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“Thanks.” Tess gathered up her purse and hopped out of the truck. “This shouldn’t take too long.”
“No worries.” He briefly wondered if a goofy face would help to improve the situation. But Morgan was currently too busy crying to notice anything he might do.
Willow unfastened her seat belt and leaned her head over the seat to whisper in his ear. “You should say something to her. Make her feel better.”
“Right.” Yes. That is what any normal, good person would do. The problem was he had exactly zero experience in the nurturing category. He hadn’t been around kids a whole lot. No siblings, no family gatherings with cousins. And he’d gone straight into the military after school. The Navy had trained him for many scenarios but comforting a preteen girl wasn’t one of them.
The younger girl nudged his shoulder and stared at him with wide eyes.
Okay.He could do this. He tried to think what Jace might’ve said to his daughter in this moment but came up short. His late friend had always known what to say to his girls. He’d been the perfect father—involved, protective, wise, patient. In comparison, Silas didn’t have any clue what these kids needed. “Hey. It’ll be okay. You’ll see.” He angled his body so he could smile at Morgan. “It sounds like this girl is a real bully. You should ignore her.”
“Ignoreher?” Morgan shrieked.
“Uh-oh,” Willow muttered under her breath right before she stuck her fingers back in her ears.
“How can I ignore her when she’s like the most popular girl in our whole grade?” Morgan rubbed her eyes and started whimpering again. “Everyone thinks she’s so great. They all do whatever she says. Now no one is ever going to play with me again!”
“That’s not true.” He rubbed his face. Where was Aiden when he needed him? Their uncle used to be as clueless as him when it came to kids but he’d made strides over the last few years. Silas had clearly not. “You’re a great person, Morgan.”
“Then why doesn’t Callie like me?” the girl demanded. “If I’m so great, why won’t she let me play four square?”
“Because she’s jealous of you?” he suggested. “Maybe she’s afraid you’ll beat her.”
“Yeah!” Willow agreed, giving him a nod of approval. “She’s just jealous.”
Phew.Silas refrained from wiping sweat off his brow.
“What would you have done if someone was mean to you like Callie was mean to me?” A stray tear rolled down Morgan’s cheek.
Back when he’d been in school, Silas had gotten into plenty of fights defending himself against the bullies that made fun of his off-brand clothes and shoes. And he’d done way worse than spit on their shoes. But Tess would likely frown on him sharing those stories. “Um… well…I probably would’ve been really mad too,” he acknowledged. “And maybe I would’ve even spit on her shoes.” Or more likely he would’ve pushed the kid and ended up in the principal’s office. “But then I would’ve realized I don’t want to be a bully like her so maybe I would’ve apologized.” Not back then for sure. But he might now. Rising above seemed like the right thing to do.
“That’s stupid.” Morgan turned her head to stare out the window. “I don’t know why I asked you anyway. You don’t understand.”
Ouch.“Maybe you’re right.” He turned around to look out the windshield. Oh thank God. Tess was hurrying out of the school building.
“Sorry that took so long.” She broke the awkward silence when she slid into the driver’s seat.
“No problem.” He made sure not to look in Morgan’s direction, lest he piss her off again.
But Tess had an uncanny intuition. She looked back at Morgan and then at him again, squinting slightly. “Everything okay in here?”
“Yep.” He checked his phone as a means of avoiding her gaze.
Morgan only sighed.
“Ooookay.” Tess started up the engine. “Principal Howell was very understanding, Morgan. But we agreed that you and Callie might benefit from spending some time together.”
“No!” The girl started to cry again. “I amnotgoing to spend time with her.”
That was actually pretty brilliant. With the rest of the kids out of the equation, the girls might actually get along. But he’d best stay quiet. Silas continued scrolling aimlessly through his phone.
Tess didn’t even flinch at her daughter’s reaction. “Yes, you are going to spend time with her. In fact, we’re going to invite her and her father over for a playdate soon. You know that Callie has been through a lot this year, don’t you?”
“I know her mom left and got divorced from her dad,” Morgan mumbled. “But that’s not my fault.”
“No. It’s not your fault. But we can be compassionate and understanding regarding her situation. She’s really struggling. Maybe she needs some kindness.” Tess glanced at Silas and nodded as though asking him to agree with her.
Did he have to? He’d already gotten himself into enough trouble with Morgan. “Maybe she needs a friend,” he said after hesitating.
