Hearts Around the Table: Josh's Third Serving

This third story about Angie Hartman--a family that has continued to support one another and to convene for Sunday dinners even with most of the children grown--centers on high-school math teacher and track coach Josh Adler: There is immediate chemistry between him and the new English teacher and afterschool band teacher Ella Hawthorne, but it dampens when they learn that the school's extracurricular-activities funding has been slashed in half. The cut negatively affects both track and band, but track has always been better funded than band. Josh and Ella must decide what to do as they compete for largely the same pool of other funding opportunities. What happens with the pursuit of funding affects what happens between Josh and Ella. This situation is set against the backdrop of the addition of a new member to Angie's house, another foster child, Gina Taylor, as her grandmother, her official guardian, moves into assisted care. Gina will be a student at Josh and Ella's school; her primary interest is music, so she wants to join the band--but she's been unofficially assessed as having behavioral issues that affect her schoolwork. Angie pursues getting her officially tested and diagnosed, which isn't as easy as just wanting it to happen. Angie's time is also split among helping with the fundraising issue, as both the arts and sports have helped her foster children, and helping Andrew with a secret project.