Her eyes darted back to the door where Morgan had gone. And some apparently don’t need any.
At the door, Mark held a fist out to David for a pound and nodded at Rae. “You got any more helpers up your sleeve?”
She shook her head. “I’m working on it.”
“We decided to add another session on Fridays, but only for hanging out. There seems to be a real need for a safe place to hang out after school.”
“So you don’t need volunteers on Friday?”
“No.” He nodded for them to go ahead and then locked the door behind them. “But we still need more on Mondays and Wednesdays. And you guys are great and all, but we could use some more mature help, you know?”
David grabbed his chest as if hurt by the remark. “Are you saying we’re not mature?”
Mark shooed them down the hall and laughed. “I meant older. These kids need positive adult influences.”
Rae and David stepped outside and said good-bye to Mark. She scanned the parking lot for her mom’s car but didn’t see it. When she checked her phone, a text told her Mom was running a few minutes late because she’d been with Grandma Kate.
“Need a ride home?” David asked.
“My mom’s coming.”
“I’ll wait with you.”
She gave him a sidelong glance. “You don’t have to.”
He caught her looking and grinned. “I don’t mind.”
She looked away and peered down the road, hoping to see a navy blue Ford Explorer. No such luck. David’s nearness made her feel tingly. What would it be like to hold his hand? Feel his arm around her waist? Her cheeks grew warm. For heaven’s sake, what was she thinking? She and David had been friends a long time. She’d never felt awkward around him before.
“You really had fun?” She fought to keep her tone light, her expression unconcerned. “Those middle-school boys didn’t scare you off?”
“No way.” He nudged her shoulder with his. “You can’t get rid of me that easily.”
She swallowed hard. That was exactly what she was afraid of.
CHAPTER
FIFTEEN
Friday. Finally. Rae waved her appreciation to Kylee for the ride and hurried into the house. She wasn’t usually so glad for the school week to be over, but her first week of Driver’s Ed. had her nerves frayed. Thank goodness for early release on Fridays.
Mr. Whiskers was waiting inside the door, and she scooped him into her arms. He clearly had no stress in his life.
She rubbed his ears. “You lucky duck.”
So far, all they’d done in class was watch a few instructional videos and sit around listening to Mr. Fletcher lecture them about safety. Still, knowing she had to go to another Driver’s Ed. session after dinner almost made her break out in hives. It was the last thing she wanted to do on a Friday night.
“Mr. Fletcher’s always staring right at me,” she muttered. Mr. Whiskers craned his neck to look up at her. “It’s like he knows about the mailbox.”
The lethargic feline yawned.
“Thanks a lot. Your breath smells like rotten fish.” She set her backpack down and carried the fat cat into the kitchen. “Mom?”
She grabbed a granola bar from the cupboard and glanced at the calendar on the wall, her heart rate rising. At the end of class last night, Mr. Fletcher had said, “Make sure and sign up for a drive time on your way out.” She had seen other kids huddled around the clipboard, eager to choose a time and date on the schedule and write down their names, but she had left without looking at it. If she went on an assigned drive, her secret would be out. And yet if she didn’t sign up, she’d fail the class.
She’d have to sign up tonight.
“Mom?”
Her mother was usually only a couple of steps behind Mr. Whiskers with a greeting after school. Where was she? Rae walked down the hall and peeked into the living room. No Mom. She checked her phone. No messages.
She turned on her heels and walked to the other end of the house. Her parents’ bedroom was off-limits. Nevertheless, she put a hand on the door, and it swung open.
Mom was sitting on her bed, holding her wedding ring in her palm. She stared at it as if searching for something important.
“Mom?”
She looked up, startled. “Oh. Hi, sweetie.” She slid the ring back on her finger and pasted on a smile. “Home already?”
Rae eyed her suspiciously. “Early release on Fridays, remember?”
“Oh. Right.” Mom stood and joined Rae in the hall. “Can I get you a snack?”
“I had one.” Rae walked with Mom back to the kitchen. “What were you doing?”
“Nothing. Just . . . thinking.”
Rae noted the dark circles under her mom’s eyes. “How was Grandma today?”
“Fine, sweetie. Everything is just fine.”
RAE TRUDGED THROUGH the woods toward Mr. Laninga’s barn, Mr. Whiskers tucked snugly inside her zipped-up hoodie. Everything was most certainly not fine. The long hairs on the tips of the cat’s ears tickled her chin, but she was too distracted to find it endearing. Something was up with Mom, and whatever it was, Rae didn’t like it. Not one bit.
A cold feeling bloomed in her chest as she pictured the way Mom had looked at her wedding ring. Could she and Dad be thinking about getting a . . . No. She wouldn’t even think the D-word. Mom was upset about Grandma Kate. That was all.
The back of the barn came into view through the trees. She began to relax. It was the perfect place to hide from her life.
As she rounded the barn, she spotted Mr. Laninga standing in the middle of the driveway, staring at a piece of paper. He faced the house as if he had meant to go in but then something had stopped him. His profile was grim. The crunch of her shoes on the gravel didn’t catch his attention. Daisy trotted over to her, tail wagging, and still he didn’t notice. Whatever was on that piece of paper must have been important.
She considered sneaking into the
