Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 60081 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 300(@200wpm)___ 240(@250wpm)___ 200(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60081 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 300(@200wpm)___ 240(@250wpm)___ 200(@300wpm)
“I didn’t do anything bad, Daddy, I promise,” Sarah Beth whispers. “Not like last night with the lasagna. Don’t call the police.”
“Honey, you weren’t bad last night,” I say, kissing her forehead. “And no one’s calling the police. Especially not on you. I know you didn’t do anything wrong. You’re such a good kid.”
Tatum appears beside us, rubbing Sarah’s back with shining eyes. “Absolutely, sweetheart. You’re blameless here. Don’t worry or be scared. Daddy and I are going to handle this. We’ve got your back, girl. One hundred percent.”
“I’ve reviewed the footage.” A second librarian, a tall, thin man with a prominent Adam’s apple comes to stand beside Nervous Cardigan. “It happened exactly the way Miss O’Leary said it did and we have a zero-tolerance policy for bullying, Mrs. Cummings.”
“Bullying?” Carrie bleats indignantly. “She’s five years old. She’s just a baby, not a bully.”
“She injured another child,” the man continues, standing firm. “And that’s not okay. We’ll have to ask you and your daughter to leave and refrain from visiting any of the public library branches until you can show proof your daughter’s been through a counseling program and can behave herself with other children. I’ll be sending an email to my colleagues to make sure the ban is enforced.”
“You’re going to regret this. I’ll sue the library and get all of you fired.” Carrie rises to her feet with a huff, gripping Martha’s hand hard enough to make the little girl wince.
For a moment, I almost feel sorry for the child—she can’t help being raised by a sociopath—but then she sticks her tongue out at me and the moment of empathy fades. This kid is trouble and has made Sarah Beth’s life miserable since they were toddlers.
It’s high time someone held Carrie accountable for her daughter’s cruelty.
It should have been me, two years ago, when Martha started abusing Sarah Beth in Gym and Me.
“And you can forget any more work from my husband, McGuire,” Carrie hisses at me on her way by. “Your firm overcharges anyway.”
“That’s just fine, Carrie,” I say calmly, cradling Sarah Beth closer. “You do what you need to do. I hope you find a great counselor for Martha, and we can all move forward in peace.”
“You wish. Martha doesn’t need counseling,” she spits, tugging on her daughter’s arm. “Come on, baby. We don’t need to go to the library. We can afford to buy books to read at home. Your daddy has a good job, and you have a mommy at home who cares about you enough to stick around. Not like some little girls.”
I feel blood rush to my head and experience a moment of shock that she actually took a jab at my innocent daughter for not having a mother. But before I can say anything Tatum steps forward, until her nose is inches from Carrie’s.
“I tried to keep this civil, but you just crossed the line,” Tatum seethes. “Your soul is the ugliest thing I’ve seen in a long time and if you dare say anything to Sarah Beth or about Sarah Beth again, you’re going to have to deal with me. And I’m not nearly as nice as I look, I promise you that.”
“Did you hear that?” Carrie looks up at the librarians. “She just threatened me! Are you still going to believe her side of the story?”
“I believe the footage,” the male librarian says flatly. “And I’m inclined to agree with her. I suggest you leave without saying another unkind word to this little girl or anyone else, or I’ll arrange to have you banned from the playgrounds in town, too. My brother works for the park service.”
Carrie’s eyes bulge in their sockets and her mouth opens and closes like a landed fish. I can safely say I’ve never been happier to see a person speechless.
“Don’t let the door hit you on the way out, Carrie,” I say, shooting her a look I hope expresses that I’m on the exact same page as Tatum. If she lets my daughter’s name pass her toxic lips again, she’ll be sorry.
“Crazy,” she finally huffs. “This town’s gone crazy.” She hustles toward the door, Martha in tow, and a beat later we’re alone with the librarians and Sofia and her charge.
“Bravo,” Sofia says with a slow clap. “Good job, Mama and Papa bear.”
“Don’t be sad, Sarah Beth,” the little boy with the blocks says. “I’ll be your friend. You’re way nicer than Martha. She’s mean, and took my candy at Halloween.”
Sofia brushes his hair from his forehead. “I know! I remember that, Conrad. Thank you for being such a good boy while we waited for this to get sorted out. You want to go get a cheeseburger lunch as a special treat?”
Conrad cheers, his face lighting up. “Yay, cheeseburger!”
Sarah Beth lifts her head from my shoulder. “Can we have cheeseburgers, too?”