“That’s good. I have to be back at school by one.”
Gus frowned. “I thought you didn’t have any set times.”
“Mostly, I don’t. But I have two IEP meetings scheduled for this afternoon.” The first IEP meeting was at one thirty, and it promised to be tense. She’d never met this family. The student had recently graduated from eighth grade and was moving up to the senior high school. But she’d heard through the rumor mill that her parents could be rather intense.
She didn’t blame them. If she had children, she would want the best for them too.
Mia went into the kitchen and made Gus a quick lunch. She was carrying it out when the front door opened and Jane FitzPatrick sailed into the room.
“Jane!” Gus called out with a little cough. “It’s so nice to see you, dear.”
Mia hurried into the living room. All the lights were on. Outside, through the big bay windows, ominous clouds advanced across the sky, obliterating any sunlight that might have come in through the windows.
Jane gave her aunt a quick hug, backing away as soon as she could. “Of course, Gus. I got a late start, but I’m here now.”
Gus coughed again. Mia’s brows furrowed. Then the heavy aroma of perfume enveloped her.
“Oh! Jane, can we talk for a moment?” She kept a pleasant smile on her face. Jane could be sensitive, and the last thing Mia wanted to do was offend her cousin.
Jane followed her to the kitchen, her heels clicking on the linoleum floor. “So, are we going to talk about the…details?”
“Yes, but first, and I apologize, but I’m going to ask you to wash off your perfume.”
“What? This is my favorite! It doesn’t come cheap.”
“I understand. But Gus can’t handle anything scented right now. It makes it difficult for her to breathe, and that’s not good for her heart. Otherwise, I wouldn’t care.”
Grumbling, Jane stuck her wrists under the faucet and scrubbed the perfume off. A little of the scent lingered, but it was light enough that it shouldn’t be a problem.
“Thanks, Jane. It is lovely.” She didn’t really care for perfume, but Jane had good taste. Mia handed Jane a list she’d typed out. “I made you this so you could see what Gus needed, including her medications and times.”
She’d also included payment details.
Jane read it over. “Leave it with me.”
“I really appreciate it. I need to return to school, but I’ll have my phone on. It will be silenced when I’m in a meeting, but I’ll call back as soon as I can if you need me.”
“We’ll be fine. Gus and I have always gotten along.”
Gus got along with everyone, but Mia nodded and thanked her cousin again.
She shouldered her purse and bussed Gus’s cheek. “I’m heading back. Jane’s got everything under control.”
Gus smiled, and she whispered a quick prayer for Mia’s safety. Mia waited for the prayer to end, then waved at Jane and shot out the door. Thankfully, Jane hadn’t blocked her in.
As she drove, the words of Gus’s prayer reverberated in her mind. There was a heaviness in her chest. Mia hadn’t been brought up in an atmosphere of prayer. In fact, the only time she’d gone to church was when she went with Jackson and his grandfather. It had touched her. And for a short time, the idea of a loving Father had filled her with hope. She’d wanted that. She’d wanted to know Jesus was Lord of her life. That she always had someone in her corner.
Until she’d lost everything she cared about. Surely, if God truly loved her, He wouldn’t have taken her baby. Or let Jackson destroy her heart and her reputation. Wouldn’t He have given her parents who cared? As it was, her parents had acted like she was invisible after they’d learned she was pregnant.
Mia shoved those memories away.
She pulled into the school parking lot at ten minutes past one. Gathering her bag and a crate of books, she strode toward the school’s main entrance, stopping twice to readjust her grip on the crate. Why hadn’t she grabbed her badge? She’d have to set the crate down to search through her bag for it so she could enter.
The door opened and a man held it for her. She thanked him and entered the building.
She walked past the front desk and greeted their secretary. “Good morning, Joyce.”
Joyce Melsh, who’d been the secretary for nearly twenty years, returned her greeting with a stressed one of her own. “Mia, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your one-thirty appointment is already here.”
