Page 31 of Single Mom's Firemen

What do I do? My hands are shaking. I could call Marie but I don’t want her knowing about this. I don’t want to involve her in this mess. I haven’t failed my children thus far—I’m sure as hell not going to fail them now, especially knowing we’re so close to something better. I promised Sammy and Luna that I would keep them safe.

He’s just sitting in the car. I can see the faint light of his phone through the windshield, reflecting onto his face. He’s too focused on his phone to notice me. Good.

Like a rabbit darting away from a predatory hawk, I run up the road and sneak through the side alley to my right. It’s narrow and damp and poorly lit, but I know where it leads. Seconds pass slowly until I reach the end and find myself standing before the back door of Marie’s daycare.

At least I did the right thing filing a restraining order along with the divorce papers. Marie knows that my babies’ father is bad news but I never went into detail. I only wanted her to be aware in case Colby found us and tried to take them away in my absence.

He did that a few times while we were still married, and it scared the daylights out of me. He took them and didn’t answer his phone for hours. He did it on purpose to scare me, to torture me. There’s no way he’s getting anywhere near them ever again as long as I can help it.

I slip through the back door trying to figure out what to tell Marie. If Colby realizes Sammy and Luna attend daycare here, he will post himself or one of his goons outside every day until they’re able to follow them back to me. I don’t have an immediate escape plan if Colby finds me—I don’t know how I’ll save myself and my children.

I greet the staff on my way in. Most of them are familiar with me since Marie was kind and persistent enough to make sure they knew who I am.

“Hey, is Marie upstairs?” I ask one of the teachers’ assistants.

“Yes, she’s with Luna and Sammy. They’re the last dinosaurs,” the girl replies with a soft giggle.

“Thanks!” I say as I run up the stairs.

My sneakers squeak on the marble floor as I make a tight left turn and head for the playroom. Colby didn’t see me but he’s still outside. He could come into the daycare at any minute, looking for Sammy and Luna. If he does, he could find us up here. The mere thought is enough to get my blood pumping, my adrenaline going into overdrive, but I need to keep my game face on as I walk into the playroom.

Big smile, Halle, you can do it, I think to myself.

I do my best to plaster on a big smile as I walk through the door but Marie sees right through me.

“What’s wrong?” she asks in a tone similar to Eric’s earlier.

“Oh, it’s nothing. I’m just winded from that flight of stairs,” I chuckle nervously. “I clearly need to do more cardio.”

“Don’t bullcrap a bullcrapper, missy,” Marie replies, an expert at censoring herself in front of my children. “What is going on? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”

“Mama!” Luna exclaims as she and Sammy come out of the playhouse. “What are you doing here?”

“Gammy Marie is taking us home,” Sammy says, looking at me with a hint of confusion in those beautiful, sparkling eyes of his.

“Yeah, you didn’t have to come,” Luna adds.

“Wow, you two seem so happy to see me,” I say. I know I’m trembling when Marie comes closer, and I suddenly feel like a frog that’s about to get dissected and put under a microscope. “I’m okay, Marie, I promise.”

“Kids, I need you to grab your stuff and get ready to go home,” Marie tells Luna and Sammy. “You know the drill. Don’t forget your story books.”

“Gammy Marie gave us new stories!” Sammy exclaims, eager to show me as he carries over a generous stack of children's books. “This one has dinosaurs!”

“Oh, honey, that’s great! We’ll need to do something nice for Gammy Marie,” I reply with a warm smile, surprised at how my children have taken so quickly to seeing Marie as their grandmother. Lord knows Harriet Nash never warmed up to her grandkids the way Marie has. It’s incredible and heartbreaking at the same time. I wish Sammy and Luna had grown up with better influences. I struggled alone on that end. “How about we bake her a cake?” I ask, giving Marie another reassuring smile. “A delicious blueberry cheesecake.”

“Halle,” she says, all serious and frowning again, taking advantage while the kids are busy getting ready to leave. “What is going on with you? And please, no lies. You can’t shoulder everything on your own and you shouldn’t. Talk to me.”

“You’re right.” I release a heavy sigh, conceding. “Remember how I mentioned that Sammy and Luna’s father is a bad man?”

“Yes.” It hits her right away. “Oh, no, Halle. Where is he? Did he find you?”

“He’s outside the daycare sitting in his car as we speak. I don’t think he knows I’m here. I don’t think he knows the kids are here, either. Otherwise, I reckon he would’ve found his way in by now,” I reply. “But there is one thing I do know for sure. I can’t take Luna and Sammy out the front door.”

“Of course not,” Marie gasps, her gaze darting around the playroom for a few seconds until she spots a set of keys on the desk. “Okay, here’s what we’re gonna do.” She retrieves the keys and hands them to me. “Take my car. It’s in the back parking lot. The red Buick.”

“I know the one.”

“You’re gonna take Sammy and Luna home. There’s a service alley connecting to the southwest corner of the parking lot. It will lead you away from the main street.”

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