Page 87 of The Falcon and the Foe

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I marchedthe three of us into the gymnasium, where the cheering had commenced. It was by grade, starting with first, so we had time. The boys took their seats with the class. I found Kimber sitting in the front row of the parents section, in head-to-toe seafoam green.

I tapped her on the shoulder. Hard. “Can I talk to you?”

I led us into the hall and took a moment to compose myself and process my rage into a cogent thought. “Did you tell Josh he couldn’t participate with his class?”

A guilty look momentarily flashed on her steely visage. She was guilty for being caught, not for what she did. “The kids were instructed to wear seafoam green. He didn’t follow the rules.”

“This is Spirit Week, Kimber, not the military.”

“The kids voted on one color. They were supposed to wear that color.”

“He tried. Neon green was as close to seafoam as he had.”

“Well, maybe his father should’ve taken the time to get him a more appropriate ensemble. He had plenty of notice.” She cocked a high-and-mighty eyebrow. There was a time when I would’ve taken the bait, when I would’ve joined in the Cal pile-in. But her comments only fueled my rage fire.

“You made Josh cry. I found him in the bathroom bawling his eyes out because of what you said. Are you proud of that?”

She dipped her head. “I didn’t say he couldn’t participate. I told him that he wasn’t wearing the right color.”

“Bullshit.”

Her eyes flared open in shock.

“Why couldn’t you have left it alone? Or say something to Cal privately,” I seethed. “I know Cal Hogan is your favorite punching bag, but don’t take it out on his son.”

“You’re defending him?” Her lips pursed in disgust. How was I ever friends with this woman?

“Cal’s a good guy. He may not always get things perfect, but he’s trying. He’s working his butt off at two jobs—”

“At a grocery store,” she scoffed.

“Considering the number of times your husband had to take the bar, he was dangerously close to stocking shelves, too.”

Her blue eyes blazed with her own fusillade of anger. “What’s gotten into you, Russ? Why are you defending that slob?”

Because I’m falling in love with him.I bit my lip to hold the words in, but whoa. Holy shit.

I was totally falling for Cal. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I took a breath.

“Kimber, it’s time that you resign from the PTA.”

“What?” she yelled, getting the attention of the parent section for a second. “I will do no such thing.”

“While the PTA appreciates all of your contributions, I’m asking for your resignation immediately.” In my chest was fire, but my words were pure ice.

“You can’t kick me out.”

“I can do it by board vote. And once I tell all the parents that you bullied a third-grader to tears, you bet your ass they’ll fall in line. For the safety of their children, they might find it in their best interest to ban you from all school events. Maybe exclude Keeley from birthday parties, too.”

“You wouldn’t.” Kimber cowered beneath me.

“I might even…” I took a step forward. “Post about this incident on Facebook. A PTA mom bullying a child, the child of a gay parent...that’s the type of content that goes viral. We’re talking celebrities tweeting, Cal and Josh onThe Today Show.”

“Okay.” She gritted her teeth, then adjusted her seafoam green fitted sweater. “I resign.”

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