‘Quite right,’ she told him. ‘Leo has been all smiles since he started here.’
Spencer sank on the inside, knowing he would have to inform Bonnie of her son’s close call with a full-blown panic attack in the park earlier. He swallowed hard, thinking it best to deal with one parent at a time. ‘Annette, Ryan is doing really well. He enjoys the activities and has no problem getting involved with any task set.’
Annette scoffed. ‘Of course he doesn’t have problems. There’s nothing wrong with him.’ The glare in her cool eyes asshe looked at the other children was somewhat rude. ‘My son is gifted. He’ll be an Olympic swimmer one day.’ Her glare moved to Ryan, who shied away.
‘He’s doing really well,’ said Beth, pushing her pram closer to the huddle. ‘I saw nothing but confidence in him today.’
‘And who are you?’ snapped Annette.
‘She’s Miss Horton,’ said Leo. ‘A teacher.’
‘Well I don’t need a school teacher to tell me about my son, thank you.’ She pointed at Spencer. ‘I left him inhiscare because Ryan’s coach recommended this place to help reduce stress.’
Spencer moved to Beth’s side. It was nice of her to step in, and he knew she had the experience to handle aggravated parents a lot better than him, but he had to deal with the issue himself. ‘I can assure you, Ryan is doing really well.’ He spotted the boys out the corner of his eye, nodding.
‘I hope so,’ said Annette, turning her back on Debra when she tried to speak. She placed a hand on Ryan’s shoulder and guided him towards the main entrance. ‘If I don’t see results soon, I’ll try some other form of therapy. One way or another, he’s getting back in the pool.’
Spencer opened his mouth to speak, but she’d stormed off. It was time to deal with Leo’s mother. ‘Bonnie, may I have a word?’
Leo took her hand. ‘It’s all right, Mum. I just got triggered in the park, but Miss Horton made me better.’
Bonnie’s gaze was on Beth. ‘Erm . . .’
‘We did some breathing exercises,’ Beth told her.
‘I calmed myself,’ said Leo.
Bonnie pulled him in for a hug. ‘And it worked?’ As soon as he nodded, she beamed at Beth. ‘Thank you so much. We’ve been working on some techniques at home, but it’s always good to have more in the toolbox, right, my little lion?’
Her cub held a look of proudness.
Bonnie turned to Spencer. ‘What triggered him?’
‘Donkey,’ said Jax, glancing at his dad.
Everyone knew what that meant, and Bonnie cupped Leo’s face as though checking him for marks.
‘I’m okay, Mum.’
‘One day that kid will get his karma,’ she told him.
‘Meanwhile,’ said Chris, Jax’s dad, ‘how about we buy some comics at the sweet shop to celebrate your wins today?’
Jax pointed down the hallway. ‘We wanted to do some painting.’
‘But comics sound good,’ said Leo.
Chris nodded. ‘Okay, let’s do some artwork and then go shop.’ He looked at Bonnie for confirmation, waited for a nod, then led the boys away.
Bonnie turned to Spencer. ‘Was Leo really okay? We don’t see any of the bullies often, but whenever we do, it’s a trigger. We’re thinking of moving away. In fact, it’s only this place that is keeping us close. Leo absolutely loves it here.’
Spencer smiled warmly. ‘He did really well with the breathing Beth taught him, gaining back control, and we think he’s an asset to the centre. We’re lucky to have him.’
Bonnie looked relieved. ‘He’s so excited to be part of the festival, and he can’t wait to go camping.’
‘That’s good to hear,’ said Debra. ‘We just want the centre to bring peace for people.’
Bonnie nodded. ‘It does. Take no notice of Ryan’s mum. Everyone flourishes here. You’re all doing a wonderful job.’
