Page 36 of Delay of Game
No, not me. Mila.
She ditched her summer clothes for a plain pair of leggings and a red dress over the top. No strappy tank tops or flowy sundresses. Still, my eyes wandered down the silhouette of the fabric that clung to her curves.
Without a hello, Astrid sank down to Mila’s eye level. “I am so glad you’re here.”
My stomach twisted. I’d fixed her bathroom and ripped up her stairs! Surely, I deserved a warm welcome.
“Hello, Mr. Grant,” she said coolly as she came back to standing. “How was your night?”
“Good.” Gravel filled my throat, and I wrung the words out. “I got dust all over Mila’s new unicorn shirt and stayed up late washing it for her first day of school.”
Astrid bit back a grin. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
I shrugged. “It was worth it.”
Her cheeks turned pink before she shifted her attention to Mila.
“That reminds me. We have a friend in class who also loves unicorns. Her name is Shanda, and I’d love for you to meet her after you put away your things.” Astrid held her arm out, ushering Mila into the classroom.
Mila grabbed my hand and pulled me inside with her.
Proof of Astrid’s hard work was clear on every wall, table, and shelf. The classroom, cheery but mostly bare last week, exploded with color. Neatly labeled boxes lined the shelves. Each locker had a large name tag with corresponding pictures of where they should put their backpack, jacket, and pencil box.
Mila took the lead of the kid next to her, squinting at the row of names and finding hers before taking off her backpack.
“Mr. Grant. I’m Lily. I mean, Ms. Jewel,” Astrid’s co-teacher greeted me. She wore a planet-themed dress that made her look like Ms. Frizzle in the Magic School Bus, right down to her orange hair. She beamed up at me, eyes alight. “It’s so nice to finally meet you. Gracie told me tons about you.”
Something about the way she said it sounded ominous. “Nice to meet you, too.”
Mila hung up her backpack and searched the classroom. Her eyes locked on mine, turning shiny, on the brink of tears. She rushed at me, but Astrid intercepted her, another little girl intow. This one had been crying. Her cheeks were still wet, and she wiped the back of her hand over her nose as Astrid made introductions.
“I heard you’re helping Gracie with the house. That’s really nice,” Lily continued.
“It’s a favor for my mom,” I said as Mila confidently held out a hand. The other little girl took it, and they shook. A surprisingly formal introduction for kindergarten.
“Sure.” Lily shrugged, unconvinced. Her gaze followed mine to Mila. She and her new friend sat on the carpet with some other students, all of them clustered around a wooden barnyard. Mila opened a box, passing out the animals inside. “Now would be a good time to wave goodbye and take off. Before she remembers to be scared.”
“You think?” I asked, suddenly worried. Mila didn’t know where anything was. How would she get to the cafeteria? Or the bathroom? Or the library? What happened if she got hurt?
“Yeah. It’s easier that way.” Lily gave my elbow a comforting squeeze. “Mila, say goodbye to your dad. He’s gotta get to work.”
Mila’s head snapped up, as if she’d forgotten I was even there. “Bye, Dad.”
“Love you. Have a great day.” I hesitated, wanting to check her backpack for lunch or her pencil box to make sure she hadn’t pilfered some of the art supplies for her personal collection at home.
“She’ll do great. We’ll see you soon.” Lily’s hand cupped my elbow, leading me out of the room.
I waded through the kids and parents in the hallway back outside, my stomach in knots. I started the car but sat in the parking lot, fishing my phone out of my pocket and texting Astrid.
She’s okay, right? She didn’t cry when I left?
The message stayed unviewed, which, no shit. The woman was teaching a classroom full of kids barely out of diapers. She didn’t keep her phone on her.
I started the car, bouncing as I tore out of the lawn and back onto the street, fighting back something dangerously close to tears the entire way.
THIRTEEN
GRACIE
