Page 22 of One Touch

She wrinkled her soft brown eyes into a smile. “Of course, Ethan. It’s good to see you.” She looked down at my little girl, before adding, “And it’s lovely to see you, too, Ava.”

Ava didn’t reply, her face set in a stubborn frown that was all too familiar. Like father, like daughter.

“I’ve called you in today because I want to discuss some concerns we have about Ava’s recent behavior in class.”

My brow furrowed. “What kind of concerns?”

“Well, Miss Brown has said that Ava’s been struggling with concentration. That she’s been distracting other students during class.”

I glanced over at Ava, who was sinking lower in her seat, avoiding my gaze.

Caroline continued. “And also, we haven’t received any written homework from Ava in a few weeks. This is really out of character for her.”

Huh. Ava always did the assignments that came home from school. I made sure of it.

“I don’t understand,” I said, shaking my head. “Ava does her homework every night.”

“You’ve been doing the work, Ava?” Caroline asked gently.

Ava pursed her lips and then nodded.

“So, why haven’t you handed it in?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” Ava mumbled, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Why not, sweetheart?”

Ava looked up at me, on the verge of tears.

“You’re not in trouble,” I assured her. “Ms. Vaughn and I just want to help.”

“I put it in the recycling,” Ava blurted out, her voice quivering. “I didn’t litter.”

“Darling—”

“I don’t want to make any mistakes,” she interrupted me in a quiet voice that damn near broke my heart.

“You’d rather turn in nothing than make a mistake?”

“I’m dumb. I’m too dumb to learn anything.” Tears sprung to her eyes as sobs wracked her small frame.

My heart cracked in my chest. I reached over and took her hand in mine, giving it a gentle squeeze. She’d grown up so much, but she was still so small.

“I’m so sorry about this,” I said to Caroline, trying to keep my voice steady. “I had no idea Ava was struggling. I promise I’ll work with her at home to get to the bottom of it. We’ll get through this.”

Ms. Vaughn nodded understandingly. “Thank you, Ethan. I appreciate your support. Ava, we’re here to help you, and I know you can do this. Let’s take it one step at a time, okay? You know that mistakes are how we learn, don’t you? Maybe it’s time for another assembly on that topic.”

Ava nodded. “I’ll try harder. I’ll make sure to hand in my work next time.”

Ms. Vaughn smiled. “That’s great.” She paused, her expression clouding slightly. “Because if you don’t, and we can’t grade you, there will be consequences.”

Consequences. Damn that word. Ava’s whole life had been one long series of consequences, ever since her mom had died.

I had to make things right again. To stop those consequences in their tracks. But without a nanny, and without that Disney World trip, how could I help her heal?

***

As we drove away from the school, I glanced into the rearview mirror at Ava’s hunched-over form.

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