“Yeah, well, maybe she should have considered the consequences of pushing Harper off the playset the other day,” Jack barked, throwing out an exasperated hand. “I can’t be hereto keep your kid in line, so I tell Harper to do what she needs to do.”
“Which is to take scissors to her head?” Kristin’s cheeks reddened.
Jack barely lifted a single shoulder. “Get her where it hurts.”
Aspen had a look of utmost admiration in his eyes looking at Jack, and frankly, I was slightly horrified but mostly impressed. I always wanted to be the kind of person who could stand up to a bully instead of trying to rationalize with them.
But most importantly, I needed to get back to work.
“Aspen, you shouldn’t cut someone’s hair,” I said as my phone buzzed again in my pocket. I flicked a glance at the screen. It was the store’s admin, surely telling me how far behind I was in meetings. “You won’t do it again, right?”
Aspen shook his head.
“Of course he should do it again,” Jack said, his brow bunching. “If Serena doesn’t quit acting like a complete?—”
“Jack,” Sharon warned.
“If Serena doesn’t start behaving in aneighborly way,” Jack said with a false smile, “she will get a consequence.”
“That’s not what consequence means in this school. Vigilante justice is not discipline.”
Jack leaned back, casually putting his arm around Harper. “You mean, your kid just gets to act like a?—”
“Mr. Leroy,” Sharon cut in.
“Actout,” Jack simpered with a lean toward Sharon, “and get away with it because you think the solution to her physical violence is gentle parenting? No.”
If I had all day and this didn’t involve me or Aspen, this would have been a highly entertaining conversation, perfect for popcorn. But that was not the case, and I needed this nonsense resolved ASAP.
“I think maybe we’re getting away from the point,” I tried. “We haven’t covered what happened.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Canton,” Sharon said.
“Miss O’Connell,” I corrected. Jack’s eyes flicked my way and his jaw feathered.
“Mara,” Sharon said evenly, the tone of a woman trying to keep from losing her marbles. “Let’s let the kids talk about what happened before we debate the course forward.”
“They cut my hair,” Serena squeaked. Okay, fine, the kid was cute. But I knew from Aspen she’d been going after Harper, so that angelic exterior was false.
“You pushed Harper,” Aspen interjected.
“Okay, tree boy,” Serena retorted.
My mouth popped open. Yes, an aspen is a type of tree. A beautiful tree for my beautiful little boy.
“What did you call him, child?” Jack growled, sitting forward. I put my hand over his on the arm of his chair, maybe trying to prevent him from actually throttling this kid. “You will not make fun of my daughter’s best friend’s name.”
“Okay,” Serena mumbled.
I hardly noticed because Jack’s fingers curled under my grip. My cheeks burned hot as Jack’s hand slid out from under mine.
Why, in the name of the lord baby Jesus, was I still holding my son’s best friend’s dad’s hand?
“Sir, you are not my daughter’s teacher nor are you her father. You do not get to talk to her that way.”
My phone buzzed again. I really, very badly needed to get back to work. The sweat that plagued me on the drive to the school erupted again. “Look, I left a bunch of meetings to be here. Can we all just apologize and move on?”
“Yeah, what she said,” Jack said.
