Page 48 of 5+Us Makes Seven

“All in that backpack.”

“Yep. All on the plane with me so I don’t lose it, too,” I said.

“I don’t know how you do this. It takes a very special person to do this.”

“I’m honored to be able to do it. And very excited.”

“So how about this? You pack your backpack and I’ll throw everything else into boxes? We have to be quick about it, though. That van hauling your furniture’s going to be here soon.”

“I still can’t believe you hired them to help me. Thank you, Emma.”

“Girl, going through this the first time was a pain in my ass. If you’re doing this again, I’m at least making the process easier,” she said.

I wrapped my arms around my best friend and hugged her close. I was going to miss her. But I knew I was doing the right thing for my life. Despite all I had witnessed in Bria, I missed it. I missed the kids and making a difference and helping them in all the ways I knew how. And I knew I could use my persuasive expertise to open up more funding for the team I was about to join.

I couldn’t wait to see the guys.

“So, talk to me about this fun mud hut you’ll be staying in,” Emma said.

“Everyone on the team has their own. I know Clark and a couple of the other guys have heavy-duty tents they’ve pitched, but I like living how the rest of the people live. It makes the kids feel more comfortable when they come to visit me.”

“Makes sense. Thatched roof and all?” she asked.

“Mhm. Fires to boil water and rice, though some now have battery-operated stove tops in their mud huts.”

“Why do I feel that’s a problem waiting to happen?” she asked.

“They use them outside,” I said with a giggle. “But it’s opened up a lot of avenues in terms of how they cook their food. There still aren’t many resources, but they are worlds away from where they were when I was there ten months ago.”

“How did Carter take the news?” she asked.

I sighed as I started to lay all the clothes out I was taking with me.

“About as well as could be expected,” I said. “Though I’m still not sure why he reacted the way he did.”

“What happened?” she asked.

“I expected him to be shocked, but not upset.”

“He got angry?”

“In his own way. He became very removed and his statements were clipped. There was one point where he tried to convince me that my nightmares and things would get in the way of me doing the good I wanted to do.”

“What the fuck?”

“Yeah. I don’t think he meant it coming out that way, but that was what he said.”

“Well fuck that asshole. Who the hell does it think he is?” she asked.

“I told him the job wouldn’t take place for another month so I could help him find another nanny, but that really pissed him off. He put me in an Uber. After picking me up.”

“What?”

“Yeah. And then the next morning, he called and told me he’d already found another nanny.”

“What the hell is this guy’s problem?” she asked.

“I didn’t even get to say goodbye to the kids, Emma. He just… shoved me out and replaced me. Easy as pie for him.”

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