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In the car, she made sure both girls were buckled before she pulled out of the parking lot and headed to the interstate. She hated that the doctor’s office was on the other side of town from the kids’ school, but they had been at the practice since they were babies, and she couldn’t bear to change it.
Twenty minutes later, she slammed her fist against the steering wheel. “Why aren’t we moving?” she said through gritted teeth. “We’re going to be so late.” She glanced at the clock and knew Carter would be waiting for them outside the school. At this rate, he would be the last kid there, and they might take him back into the office.
She couldn’t let that happen.
Only once had she been late to pick him up. Right after they lost Kyle and she started her job, she misjudged the time to get to the school and they took him to the office. By the time she arrived, Carter was sobbing, worried something bad had happened to her too.
Reaching for her purse, she grabbed her phone and tried to think of who to call. Her parents were out of town. Maybe her sister could help. She pushed the button and listened to it ring over and over before she finally answered.
“Hey,” Claire said, her voice sounding hoarse.
“Are you okay?” Hailey asked.
“Yeah, I mean, no, not really. I think I have the flu. I’ve been in bed all day.”
“Oh no, I’m so sorry. I just took the girls to the doctor with coughs and fevers, but they’re negative for the flu. I’ll let you go.”
“Did you need something?” Claire asked.
“Well, yes, I’m late to get Carter, and I’m stuck in traffic. But it’s okay. Get some rest.”
“I’m sorry.”
Hailey barely heard her sister’s words as she hung up the phone. Who else could she call? If Kyle was here, she would have asked him to plan to pick Carter up before she even went to the doctor’s appointment. She knew she wouldn’t make it in time. But that didn’t change the fact that there was no one to help today.
Kyle. Why can’t you be here? You would probably be working from home today. It was Friday, and every other Friday the company let them work from home.
Working from home? Wouldn’t Landon be working from home today? His house was five minutes from the elementary school.
No, she couldn’t call him. She hadn’t spoken to him in months, no more than a greeting as they passed each other at church. What would he think if she called him and asked for an emergency favor?
Hailey bit her lip as she looked at the clock again. Still, she was out of options, and she couldn’t stand the thought of Carter standing on the sidewalk alone wondering where she was. She sighed and pressed the button on her phone to find his number.
After two rings, he answered. “This is Landon.” His voice sounded professional and exactly like Kyle sounded when he was in full-on work mode. Maybe she shouldn’t disturb him after all. Her voice seemed to catch in her throat. “Hello?” Landon asked.
“Hey, Landon, it’s Hailey.”
“Hey, what’s up?” His tone changed to a more casual sound, and she realized he must not have her number in his phone. Why would he? He had been Kyle’s friend, not hers.
“Are you at home? Or close to town, I mean?”
“Yep, I’m working at home today. Is everything okay?”
“Yes, sort of. I mean we’re fine, but I’m late to pick up Carter from school because I had to take the girls to the doctor, and we’re stuck in traffic on the interstate.”
“Oh, gotcha.” He cleared his throat. “Need me to go pick him up? Can I do that? Do I have to be on a list or something?”
“You’re on the emergency list.” She almost hated to admit it since he wasn’t as close as they used to be. But last year when she needed to put another person down on the list, he was the person who came to mind.
“Oh, cool. Okay. No problem. I can leave now and be there in a few minutes. I’ll just take him to your house and wait until you get there.”
“Thanks, Landon. Oh, how will you get in the house?”
She could hear the smile in his voice. “I still have a key from that time y’all went out of town and asked me to feed the cat.”
“Oh, right. Perfect. Sure, then, I’ll just see you at the house as soon as I can.”
“Later,” Landon said before hanging up.
