“Wecreated,” he insisted. “There were at least fifteen people involved in that decision. You just happened to be the one sitting in the chair when the music stopped.”
She leaned back against the headrest. “And now people are offering to weaponize his anger.”
There was a beat of silence as Mike acknowledged the truth of this statement. Then he said, “I’ll keep you posted. Try not to worry.”
“That’s like telling a fish not to swim.”
“I know.”
She ran a hand through her hair. “My girls are about to get in the car so ...”
“I understand,” Mike said. “Listen, we all know what this guy is threatening to do ... and we’re on it. I promise.”
“Thanks, Mike.”
“And we’re keeping your seat warm. It’s not the same without you ... and those cupcakes Olivia makes.”
She smiled. Olivia had discovered baking last year, and her experiments had kept the office well supplied with treats.
“I appreciate that. Talk to you later.”
She pressed the red button on her phone, ending the call. Then she tossed it into her purse in frustration.
How was she supposed to protect her girls when she couldn’t even protect herself?
Shouts, screams, and scratching noises brought her attention back to more immediate concerns.
She glanced out the window, where an ocean of children surrounded her SUV. The sounds of a zombie apocalypse and the sounds of children attempting to get in the car at the end of the school day were remarkably similar.
She pressed the unlock button, and Bella and Olivia climbed inside, both chattering like magpies.
Caitlin approached from the middle school side of the parking lot. She said nothing as she climbed into the car. Piper shot her a worried look. She’d seemed quieter since the conversation about Alex Orlov. More withdrawn.
But her sisters flooded the car with noise.
“Mom, did you order my new tap shoes?”
“Colton Lindenhurstpulled his pants downin PE today.”
“I’m starving.Did you bring snacks?”
“I left my water bottle at home, and I wasdying of thirst all day.”
Piper’s conscience prickled with guilt. She had seen the forgotten water bottle on the kitchen counter after school drop-off that morning and pretended like she hadn’t.
“Teddy Maxwell got a new pair of Nike tennis shoes that cost$400, and Gabriel Adelson smeared ketchup all over them at lunch. He wasso mad.”
She’d heard a mother of boys once complain that her sons didn’t talk about their day. She’d jokingly asked Piper to provide a transcript of everything she heard in her car on the way home from school so she’d know what was going on.
A quiet car ... What would that even be like? With self-reproach in her heart, she pushed away this temporary longing for silence. She wouldn’t trade her beautiful, funny, chatty girls for anything on the planet. But sometimes ... well, sometimes they werea lot.
“Move over, Bella, you’re sitting on mytiara.”
She headed left out of the school parking lot, and into an afternoon and evening of logistics calibrated down to the minute. Dance. Voice. Piano. Pick up sandwiches at Subway. Eat in the car. Then the big event of the day, Bella’s opening night performance as a scallop inSpongeBob: The Musical.
Piper closed her eyes and tried to quell the anxious tension roiling her gut. Then she asked the universe to open the emergency supply of patience she would need to get through the rest of her day.
Chapter Eight
