Page 34 of Spencer and the Younger Girl
Hadley
Facing the principal after the goat prank was nothing compared to sitting across the dining room table from Mrs. Lee.
Hadley’s mom sat beside her while her grandfather served them all pie—his go-to move to ease tension.
She busied herself stabbing her fork through an apple but didn’t eat it.
“My daughter is very sorry for any harm she caused.” Her mom tapped one manicured nail on the table. Click. Click. Click.
Hadley’s hand shot out, stilling her mom’s. Why was she even here? Wasn’t there a social event to go to?
There was a reason her grandfather was the authority figure in the house. His calm demeanor and stable mental state gave him a leg up on his daughter—and probably his granddaughter too.
“Thank you, Jack,” Mrs. Lee said as a plate of pie appeared in front of her.
Hadley waited for the punishment to come, the chastisement and lectures. She’d already been banned from the Paris trip, so what could be worse?
Yes, what she did was wrong. But could it be called stealing when Damien was with her? They were his goats too. It was more like she borrowed them.
Yet, she couldn’t say any of that and implicate Damien in the prank.
Mrs. Lee took a bite of apple pie, and Hadley waited for her shoulders to relax. No one could resist the healing powers of her grandfather’s baking. And his apple pie was the best in town.
A small smile appeared on the woman’s tired face. “This is delicious.”
Hadley’s grandfather beamed with pride as he sat at the table.
Roman stood in the doorway, trying not to be seen as he eavesdropped. Hadley wouldn’t let him come forward. She was already in trouble, there was no use both of them being punished.
She shot him a pointed look before turning her gaze to Mrs. Lee. “I’m sorry I took your goats. The plan was for them to be returned to you, but I now realize the distress I must have put you through.” She tried to sound contrite, saying all the words she knew adults expected from her.
“Hadley.” Mrs. Lee pushed her plate away and folded her hands on the table. “What you did was dangerous. What if one of the goats was injured? Or injured one of the students? These are farm animals, not pets.”
Stammer could have been a pet with how he followed her around and revealed her part in the prank. “Can I ask how Stammer is?”
“Stammer?”
“He’s the small white one with a black goatee and a black diamond right between his eyes.”
“You named him?” Mrs. Lee cocked her head.
“Well, yeah. He’s my friend.”
“Honey,” her mom began. “People can’t be friends with animals.”
“That’s not true.”
Mrs. Lee pursed her lips for a moment. “The goat you call Stammer is back at the ranch with her kid.”
Hadley’s eyes widened. “There’s a baby Stammer?”
“Hadley, what you did was against the law. If I chose to press charges, you could be in big trouble.”
“But, I—”
She held up a hand. “I don’t want to do that. However, every wrong action must face repercussions if you are to learn from it.”
Her mom and grandfather both nodded. Hadley sank down in her seat, waiting for the bludgeon to hit.
