Page 14 of Molly
Drew’s eyes danced with mischief. “Is she? Funny how you didn’t mention that little tidbit before when we were talking.”
Ben glared at his colleague, which only made Drew laugh out loud.
Ben turned to me. “Forgive him. He’s really a psychiatric patient who somehow managed to escape his restraints.”
So much unspoken dialogue going on between those two that I didn’t dare touch with a ten-foot pole. “I need to head out anyway. Nice meeting you, Drew.”
“You too, Molly. Maybe we’ll see you at the fundraising picnic next month?”
I glanced at Ben for direction, but not only did he not say anything, his jaw had resumed that tension-driven tic. I made some sort of non-committal reply then smiled a final farewell.
* * *
Chloe waved to me from the pick-up line of the preschool, her mismatched outfit beaming confidence like a colorful toucan in an aviary of perfectly put-together house wrens. I shook my head and grinned. If I had the gumption to choose clothing without taking into consideration match and clash, I’d resemble a clown escaped from the circus and not the darling little thing pumping her arm from the blue front porch bench.
My gut twisted with a bittersweet ache as my gaze wavered from Chloe and scanned the façade of the school, then brushed over the other students waiting for their parents in line. I’d been a teacher on drop-off and pick-up duty when I worked at the school, but I’d never been on this side of the queue before.
Witnessing Ben’s freak-out this morning had broadened my perspective of the last couple of days. Being fired still stung, especially considering I didn’t think I’d done anything wrong. But my opinion had shifted in regard to my new position. Taking care of Chloe wasn’t just a new job, it was a purpose. And I wasn’t there to only take care of her, either. Her dad needed some looking after as well. Whether he realized it or not. This dawning comprehension helped ease the sting of losing my job at the school, but I still missed my students and the classroom.
I squared my shoulders and shifted my grip on the steering wheel.You may be out of the classroom, but you’re still employed, and your professional experience doesn’t end at Bay Street Montessori. You’re working with kids. Er, one child. Now is a time for one-on-one instruction. And you’ve been given an opportunity to make a real difference in a family’s life.
Bolstered by my pep talk, I smiled as I eased the car forward, then determinedly kept it in place while Mrs. Bardowski walked Chloe to the other side and opened the passenger door.
Not awkward at all.
“Miss Molly!” Chloe squealed and climbed across the seat to squeeze my neck.
I patted her shoulder, then encouraged her to climb into the back and buckle herself into the five-point harness car seat I’d wedged in there earlier. There were good reasons why so many of the vehicles in the car line were minivans.
Mrs. Bardowski shifted her weight from one foot to the other, her gaze bouncing between watching Chloe fumble with the harness straps of her car seat and fleetingly regarding me in the driver’s seat.
“I trust you had a pleasant morning, Mrs. Bardowski.” I tried to mean the words with my whole heart, but a part of me hoped she’d stepped on a stray jack with bare feet. I pushed my lips even farther into a fake smile to conceal my thoughts.
Her returning smile appeared as stilted as mine felt. “Yes, thank you.” She ducked her head to be able to see Chloe through the open window. “See you tomorrow, Chloe.”
Chloe waved goodbye and I pressed on the accelerator. The sting would lessen after a few days and I’d be able to pick up and drop Chloe off without feeling like the cartoon drawing of the frog choking the throat of the bird.
“How was school?” I peered into the rear-view mirror to look at Chloe.
“We learned the letter S. Sun, snake, spider. S.”
My chest expounded in teacherly pride. Watching the lightbulb go off in kids’ brains as they grasped concepts gave me a satisfying thrill. “Very good.”
She beamed at me, kicking her feet into the back of the passenger seat.
“What do you want to do now? We can go back to your house and play and read books, or we can go to the park for a little bit if you’d like.”
“Books!”
I flinched and covered my ear with one hand. “We’re still inside the car, so let’s use our inside voices, okay?”
She grinned and continued kicking her feet. I’d need to clean the scuff marks off the leather, but at least my back had been spared her happy, booted strikes.
We pulled into the driveway, and I killed the engine. No one would look at the Reed house and think a doctor lived there. The single-family home with its paint-chipped siding was modest if not entirely modern. Then again, Ben had stressed he was still a resident, so he probably didn’t make as much money as one would associate with a doctor’s salary. Then there were student loans. Thankfully Dad had let me use his GI bill to pay for college, or I’d be racking up my fair share of debt as well.
I unbuckled Chloe, then used the key Ben had given me earlier to unlock the house. Chloe raced to a low bookcase filled with stacks of picture books and selected half a dozen or so, cradling them to her chest. The middle of her book sandwich began to ooze out like the gooey center of a grilled cheese. I dashed across the living room and rescued the books before they fell on her toes.
Sitting on the dark-gray mid-century modern style couch, I picked up the top book in the stack.Pete the Cat. I opened to the first page.
