Page 56 of Heartless
In just a few strides, Willa is bent over by the birthday boy, who stares up at her and laughs with a little shit-eating grin on his face.
“Excuse me!” his mom trills, her white wine spritzer swirling in the glass.
Willa isn’t touching the kid, but she’s right in his face, and I can see her lips moving slowly like she’s carefully enunciating her words.
“Did you hear me? Stop talking to him!”
“Somebody needs to explain right from wrong in terms he can understand,” Willa says over her shoulder to the red-cheeked mom. “Or did you miss the part where he pushed Luke into the pool and held his head under water?”
“It was a joke! You’re out of line, and you will not speak another word to him.”
Luke’s tear-stained face tells me he wasn’t in on the joke.
Willa rises slowly, almost predatory in her movements, as she turns and arches a brow at the woman. “Oh, no?”
“Not another word.”
“Fine.” Willa smiles but it’s a scary smile. And then, with one well-placed hip check, the birthday boy goes flying into the water.
“Sebastian!” His mother’s spritzer sloshes on her hand as she rushes forward.
Luke is suitably shocked. The mom’s mouth is moving, but no sound is coming out, just like when you pull a trout from the lake.
Willa crouches at the pool’s edge, smirking at the boy, who is already standing in the shallow water, angrily wiping his eyes. “Life lesson, shithead. Careful who you pick a fight with. Someone insane might love them.”
“You need to leave! Now!” The mom points toward the gate, and her arm shakes with fury.
I’m almost to them, but the sight of Willa knocking a kid into the pool stopped me in my tracks.
She really is insane.
Possibly in the best way.
“Gladly.” She stands, brushing her hands. “Contact a professional if he starts killing bunnies or something.”
“Willa,” I bark, back in motion now.
“Oh, good,” the mom says. “Arealparent is here.”
I should know her name for the number of times she’s tried to chat me up at the grocery store or school pick up, but I don’t, so I take a guess at what sounds close and pray I’m right. “Hi, Bunny.”
She blinks at me. “It’s Betty.”
Should have prayed harder, I guess. “Oh, sorry. My mistake. Slip of the tongue. Is there a problem?”
“Yes. Yournannyis the problem.”
I don’t appreciate the condescending way she says nanny, so I offer back, “Willa is a friend, actually.”
Willa blinks. Betty blinks. Luke walks up and wraps his arms around Willa’s waist, while the shithead kid pulls himself out of the pool, looking suitably chastised.
“She pushed my son into the pool.”
“I tripped.” Willa smirks, wrapping a protective arm around Luke’s small body.
Betty’s blue eyes narrow, and her voice is shrill when she stomps her foot and sort of squeals, “Leave!”
“Let’s all be polite here.” I give Betty a pointed look before Willa goes even further.
