Total pages in book: 151
Estimated words: 145823 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145823 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
“You look amazing!” I held my finger out, and she obligingly twirled in her fluffy skirt and sequin-covered shirt. Her hair lay in perfectly formed ringlets that I knew wouldn’t last past the first recess.
“Mommy did my hair.” She grinned.
“You did a great job.” I smiled up at Claire, who looked as uncomfortable as humanly possible, but she was here. She might be living in Jackson’s house and sleeping in his bed, but she was doing it for the good of Finley. They weren’t together…at least that’s what I reminded myself to keep my claws sheathed.
Besides, Jackson and I weren’t together, so she had every right to sleep in his bed.
Right.
“Thanks.” She offered me a tight smile. Things weren’t exactly easy between us, but I appreciated that she’d at least turned off her seek-and-destroy glare when it came to me.
“Finley, your daddy sent this for you.” I handed Fin the daisy, and her entire face lit up.
“It’s beautiful.” She drew out the word with reverence. “He FaceTimed this morning. He told Mommy I could wear my skirt!”
“Against my better judgment,” Claire muttered, sending an obvious glance around the much less ostentatious outfits in the room.
“I’m putting it on my desk!” Finley carried the flower like it was a nuclear bomb, dodging her classmates every step of the way.
“Did you know you’re supposed to volunteer?” Claire asked in a hushed whisper as I rose to my feet. “And not just every once in a while. They want classroom aides, and story-time readers, field-trip chaperones, and I work. There are a thousand sign-up sheets over there!”
“It can be a lot, but school resources aren’t always what we’d wish, so having parents step in can really help stretch our budget,” I explained with a small smile. “But you don’t have to. That’s the whole point of being a volunteer, and I know you’re taking on a lot right now.”
“Right, and all these other parents are just going to think I’m the loser mom who can’t show up for story time Thursday, and they all know that I haven’t been here as much as I would have liked. Gossip in a small town never dies.” She pursed her lips.
“How well I know it.” That was pretty much the story of my life. “But the more you’re here, the more they get to know you, the less they’ll talk.”
She shook her head. “How does Jax do all this and still get to keep his precious career?” There was an edge of panic in her eyes.
Ugh, and there went my stupid heart with the aching again.
“Well, first, be a little easier on yourself. Jackson hasn’t been a kindergarten dad yet, so he hasn’t done all this. It’s brand-new territory. Is something else stressing you out, Claire?” The level of agitation seemed a bit unjustified.
She warred with herself for a second, then sighed. “I have an audition today, and they agreed to do it through video chat, which is pretty much unheard of. But the only time the director has is exactly when Fin gets out, and Mom has a doctor’s appointment, and Brie has some meeting, so I’m going to have to cancel it. I’m trying so hard to do both—to figure out how to be Finley’s mom and not lose my career, but…” She shook her head and looked away.
I bit my tongue and reminded myself that I couldn’t judge her for the way she’d abandoned Fin for the last five years since she was here now and obviously trying her best. “Why don’t I bring her home with me?”
Her gaze snapped to mine.
“Really. Just leave her booster at the front office, and I’ll carry her home. No big deal. It’s not like you live across the island, remember? Just come grab her when your audition is over.” I could get Fin’s opinion on the paint colors for the guest room and maybe even sneak in some shell hunting.
“I can’t ask that of you,” she protested, but there was a spark in her eye.
“Yes, you can. I love Finley. I love spending time with her, and honestly you’d be doing me a favor.” I lifted my badge. “And I’m background checked and everything.”
“But you and Jax…” She hesitated.
I suddenly wished I had his pendant around my neck instead of in the truck. “This isn’t about Jackson. It’s about Fin.”
She glanced nervously as parents snapped pictures of every conceivable “first” of the morning. “Okay. Thank you. I guess I didn’t realize it would be this hard. Or maybe I did, and that’s why I stayed away so long.”
“It’s not a problem,” I assured her. “I’m always available to help, if you’ll let me.”
She flashed a Hollywood smile, but it was tinged with a note of desperation.
I started taking Finley home every day.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Jackson
There was no such thing as a three-day weekend here, so the fact that it was Labor Day weekend made no difference to me. I sat in the operations center with my laptop, scouring the internet for the world’s most obnoxious blow-up apple for Morgan’s classroom.