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With that, I bent down to kiss on his forehead. Taylor lingered in the doorway, a smile hovering on her lips. She squeezed my hand on the way past. I was picking up toys off of the living room floor when my phone rang a short while later, and an unfamiliar number flashed across the screen.
I ignored the pounding of my heart and answered. “Hello?”
“Rachel? It’s me. Please don’t hang up.”
“Mr. Shaw.” I froze and stood up straighter. “Is there something I forgot to do?”
“We need to talk,” Bernard said in a quiet voice. “Especially if you’re going to be working for me. We need to figure out how we’re going to navigate this.”
Silence stretched between us.
“It’s just lunch,” Bernard added quickly. “I know you’re not supposed to officially start work for a few days, but I still think we should meet and discuss a few details.”
“Mr. Shaw, I’m not sure it would be appropriate—”
“If you’re uncomfortable at any point, you can leave,” Bernard interrupted with a sigh. “I think it’s really important for us to do this.”
I blew out a breath. “Alright.”
“I’ll meet you tomorrow afternoon. I’ll send you the address right now.”
“If I’m not comfortable, I will leave,” I warned, pausing to run a hand through my hair. “I mean no disrespect, Mr. Shaw, but I thought you should know.”
“Understood.”
The line went dead shortly after.
I pulled the phone away from my ear and tucked it into my pocket. For the rest of the night, I turned the conversation over and over in my head while I cleaned and put Ron’s toys away. Taylor’s soft snores filled the hallway as I ducked into my room and left the door slightly ajar. I spent most of the night tossing and turning and staring at the ceiling.
The next morning, Ron woke me up by jumping on the bed and demanding I get up. In a daze, I stumbled into the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face. Ron was already dressed and fed by the time I made it into the kitchen. I gathered my hair into a ponytail on top of my head and poured myself some hot coffee in a travel mug.
Ron held my hand the entire ride to school and didn’t let go until we reached the gates. As soon as we did, he raced off to a group of other kids who laughed and smiled as they greeted him. I stood outside in the cold morning air and sipped on mycoffee while I waited for them to go inside. Once they did, I made my way back to the bus stop with my shoulders hunched and a pounding in the back of my skull.
I didn’t want to meet up with Bernard.
Lunch wasn’t going to solve anything.
On the contrary, it was only going to lead to more questions. Unfortunately, considering he had never been given a chance to prove himself, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I owed Bernard much more. Reluctantly, I made my way back home, and after tidying up the house again, I fell asleep on the couch in front of the TV. A short while later, I woke up and jumped into the shower.
The hot water woke me up and gave me the boost I needed to get dressed.
On my way to lunch, when I was halfway to the bus stop, my phone rang, and I stopped to rummage through my purse. When I saw Taylor’s number, I switched the phone to my other ear and ran a hand over my face.
“Hey, everything okay?”
“Babe, I’m really sorry, but I can’t pick up Ron from school today. I’m slammed with work, and I’m not going to be able to get out in time.”
“It’s okay. I understand,” I replied, pausing to shift from one foot to the other.
“I’m really sorry. I’ll make it up to him.” Taylor’s voice came in and out of focus before it became clear again.
“There’s nothing to make up for. I’ll see you when you get home.”
“You can try my parents. Maybe they’re free,” Taylor suggested after a brief pause.
“I’ll give them a call, thanks.”
As soon as Taylor hung up, I dialed Mrs. Bolton’s number and tapped my feet against the pavement. Overhead, the afternoon was high in the sky, set against a backdrop of clear blue skies. On the other side of the street, a group of people in tracksuits jogged past, wearing identical annoyed expressions. I waved at them as they passed, and they all gave me tight smiles in return.
