Page 50 of Halo

My phone vibrates again, and I imagine it's a picture of them loading onto the bus—except when I glance down at the screen, my stomach drops.

It's an incoming call from Pinehurst Elementary.

“Hello?” I answer.

“Hey, it's Leah Harrison.”

For the briefest second, my lips curl at the sound of her voice. “Leah, hey, is … is everything okay?”

“Well, maybe. I'm not sure. Have you been in touch with Grady's mom?”

I duck into a quiet alcove, lowering my voice. “Today? No, I haven't. Why? Is something wrong? Is Grady okay?”

“Grady is okay. He's safe. We're about to leave for the children's museum, but … Tiffany isn't here yet.”

My eyebrows furrow trying to comprehend her words. “What do you mean she isn't there yet?”

“She's not here. Parent volunteers were asked to be here by eight-thirty, and—”

“Right, I'm aware,” I interrupt, trying not to panic. “But Tiffany drops him off in the mornings. If Grady's there today…” I pinch the bridge of my nose. “She has to be there somewhere. Or close by? Did y'all call her?”

“I've tried three times. The front office has tried twice. I even called her job to see if she worked overnight. She hadn't.”

What the hell, Tiffany?

“Okay, so … what do I need to do?” I ask.

“Nothing. I am sorry for having to upset you with this information.”

“No, no. Thanks for telling me.” I sigh. “How's Grady? Is he upset?”

She pauses. “He's—uh … I have him sitting next to me on the bus, and he's going to be okay.”

I curse under my breath. He’s not happy. “I don't know what to do,” I admit. “I feel like I should do something … but I can't just leave work. Shit, what do I do?”

“Hey,” she lowers her voice. “It's going to be okay. This day isn't turning out as planned, but it doesn't mean it's ruined. We're going to make this work, okay?”

“But … he needs me—”

“Of course, he does. But until you can be here, he has me. Okay?”

Some of the tension eases in my shoulders. Leah shouldn't be so familiar, and yet she has become the peace in the middle of my chaos once again. Simply knowing she's with Grady is more than enough to satisfy my worry.

After agreeing to pick up Grady after school, I quickly down the rest of my coffee and tuck my phone back into my pocket. I shove every ounce of frustration into the back of my mind, and jump back into work. The patient waiting for me deserves my full attention, even if my heart is somewhere else.

***

It's a little past four when I pull up to Grady's school. School let out over forty minutes ago, and the parking lot is near-empty. I park my truck next to the curb before hustling inside. Darrell was already notified of my situation, so he checked me in promptly before escorting me to the kindergarten wing.

Before I even start toward the classroom, a voice—a lovely, melodic voice with a gentle tone and a soft vibrato —echoes down the hallway.

“Look at the brachiosaurus eat leaves, their long necks can reach the trees …”

I glance up at the police officer, and he's already smiling, enjoying the private serenade. “She's a little songbird. I swear, she has a song for everything.”

The corner of my mouth curls as I quietly step toward her class like an ancient sailor to her siren song.

“There's that word again. Can you read it to me?”