Page 18 of Bride Games

Emma inched forward slowly so she could watch her daughter go inside. She spotted Grace, Lucy’s best friend, and grinned as they skipped and held hands. “Oh, good. The day is already seamless.”

Back at the house, Emma wondered why Eli had been so sly about his first day. He taught at the school across town since he stealthily quit teaching at Appledale last year so they could date. Emma still blushed remembering how she had volunteered for every single activity in his classroom. Thank goodness it had all worked out.

She made more coffee and checked to see if any authors had contacted her to make promotional marketing materials. After a surprising write-up in a literary magazine for her tiny Etsy company, Page-Turning Swag, Emma had been overwhelmed for several weeks by new authors who wanted swag, and fast. She wasn’t quite caught up but the extra money was going to come in handy for their upcoming nuptials.

Her phone rang. “Page-Turning Swag, this is Emma.”

“This is Dr. Ryder, the principal of Appledale. Are you Emma Miller, Lucy’s mom?”

“Yes.” Emma felt her heart stop. “Is she okay?”

“She’s fine. Just a little upset—okay, a lot upset—that she has been separated from her friend Grace. It seems they’re in different classrooms.”

Emma winced. “She loves Grace. They’re best friends.”

“So I gather. Lucy had quite the meltdown in Mrs. O’Connor’s class.”

Emma rubbed her forehead with her free hand. “What class is Grace in?”

“Miss Ainsley’s.”

Emma stared out the window while she weighed this predicament. She spotted Mrs. Roberts watering her flowers. “I thought Miss Ainsley taught kindergarten. She replaced Eli—Mr. Hansen—last year.”

“True. We’ve had some abrupt changes with our scheduling. Miss Ainsley is now teaching first grade.”

Running her fingers through her hair, Emma said, “I’ll talk to Lucy tonight unless I need to pick her up now.”

“No, we’ve got it under control. I asked the teachers to let Lucy and Grace eat lunch together. Maybe that’ll assuage her.”

“Perfect. Thank you.” After they hung up, Emma stared at the phone. She wished she could ask Eli for suggestions. He was great with kid-type solutions but she didn’t want to interrupt his first day back. Standing to stretch, Emma stared at the time. She’d have to wait several more hours to talk to Lucy. She decided to take a long walk to try to think of something to cheer up her little girl.

16

Emma braced herself as she waited in the always long line of cars at school. Kids from kindergarten to fifth grade spilled onto the grass. Many chatted and ran around the school grounds before racing toward their parents’ vehicles. Except Lucy. When Emma spotted her daughter, her heart shattered as she watched Lucy drag her feetandbackpack on the sidewalk. Other students passed Lucy, oblivious to her plight. Even from the car, Emma could see her red cheeks.Poor thing looks like she’s been crying all day.

Emma hopped out of the car, ignoring the cars behind her. She held up await a minutefinger, ran toward Lucy, and whisked her off the sidewalk. “Looks like someone needs ice cream.”

Sobbing, Lucy half nodded as she said, “I hate school, Mommy. I don’t want to go back.”

Emma buckled her daughter’s seatbelt as cars drove around them. She almost flipped the bird to one parent who honked.I mean, really. Can’t you tell we’re having a moment?Emma slid behind the wheel, got out of the queue, and pulled into the first open parking spot.

She knew what was wrong but asked anyway. “Honey, why are you crying?”

“’Cause Grace is in Miss Ainsley’s class. I want to be with Grace.” Lucy sniffled. “And IwuvMiss Ainsley.”

Emma leaned between the seats and handed her daughter an unopened box of apple juice. “What’s the name of your teacher?”

Lucy took a loud sip. “Mrs. O’Connor.”

“Is she nice?”

“Yes.” Lucy attempted to brush sweaty, matted hair off her forehead. “But I want to be with Grace and Miss Ainsley.”

“Sorry, but we don’t always get everything we want, Luce. Besides, I thought Miss Ainsley taught kindergarten.”

Lucy wiped her runny nose on her sleeve. Between sobs, she said, “Mr. Hansen is teaching kindergarten so Miss Ainsley was moved to first grade.”

“Wait. What?” Emma’s mind raced.How did I miss that? Eli would have told me if he were going back to Appledale to teach.

---