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Annie chuckled. “Well come on, then. You can follow me in your car if you’re going to leave from there? Or do you want to ride together?”
“I’ll follow you.”
Thirty minutes later, the women walked inside the school building together. Janet looked around at the newish looking building. “It’s nice,” she whispered to Annie.
“Yeah, oil money, you know,” Annie whispered back. “The county has lots of it, not to mention several rich benefactors. Come on, we have to check in at the office first.”
Janet trailed behind Annie, not knowing how Zach was going to react to seeing her show up out of the blue. She waited while Annie signed in. The receptionist gave her a pleasant enough look that held a touch of curiosity. Janet smiled at her and the woman initially smiled back—but that smile disappeared right after she looked at the sign-in sheet where Janet had placed her name under Annie’s.
The receptionist’s pleasant features shifted and became officious as she lowered her chin and appraised Janet over her glasses. “I don’t think we have you on file, Mrs. McIntyre. I’m afraid I can’t let you go in.”
Annie let out a stifled sound of impatience. “Oh, come on, Susan. We’re going to be late as it is. You know good and well who she is now and besides, I’ll vouch for her.”
“No,” the woman replied to them both in general. “You can leave your driver’s license and one other form of identification and we’ll run a check on you. Then, maybe next week you can come back. But you’re not going in today—and the boy’s father will have to sign off on the visits as well.”
“Are you for real?” Annie exclaimed. “It’s not like we’re in Dallas or some place where there’s a gazillion strangers! You know every single person in this town. You think she’s going to waltz in and steal Zach or something? Besides, you let Cade Montgomery’s grandparents in last week and they’re from Arkansas. I know you didn’t run a check on them,” Annie argued.
“Yes but they were with Cade’s mother, Mrs. Knowles. If you’d like to take Zach’s lunch in, by all means, please do so.”
Annie rolled her eyes and caught Janet’s gaze. “You want me to take his lunch in?”
“Do you mind?” she asked.
“Not at all. I’m so sorry about this,” Annie said as she glared at the receptionist.
“No problem.” Janet said, handing her the sack.
Annie took it, and said, “Okay. Gotta go.” And with that, she left the office.
“Okay,” Janet said as she turned her attention back to the school enforcer from hell. She managed to be calm and pleasant, despite the other woman’s remoteness. “What do you need from me for next time?”
“Driver’s license and another form of identification,” the woman said without a hint of a smile as she pulled a sheet of paper from a folder and handed it over. “And you’ll need to have the boy’s father sign this as well.”
Janet pulled her license and a credit card from her wallet and placed them on the counter between them. The woman scanned them both critically, for a ridiculously long time. With what could only be labeled a sneer, the woman asked, “This says your last name is Smith? Is that correct?”
“Well, it was, but now it’s McIntyre.”
“Yes, well, maybe after you take the time to get these items updated, we can take another look at them.”
Janet took the cards back, almost unable to believe the response she was getting—knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that this confrontation had turned personal. She’d tried—she’d tried incredibly hard to be amenable, but finally, the receptionist’s attitude got to her. “Do you have a personal problem with me?” Janet asked in the most neutral, reasonable tone she could muster.
“That’s ridiculous. I don’t even know you,” the woman responded with a bite, somehow managing to look down her nose at Janet while sitting down.
“Right. Okay.” Janet spun on her heel and left the building, impatience building at the animosity she was receiving.
****
She never mentioned to Jeff that she’d gone to the school. She’d thought about it, but the sight that had met her eyes when she’d arrived home had shocked her—but in a heartbeat, the shock had turned into delight. Jeff had undoubtedly fed Hannah her lunch, and the kitchen was in shambles from his endeavor. The high chair tray was covered in applesauce, a sippy cup upended on the floor, a puddle of milk beside it. Even as her heart softened, Janet stifled a laugh at the results of Jeff’s attempt at domesticity.
Wondering where they’d disappeared to, Janet began walking through to the study, but what caught her eye in the living room made her stop short and stare. Jeff lay dozing on the couch in jeans, t-shirt and boots, while Hannah sprawled against his chest in a diaper only. The kitchen may be a mess, but Hannah was as clean and shiny as a new penny. Her cheeks were rosy as she slept the sleep of a tired child, while Jeff appeared content as he dozed. The sight of the two of them in repose made Janet’s breath catch.
The scene at the school was all but forgotten as Janet went about her day, but that night at supper, Zach glanced up from his meal and caught her eye. “Hey, Janet. Thanks.”
She studied him, knowing exactly what he was thanking her for. “So you got it okay? Annie found you?”
“Yeah. It was pretty cool. Nobody’s ever brought me lunch at school before.”
Jeff had been listening the entire time and now, a look of confusion began brewing between his brows. “You took him lunch?” he asked before turning to his son. “Zach. Son. Are you telling me that other parents bring their kids lunch?”
Zach shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah. Sometimes. It’s no big deal.”
Jeff looked floored. And hurt, like he’d screwed up and royally so. Janet felt bad for him, and for Zach as well. “I didn’t know,” he said to his son in an apologetic tone. “That wasn’t goin
g on when I was in school.”
“Seriously, Dad. It’s no big deal—so many of the parents work, lots of kids don’t get lunch brought in.”
“What did you take him?” Jeff asked, his eyes flickering to her with something akin to appreciation or praise.
Just that small look of approval made a whisper of butterflies tease her tummy. “A burger and fries from the diner. Or at least, I tried to. Annie was with me. Or, I should say, I was with her. But no matter what she and I said, the woman manning the front office wouldn’t let me in to the cafeteria to deliver it myself.”
“Why not?” he asked, obvious irritation in his question.
“Because I’m not on the approved list,” she said, lowering her voice in mocking sarcasm.
“And how do you get on the approved list?”
“Two forms of identification—and she wouldn’t take mine because they still have my old name on them. So, I guess I’ll take care of that immediately. Oh, and I have a paper that you have to sign allowing me access to him.”
“Who is this woman? What’s her name?” Jeff asked with a frown.
Her lips flattened a bit when she recalled the woman’s rudeness. “All I know is that Annie called her ‘Susan’. And she wasn’t very friendly to me.”
“What do you mean?” he shot back immediately, his brows coming down as anger seemed to take hold.
“Never mind. It’s nothing,” she said, not wanting to make waves.
He turned his attention to Zach. “Do you know who she is?”
“Mrs. Nelson is the lady at the front, at least usually.” Zach shrugged. “But I don’t know if her name is Susan.” He glanced from his father to Janet and then down at his plate before he continued, “Anyway, it was cool, Janet. You can do it again if you want, but can I tell you one thing? I don’t want to hurt your feelings, though.”
