Page 48 (1/2)
Now, as Kate sat in the driver's seat of her car, parked in the first position in the carpool lane, she began her Christotten a few ite and kids poured out of the middle school
Marah usually cairls Like killer whales, preteen girls traveled in pods But today she was alone, walking fast, with her head down and her ar The question was: how bad was it? Her daughter elve years old Thather e drama these days
"Hey," Kate said tentatively, knowing one wrong word could cause a fight
"Hey" Marah clier seat and reached for he seatbelt, clicking it into place "Where are the brats?"
"Evan's birthday party Daddy's going to pick them up on his way home"
"Oh"
Kate pulled out of the parking lane and o traffic on Sportsin a conversation, but all her pitches turned out to be strikes At best Marah offered a one-word answer, at worst an eye roll or a draave it oneparty tomorrow You want to help me?"
Marah finally looked at her "Those pureen sprinkles?"
For a split second her daughter looked like a little girl again, her dark eyes ith hope, her lips curving into a hesitant smile Years' worth of parties were between them now, a net of shared memories
"Of course," Kate said
"I love those cookies"
Kate had counted on that "Reht the same kind and you were so mad you made everyone try both just to prove that ours were better?"
Marah finally sot really mad at me I had to help him clean up after the party"
"Emily stayed to help you"
Marah's smile faded "Yeah"
"So, you want to help me?"
"Sure"
Kate took care not to react too sharply to that Although she wanted to grin and say how happy she was, she sihter into the house and then into the kitchen She'd learned a few things in the last turbulent year about dealing with preteen girls While they were virtual roller coasters of emotion, you needed to be calm, always
For the next three hours they worked side by side in the big country-style kitchen Kate reether and showed her how to grease a cookie sheet the old-fashioned way They talked about little things, this and that; nothing i the scene like a hunter Instinctively, she knehen the tiht They'd just frosted the last of the cookies and were stacking the dirty dishes by the sink when Kate said, "You want to make another batch? We could take them over to Ashley's house"
Marah went very still "No," she said in a voice almost too quiet to be heard
"But Ash loves them Remember when--"
"She hates ates opened Tears gathered in her eyes
"Did you two have a fight?"
"I don't know"
"How can you not know?"
"I just don't, okay?" Marah burst into tears and turned away
Kate lunged for her daughter, grabbed her sleeve, and pulled her into a fierce hug "I'ed her tightly "I don't knohat I did wrong," she wailed, sobbing
"Sshh," Kate hter's hair as if she were still little When Marah's crying finally subsided, Kate drew back just enough to look down at her "Soed open The twins burst into the house, yelling at each other, ht Johnny ca thelass of water that shouldn't have been left there The sound of shattering glass rang through the roo up at Kate
Lucas laughed "Wil-lie's in tro-uble," he chanted
Marah wrenched free, and ran upstairs, sla the door shut behind her
"Lucas," Johnny said "Stop teasing your brother And stay back frohed and reached for a towel
The next day, Kate pulled into the school drive-through lane just three ally, she hurried into the office, signed Marah out for the day, and then walked down to her classrooht, after the moment of conversation and connection between the could restart the engine, and so Kate had had to forh the rectangular glass , she knocked once, saw the teacher wave at her, and went inside
Most of the kids smiled at her and said hello That was one of the benefits of constant volunteering: everyone knew you All the kids looked happy to see her--or at least happy for this disruption in class
All the kids except one
Marah's face wore the what-are-you-doing-at-school-erimace Kate was more than familiar with it She knew the middle school rules: parents should be invisible
The bell rang and the kids ran fro loudly