“Nellie, honey, you can’t tell someone I’m going to beat up their mom.”
“But you said that to Jeremiah about his mom, and he stopped being mean.”
I purse my lips. “Yes, that’s true, but Jeremiah’s mom wasn’t there. Maddi’s mom is somewhere in this room, and I don’t want to have to fight her and get us kicked out.”
“Oh, I didn’t think about that.”
“Fighting is bad. You should forget I ever said I was going to beat up Jeremiah’s mom.”
Her face scrunches adorably. “No way. That was the coolest thing I’ve ever heard.”
15
Sutton
Me:
You need to eat something. Your blood sugar is low.
Alice Thompson – Nanny:
I’ve got it. I’m almost home
Me:
You did not just admit to texting and driving
Alice Thompson – Nanny:
You’re right. I didn’t
Stubble pricksmy palm where I rub it across my cheek. I stare at the blinking blue cursor.
Me:
What’s your ETA
Alice Thompson — Nanny:
Five minutes
Five minutes.Which means she probably hasn’t left the school yet.
I pummel the urge to jump in my truck and head over there to make sure everything’s okay. If she’s feeling too low to drive, she might be waiting it out. Or asking someone to bring her some sugar.
That can’t be right. If she needed something that badly, she knows I’m right here. She said she’d call if there was a problem. The thought propels me off the couch and into my kitchen. Sitting idly isn’t helping this restlessness. I fling open the snack cabinet and peruse the options. What is it I’ve seen her take when her sugar is low?
After retrieving an assortment of snacks, I dump them onto the kitchen table just as the door groans open.
If it weren’t for the poofy skirt around her hips, I wouldn’t be able to tell who’s entering my house. Ms. Thompson carries Nellie over her shoulder as if she weighs nothing more than a toddler. My daughter’s arms hang limp at her sides, swaying with every step.
My stomach drops to my toes.
“What’s wrong?” I bark, crossing the room in two strides.
“Shh. She fell asleep in the car.” At Ms. Thompson’s admonishing whisper, my heart slows. She pushes Nellie’s hair out of the way so she can see me. Her eyes warn of serious retribution if I awaken her charge.
“You shouldn’t be carrying her. I’d have come out to get her.”