“Why not? You punched him,” David says and points at Mitchell.
I glance back at Mitchell and see the agent shaking his head, looking off toward the fence and the pool beyond. I turn my attention back to David.
“That was different.”
“How?” he asks. “How was that different?”
“The point is what you did was wrong. You should never hit anyone.”
“But you hit him,” David says, pointing again.
“That’s right, I did, and do you know what? I was wrong. If I could go back, I wouldn’t have done it.”
David looks down at his feet. He smiles when he says, “You really kicked his butt.”
“David.”
“Do you know kung fu and ninja stuff?” He looks up, his eyes hopeful. “Can you teach me?”
I glance over at the agents and catch them grinning. Casey stands between them, holding tightly onto her towel, looking down at the ground. I want to go to her, hug her, tell her that everything is all right. I want to give her a reason why people are mean and how she can avoid those people for the rest of her life.
I say to David, “What I know how to do is protect myself. That’s the purpose of karate: self-defense. You should never use it to attack another person.”
“Can you show me?” His eyes and smile growing even larger. “Huh? Can you? Can you please?”
I stand up straight, reach into my purse for the keys. “Not today.”
“Oh, come on—please?” Now holding his hands flat together. “Pretty please?”
One of the agents chuckles.
“You’re being a real brat, David,” I say.
He keeps his hands flat together, pouting his lips, looking so very un-David-like that I can’t help but smile.
I open the car, throw in my bag, then glance back at the agents. I decide Mitchell has had it a little too rough lately so I motion Colin to come forward. He glances at his counterpart, glances at me, shrugs and walks over to us.
I gesture for Colin to stand behind David and take him from behind. Colin does just this, quickly grabbing David’s right arm and pulling it back as the agent wraps his other arm around David’s neck.
“Now this, David,” I say as the boy starts to struggle, “is called a sleeper hold. Do you know why it’s called a sleeper hold?”
David keeps fighting, trying to squirm and wiggle his way out of Colin’s grasp. Colin grins at me, the sun reflecting off his shades, and behind me Mitchell doesn’t stifle his chuckle this time. He lets out a full-fledged laugh. Even Casey giggles.
I lean down close to David. “Stop struggling. That’s your first lesson. The more you struggle, the more you’ll wear yourself out.”
David is reluctant at first, but he stops struggling. His chest heaves.
“Okay, good. Now what you want to do next is—”
“I know what to do next,” David says, and with his free arm he lifts his elbow and brings it right back down on Colin’s crotch.
Mitchell lets out a great roar of laughter as Colin groans and releases David and turns away. Even Casey giggles again.
David smiles at me triumphantly. “Like that, right?”
“No, you dummy, not like that.”
I start toward him, meaning to grab him by the ear and lead him to the car, when my cell phone rings. Thinking it might be Walter, I reach into the car and grab the phone from my bag. I don’t recognize the number but answer anyway.
“Hello, is this Holly?” a female voice asks.
“Yes.”
“Holly, this is Gloria Stevens from Markham & Davis. How are you today?”
I frown. Markham & Davis is Ryan’s firm. I interviewed there last week.
“I’m fine, thanks. How are you?”
As the woman tells me she’s doing fabulous, thank you, I motion to Mitchell and Colin that we’re leaving.
Colin has righted himself again but he’s wincing, breathing through his teeth. Mitchell walks up behind him, claps him once on the back.
“The reason I’m calling, Holly, is that I’d like to schedule you to come back for a second interview.”
With the phone to my ear, I manage to get Casey into her child’s seat. She watches me click in the harness when I say, “Really?”
“Yes. I’m sorry we rushed your interview last week, but there was a funeral I had to attend, and … well, regardless, I would like you to come back in so you can take a typing test and so we can discuss the job in more detail.”
I stand up and glance over the roof, watch Colin and Mitchell heading to their car. Mitchell is still laughing; Colin shakes his head and gives him the finger.
“Holly? Are you there?”
“Yes, I’m here.”
“So can I schedule you to come in sometime this week?”
I glance down at Casey in the child’s seat, at David who has opened the opposite rear door and climbed in and slammed it shut.
“I … um … I’m not actually interested anymore.”
“Excuse me?”
“In the job. I gave it a lot of thought, and I don’t think it’s a good match for me.”
“Oh,” the woman says. “Okay. Well, that’s no problem at all. I, um, wish you luck with your other endeavors.”
Endeavors. The word makes me want to roll my eyes. “Thank you. And thank you for calling.”
“My pleasure. Have a good day.”
“You too,” I say and immediately hit the button to disconnect.
“Who was that?” Casey asks. She kicks her legs hanging over the child’s seat back and forth.
“Wrong number,” I say, smiling at her, and shut the door.
I start around the car to the driver’s side when the phone rings again. I don’t recognize this number either, and after dealing with Miss Endeavor I don’t feel like dealing with anymore asinine bullshit, so I answer with a tired and irritated hello.
“Hello, Miss Lin,” a man says. He has a Spanish accent. “How are you today?”
I open my door but don’t get in just yet. “I’m sorry, who’s this?”
“How much do you care for the welfare of those two precious children?”
A red light starts flashing in my head. My body tenses. I don’t move, though,
