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Chapter 11
The parking lot was deserted as they stood in front of the school, and Phoebe slid her hand into Lainey’s. Lainey squeezed, but let go when Phoebe tugged her hand away. As they reached the door, she murmured, “You can do this, Phoebe. Think of those mean girls as annoying gnats buzzing around you and ignore them. You survived on your own at that compound for a month, and I’m pretty sure none of those bullies could have done that. If you could handle that, you can handle pretty much anything. You’re the strongest young woman I’ve ever met.”
Her hand on the door, Phoebe glanced at her. Her lip quivering, she whispered, “My mom used to say that.”
“Then you should believe it. Your mom knew you better than anyone. Of course she knew how strong you were. How smart and brave you are.”
Biting her lip, Phoebe opened the door and stepped inside, and Lainey followed her in. “Let’s get your registered and set up.”
It turned out to be easier than Lainey had feared. The clerk in the office recognized Phoebe. The woman asked where she’d been, and Phoebe told her she’d been out of town, which was technically true.
Then the woman leaned closer. “Do you still have your notebook from last year, Phoebe?” she asked in a low voice.
Phoebe stared at the floor, and Lainey longed to reach for her hand. But she didn’t want to embarrass the girl. “I forgot it,” Phoebe whispered.
Lainey drew a deep breath to calm the anger that rushed through her toward Art Larsen. Then she said to the woman, “Can I set up a school account for Phoebe? So she can buy the supplies she needs and her lunch?”
The woman transferred her gaze to Lainey and her eyes softened. “Of course you can. That’s what most of our parents do. All I’ll need is a credit card, and I’ll issue Phoebe a school card. Everything she puts on her card will be charged to the credit card.”
“Excellent.” Lainey pulled out her wallet and slid a credit card across the counter. When the woman turned away to set up the account, Phoebe leaned close. “Why did you do that?” she hissed beneath her breath. “I can’t pay you back. Not until I get a job.”
“Phoebe, you need supplies. You need to eat lunch.” Suppressing the tears threatening to leak from her eyes, Lainey forced herself to smile. “I’m an accountant. I have a budget, and there’s plenty of room in it for your lunches and school supplies.” She leaned closer. “I expect you to buy what you want to eat, not the cheapest thing on the menu. Okay?”
Phoebe stared at her toes, and Lainey realized that was exactly what she’d intended to do.
“You need to be careful about what you eat,” Lainey said, trying to sound calm. Rational. “After living on apples for so long, you need to eat balanced meals. Protein. Vegetables. Fruit. Promise that you will.”
After a long moment, Phoebe nodded. “I promise,” she muttered.
“Great. And just so you don’t worry, I have enough money to get you clothes this afternoon, too. Unless you’re planning on buying Armani or Dior or some other fancy designer?”
She got a weak smile from Phoebe. “No designers,” she said, swallowing hard. “Maybe Target?”
“Yeah, Target sounds good. I’ve liked the clothes I’ve gotten there.”
“You shop at Target for your clothes?” The girl studied her with astonished eyes. “You look great.”
“And you will, too, once we’re through there. Okay?”
“Okay,” she whispered.
Before Lainey could say anymore, the clerk came back with her credit card, and she slid it into her wallet. Thanking the woman, she and Phoebe exited the office and walked down the deserted hallway, their shoes echoing in the silence. When they reached the corridor where Phoebe would go to class, Lainey said, “I’ll pick you up after school. In the parking lot. Okay?”
“You have to work, don’t you?” Phoebe asked, frowning.
“One of the perks of owning my own business it that I can rearrange my schedule. After I pick you up, we’ll do a Target run.”
Phoebe surprised Lainey by throwing her arms around her in a tight hug. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Lainey hugged her back, lingering for a moment longer than necessary. “You’re welcome. Have a good day. I’ll see you this afternoon.”
Once at her desk in the office, it was hard for Lainey to keep her mind on her work. She wondered if Phoebe had reconnected with any friends. If her teachers had given her a hard time, or had been understanding about her absence. She even called Brody once between clients to tell him how the registration had gone.
“Thanks for calling,” he murmured. “I’ve been wondering how it went.” There was a long pause, then he whispered, “I miss you.”
“Miss you, too,” she replied in a low voice before ending the call.
After staring at the now blank screen of her phone, she slid it into her pocket and shoved Brody out of her mind. She was at work. She needed to focus on her business.
