He isn’t being facetious. I can tell he would keep a close eye on the boys. And probably protect them better than I ever could. I have a feeling if his son went missing, he wouldn’t shrug it off and say he “probably went to the neighbors.”
But even so, I don’t quite feel comfortable yet. And anyway, I need to have a talk with Bobby about running off without letting me know. I still can’t believe he did that. He definitely needs to be punished.
“Next time,” I promise.
Sean grins at me. “Sure. Owen and I are usually kicking the ball around in the backyard, so Bobby is always welcome to join us.”
“Or you could come to our backyard,” I add. “Ours is much bigger, so there’s more room to run around.”
As soon as the words leave my mouth, I regret them. These people don’t want me to point out that our house is twice the size of theirs. It’s obnoxious. I didn’t mean it that way anyway… I just meant that we have more space. That’s all.
Sean doesn’t seem offended, thank goodness. But now that he’s home, Owen is overeager to get to the park. I expect Bobby to beg to go with him, but he seems agreeable to heading back home. That’s good, because I don’t feel like fighting with him right now.
“I’ll see you at school drop off tomorrow,” I tell Maria as I herd Bobby out the front door.
She waves at me. “Looking forward to it!”
Bobby is skipping all the way home, and to be honest, I feel like skipping too. Maria is amazing. I finally have somebody I can be friends with on the block who isn’t super judgmental and bossy. And Bobby has a new best friend too. Also, Sean seems really nice. Really really nice.
“Maybe me and Dad can play against Owen and his dad at the park,” Bobby says.
My stomach drops. Bobby doesn’t know his father already went to work. Then again, you’d think by now he would expect it. But he still keeps hoping his father will stick around and take him out to play.
“Actually,” I say carefully, “your dad had to go to work today.”
Bobby’s lower lip juts out and his face turns pink. “But that’s not fair! He always goes to work on the weekend!”
Secretly, I agree with my son. But Elliot and I have to maintain a unified front. “You know your dad has a super important job.”
A tear escapes from Bobby’s left eye. He’s still young enough that his response to anything unfair in life is to start crying. I wonder when that will change. “But I want to go to the park!”
“Listen.” My voice takes on a firm tone. “I told you Dad needs to work. And anyway, you’re being punished now. I’ve told you a hundred times not to leave the backyard without my permission. I’m very angry with you.”
Bobby’s brown eyes widen. He looks so much like his father right now. It’s so strange to catch these little glimpses of Elliot in my son. “But I didn’t leave without your permission! You said I could!”
I snort. “I most certainly did not!”
“Yes! Owen’s mom said you told her it was okay!”
I shake my head. I can’t believe how good of a liar my seven-year-old son has become. It’s getting to be a problem. I’m going to have to watch out for this one. “That’s not true.”
“It is! She came to the fence and told me you said it was okay for me to come over!”
I think back to the text message and get an uneasy feeling in my chest. Is it possible Maria would send me that text message and then lure my son out of the backyard just to scare me?
There are a lot of crazy people out there. After all, someone sent me that text message…
I shake my head. No. No way. Maria was genuinely shocked when she found out Bobby was there without permission—she couldn’t fake that. And why would she do something so evil? Not that there aren’t people in this town that dislike me, but I only just met the woman. The more logical explanation is somebody simply saw him leave my yard and wanted to give me a warning.
“Even if that were true…” Which it isn’t. “You still should have gotten permission from me directly. You are never supposed to leave the backyard without asking me if it’s okay. Do you understand?”
Bobby lowers his eyes. “Yes,” he mumbles.
“What? I didn’t hear you.”
“Ugh!” Bobby does not like rules. He also doesn’t like apologizing. He’d rather rip off his right arm than say sorry. “I told you, yes!”
He’s saying yes, but I don’t entirely trust him. I’m going to have to dole out some sort of punishment, like no TV for the rest of the week. He’ll kick up a fuss about that one, but it needs to be done. I still can’t believe he would just leave the backyard without telling me. And then to lie about it… Does he think I’m stupid?
Chapter 4
Dear parents,
Welcome to the Hopkins School Parent-Teacher Association!
We managed to exceed our fundraising goals last year, and this year we are hoping to exceed our total from last year! But we need volunteers to achieve the standard of excellence that is expected of our PTA.
I hope all of you will consider attending our first meeting at the Hopkins School Library on Tuesday night. We will be discussing all of our goals for the year, and how you can help us to achieve those goals!
The meeting is expected to last approximately three hours. There will be NO FOOD. If you do attend, you will be expected to stay for the duration of the meeting. I would also expect that when the meeting concludes, you will help us rearrange the tables and chairs back in the configuration they were prior to the meeting.
Important: all electronic devices should be powered down during this meeting. The welfare of your children requires your complete attention. Simply putting your phone on silent is not acceptable.
Hope to see you Tuesday night!
Your PTA President,
Julie Bressler
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
I had an episode of Sweet Secrets about French toast. Technically, it’s not a baked good, but I love it and the episode was really popular. My secret for the perfect French toast batter is a pinch of brown sugar. And of course, brioche bread. Bobby always gobbles it up and asks for more. And so does Elliot, for that matter.
I cook it in a mix of butter and oil until it’s perfectly crisp on the outside and still moist in the center. I love the way my boys’ eyes light up when I put the plates down in front of them.
“You make the best French toast in town, April,” Elliot declares as he shovels a bite into his mouth. “You’re going to give me a heart attack, but I don’t even care.”
“Aw, you really know how to flatter a girl.”
There are some cut up strawberries on the plate too, so that’s the healthier element. But Bobby is meticulously eating around them. Oh well.
My own plate consists of an egg-white omelet and three strawberries. If I’m going to be on camera every week, I have to maintain my figure. So I never eat any of my sweet treats, and I go running three times a week. And speaking of looking my best, tomorrow I’ve got an appointment at the hairdresser to touch up my roots. My dark roots are very visible on camera—if I let it go, I always end up getting comments from viewers.