He closed his music folder and slipped it into his backpack as the mother of one of the fourth graders approached withher redheaded daughter in tow who was fiddling with colorful beaded bracelets on her wrist. “Hi, Mrs. Wagoner.”
“I wanted to let you know that Patti is going to miss practice next Tuesday. She has a consultation with an orthodontist.”
“That’s fine. Thanks for letting me know.” He looked at Patti. “I hope your consultation goes well. You know, I had braces.”
The little girl’s hazel eyes rounded. “You did?” Her face pinched. “Did they hurt?”
“My teeth were a little sore, but the cool part was being able to pick what colors I wanted for my rubber bands when I went for my checkups. The orthodontist has so many colors.”
“Did they have purple?”
“They sure did.” Drew met Patti’s mom’s gaze, and she gave him an appreciative smile. “You’ll do great.”
“Thank you,” Patti said.
“See you next Thursday,” Drew told them. He turned to the next mother waiting to speak to him and realized he had a line. His hope to talk to Kacey deflated.
After speaking to two more mothers about their children’s schedules and answering a father’s question about logistics on the day of the Christmas Tree Lighting, he faced the back of the room and was surprised to find Kacey still there, smiling as Riley gestured widely while talking.
Drew shouldered his backpack and approached them.
Kacey smirked at him. “I was happy to hear a different song today.”
“Well, I chose the song with you in mind.”
“I thought so. This is for you.” She held the bakery box out to him.
“Wow. Thank you,” he said, taking the box. Then he nodded toward the door. “How about I walk you to your car?”
“I’d love that.” When the girls scampered toward the exit, she called, “Slow down, girls! No running!”
The girls, however, continued past the people milling about the hallway and out the front door to the sidewalk.
Kacey shook her head. “They listen so well, don’t they?”
“Yeah.” He chuckled. “They know where you park, right?”
She nodded as he held the door open for her. “My car is behind the bakery.” She looked up at him as they stepped out into the cold evening air. “How did Riley and Colleen do today at practice?”
He grimaced, and she groaned. “It’s all right. I moved Riley to the front of the room.”
“Separating them is the only solution. I’ll talk to her again.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll just keep them separated. It’s an exciting time of year for the kids.” He lifted the box lid, and his mouth watered as he took in the assorted cookies. “These look amazing. You’re going to send me into a sugar crash if you keep feeding me your delicious treats!”
“We had some leftovers today. Dani will bake more in the morning.”
“How did your work project go?” he asked as they followed the girls through the alley between the bakery and the gift shop next door toward the parking lot.
She rubbed her hands together. “I turned it in last night, and my boss was really happy. I heard from her this morning.”
“That’s fantastic.”
The girls rushed over to the mint-green Prius and grabbed the door handle.
“I won!” Riley announced.
Colleen shook her head, and her long black braids swished back and forth. “No, I did!”
