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I hesitated in saying more. My thumb hovered over the button. I debated deleting the text but finally hit send. I’d leave the door open, but I wasn’t going to push her. She had enough shit to deal with.

And fuck, so did I. Tomorrow, I’d meet with Regina Thorne. Family Law.

Chapter Nine

Jaymi

With the morning bell, Lili entered my classroom alone. The other boys and girls giggled and chatted. The normal buzz of the day. However, Lili looked as miserable as I felt. A child shouldn’t have dark circles under her glassy eyes or carry the burdens of parents who couldn’t get along. Two weeks away from her dad had taken a toll.

On me, too.

During the first week, she’d chatted about not seeing her dad. But this week had been different. She’d become quiet and withdrawn. I found out that yesterday her mom had taken her phone away because she’d been caught trying to call him.

Now, Lili sat at her desk. She was quiet and distracted. I understood. Not seeing Brett was affecting me the same way. I couldn’t stand to see her hurting. Maybe I needed her as much as I think she needed me.

Earlier today, I’d prepared worksheets for practicing double-digit math problems and applying periods, question marks, and exclamation points on short sentences. The children were busy on theirs, but Lili was staring out the window. I made my way to her table and squatted down next to her. “How are you doing?”

She quickly picked up her pencil and pretended as if she’d been working on the assignment. “Good.” She glanced down at the first problem and used her fingers to count.

I gently rubbed her back, then I moved around the room, but my attention returned to Lili. She’d stopped working and stared into Taco’s habitat. When the first bell for morning recess rang, I dismissed the kids for their break.

Lili stayed at her seat at the table. “Can I stay in here with you?” Her big eyes pleaded for me to say yes.

“Sure. I was going to have some grapes. Do you want to share them with me?” I carried the plastic container to her table and sat in the small chair next to her.

She plucked a grape from the bunch and rolled it between her fingers, gently squeezed it, then put it in her mouth.

“I know you’re sad, Lili. Do you want to talk to me?” I tucked a loose tendril from her braid behind her ear. “I have two ears, so I listen pretty good.”

She chewed the grape with pinched brows. “What’s a resting order?”

That wasn’t what I expected her to ask. “I’m not sure.” But I had a pretty good guess. Lili was a listener, and she heard too much. Hopefully, her mom was keeping the details of her disagreements with Brett from Lili, but Lili was bound to hear bits and pieces. Resting sounded a lot like restraining.

She reached for another grape. “He must be really tired. Mom said he can’t talk to me right now. But I heard her talking to Ornery about my dad’s resting order.”

I nodded but didn’t say anything.

“Mom said I can’t bother him, but I don’t know how to stop. I try not to talk too much, but these things come into my brain and then come out my mouth.” Tears filled her eyes. “I try to be good, Miss Jaymi. But my mom says my attitude is going to get me in trouble.”

“Sweetheart,” I wanted to tell her that her dad wanted to see her, too, that he missed her, and that this wasn’t her fault. But I couldn’t know any of those things. “I’m sure your dad will call you as soon as he’s done resting.”

“I think he’s mad at me.” Her bottom lip trembled. “I just want to talk to him, but my mom said no.”

“Maybe there’s another way to talk to him.”

“I can’t. Mom took my phone, and she said he can’t come to our house anymore.”

I glanced at her paper and pencil. “Maybe you could write him a letter.”

She curled her fists into her eyes to wipe her tears. “I don’t know how to write long words.”

I dried her cheeks with my thumbs. “I can help you.”

She sniffed. “But my mom won’t let me see him. Can you give him the letter?”

Her words hurt my heart. “I can’t, Lili, but you should still write the letter. Can I tell you a story?”

She nodded and sniffed again.