone had seen one of the videos on our Instagram account and thought we had a story to tell.”

“They were right. Reading about your early days frustrated as a teacher, how you’ve built something for families who might otherwise have had to settle for an inferior education—it’s inspiring.”

“I want more people to know about our students and our story,” he says. “More donors and investors so we can continue helping students who can’t afford private school and live in places where, frankly, their schools suck. Your zip code shouldn’t determine the quality of your education.”

His passion, his dedication to his students deepens my understanding of the man he is now. Reading that manuscript filled in some of the gaps the years created.

“I don’t remember you wanting to be a teacher when we were growing up,” I say.

“I don’t think I did. I wanted to do well in school, of course, but I entered college unsure what I should do with my life.”

Something niggles my memory and breaks through. “Bubbe was a teacher!”

“She was before she retired; you’re right.” He angles an impressed smile at me. “Great memory. She was the reason I first decided to at least give teaching a chance, and I fell in love with it.”

“What do you like most about it?”

“The part I don’t get to do anymore,” he says ruefully. “Actually teaching. Seeing a mind expanding before your very eyes. Seeing things kids learn literally change the way they see the world and see themselves, reimagining what they’re capable of.”

He chuckles and shakes his head, one hand on the steering wheel. “Now it’s fundraising and administration and conferences and speaking engagements, though I do as few of those as possible.”

“Well, plan on speaking more. I make my living knowing things and I know this book is gonna be a huge success. You’ll be on morning shows and doing book tours before you know it.”

“You think so?” One brow dipped in skepticism lifts. “It’s not even a huge publisher.”