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“We’re going with Logan’s kids.”
“I don’t love where your brother lives. Make sure you go through all of his candy when you get home before he eats anything. And only let him have three pieces tonight.”
Three pieces?
It’s a little too late for that. Krew already ate an entire bag of candy before we came.
“Dad, can we go to Mrs. Johnson’s house to trick-or-treat?”
Diane flips her head to me. Her eyes narrow, and although I’m not scared of her, my heart suddenly starts beating hard.
“Uh…students don’t trick-or-treat at their teacher’s houses.” Her glare still hangs with me. “And we don’t even know where Mrs. Johnson lives.”
“Yeah, we do.”
Crap. Why did I say that?
“Remember, we took her that cookie?”
Diane flashes a stiff smile at Krew. “What cookie?”
His little shoulders rise. “I don’t know. My dad did it. He tied a string to the cookie box and hung it from her railing so she’d find it.”
I scratch the side of my face. “It was no big deal. Teacher appreciation stuff.”
“That seems like a lot of effort to let a teacher know you appreciate them. Next time, why don’t you just send an email?”
“Email. That’s a great idea. I’ll do that next time.” I clap. “Krew, it’s time to head out trick-or-treating.”
Before he says something else he’s not supposed to.
As we leave Diane’s house, I’m wondering if I need to tell Meg about this interaction. I don’t want to scare her, so I decide to keep it to myself.
It’s not like Diane has anyproofthat we’re dating.
It’s all just hearsay from a seven-year-old.
* * *
MEG
“Dad, you’re almostout of candy,” Brooke says as she walks back into the family room. “I left the bowl out on the porch because I’m sick of answering the door.”
My sisters and I came to my dad’s house to eat chili, play games, and get sick off of way too much chocolate. It’s our Halloween tradition, and I’m glad it’s continuing even though my mom isn’t here.
“When we run out, we run out,” my dad says.
Tessa hands the dice to Brooke. “It’s your turn.”
Brooke plops down on the couch. “I really need a Yahtzee here if I’m going to stand a chance at all.”
My dad’s phone rings, and he fumbles with it before reading the caller ID. “Oh, it’s Anna Mae.” His entire face brightens as he stands. “Hey, pretty lady,” he says, answering the call, and I do my best not to throw up in my mouth. “You were right about the candy. I’m going to run out.”
I roll my eyes. “Dad, it’s your turn.”
He dismisses my words with a wave of his hand. “Play without me.” Then he exits the room.
So much for our family tradition. Usually, my dad would never miss a single second of playing games with his daughters, but Anna Mae is changing things. And the more she changes things, the more I lose my mom. If this keeps up, my mom will be completely wiped out of my family, and I can’t let that happen. I’m my mother’s advocate. I have to keep her memory alive, even if that means standing my ground with Anna Mae.
