Page 42 of A Class of Her Own

We followed where she was pointing at the monitor and saw a skunk poke its nose out from the trampoline springs.

“He’s on the ladder,” Brooks breathed.

I fell off the couch onto my knees and got close to the screen. “It’s working. It’s totally working.”

Rocky the skunk, apparently sensing it was safe, climbed the rest of the way out and stopped to eat an apple slice. He picked up the second slice in his mouth and meandered away. The four of us sat in silence for a few moments, waiting—I suppose—for the other shoe to drop. That couldn’t be it, right? Just a three second ladder climb, apple snatch, and head out?

“I . . . think . . . we’re done here,” Brooks broke the silence with halting words.

“That was a lot of work for very little drama,” Ruby said. “I was hoping maybe there would be a skunk battle or suddenly an owl would swoop down and carry Rocky away. It would have made for a really great portrait.”

“I didn’t get a picture,” Aryn moaned. “It was so fast, and I was so surprised that I forgot.”

Silence again as we all processed that news, but then . . .

“Wait,” I looked around, a smile blooming on my face. “I won! My ladder worked, and I won!” I looked to Brooks. “I’d like to submit an item for next month’s HOA meeting.”

He groaned, but it was teasing, and the tip-tilted smile on his face caused those flutters to rise again. “What?”

“Skunk ladder. I have one and will happily rent it for a fee to neighbors who need help ridding their yards of nuisance animals. The money will be used to pay off all my tickets.”

Brooks laughed, and I found myself sharing a smile with him.

“Rocky was not a nuisance,” Ruby huffed.

Brooks and I laughed harder.

I walked him to the door while Ruby helped Aryn gather up her camera and monitor supplies. The feeling between us was more friendly than it had ever been, and I was sort of glad he’d been around for the skunk situation. He paused in the doorway after putting his coat on.

“You know, you have great friends,” he said.

Pleased, I smiled and nodded. “I really do.”

“Seems to me like friends say a lot about a person, don’t you think?”

“Depends on where you’re going with this,” I teased.

“Only that you can tell a lot about someone by the company they keep.”

I raised my eyebrows. “And what do you think my friends say about me?”

His lips rose in a mysterious half-smile that made my kneecaps feel squishy. “Probably more than you’d like for me to know.”

CHAPTER TWELVE

Monday morning came with a strong sense of guilt. While I’d confessed to Willow days ago that there was no Santa for the upcoming school party, I hadn’t had the guts to tell my committee. My main reasoning was that I thought I could still pull it off. However, with it being the very week of the event, I was forced to admit I was in a spot of trouble. I’d tried—I truly had—because I hated failure and worshiped follow-through, but even my stubbornness hadn’t made a Santa appear. So, bright and early I shot off texts to my friends. I didn’t include the PTA committee members because I wasn’t trying to start a whole thing. My thornback sisters and I could handle it.

Me: Emergency meeting in my classroom this morning

Ruby: What’s the emergency?

Aryn: Can you text us?

Me: This needs to be in person

Hailey: Topic of the emergency?

Me: Santa and cookies party

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