She shook her head quickly and pulled her hand away almost like I’d just told her I’d mucked the stalls and forgot to wash my hands after.“No.No.Thank you.I should be going.”
“Okay.”
“Wh-when would be a good time for Sam to come by?What is your schedule?”
That made me smile.“I do this all day.Every day.She can come by when she feels ready.After school?Weekend?Whatever works for her.This isforher.”
The sudden gust of wind that ruffled her hair around her face like a flaxen halo seemed to carry away a considerable amount of Danica’s worry too, and her shoulders relaxed.Her smile in response seemed bigger too.“Monday after school?”
I nodded.“Si.”
“Thank you, Mr.—Tom.Thank you.”
“Prego,” I replied, watching her skirt around the grill of her RAV toward the driver’s side door.“Until Monday, Ms.St.Claire.”
“Danica,” she said, the pink back in her cheeks as she hauled open the vehicle door.“Please, call me Danica.”
“Danica,” I repeated as I picked up the basket of eggs and climbed the three porch steps to the top.“Ciao.”
“Uh …ciao.B-bye.”Then she waved awkwardly before climbing in behind the steering wheel and closing the door.
I would have liked to stand there and watch her drive away, but the voice in the back of my head said it wasn’t a good idea.And I never ignored that voice.So I headed into the house as she did a U-turn in the driveway and made her way back toward the main road.
Portia was in her bed by the fireplace and only opened her eyes, but didn’t move when she saw me come in and set the eggs on the island.
She didn’t have to say anything for me to know exactly what she was thinking.The pig said a lot with her eyes.
“Non dirlo.Lo so che è bella.Non significa che io debba farci qualcosa.Tieniti le tue opinioni per te, mia porcellina.Io terrò a bada i miei sentimenti e tu tieni a bada la tua lingua,” I muttered to her.
Which was basically me telling her that I knew Danica was pretty, but that didn’t mean I had to do anything about it.Portia needed to keep her opinions to herself, and I’d keep my feelings to myself.
All that earned me was some serious pig side-eye, and that was the absolute worst kind of side-eye.Because my pig was usually right.
CHAPTER FOUR
Danica
Iwasn'tsurewhowas more nervous, me or Sam, as I drove us to Tommaso’s Monday afternoon after picking her up from school.
I did my very best to ignore the butterflies flitting around in my belly with zero flight plan as I focused on my child.
“So, how was today?How wasClyde?”I made sure to sneer his name.
She rolled her eyes and glanced out the side window.It wasn’t as nice a day as we’d been having, but it wasn’t raining either.The sky was gray with a quilt of thick clouds, and the air felt chilly as it blew in from the south, which usually meant the weather was going to turn poor shortly.“He’s just so mean.I stay away from him.I ignore him.I asked him to leave me alone, and he just—” She sighed and swallowed hard, wiping discreetly at her eyes.“I don’t get it.”
I didn’t get it either.For whatever reason, Clyde Whalley had set his sights on Sam and used her as his proverbial punching bag, and no matter how many times I had addressed it with Principal Pickford, Clyde’s parents, or Cheryl, nothing seemed to change.Everyone but Cheryl seemed to think that Sam was the problem.
“Do I really have to go to this guy’s house, Mom?”she asked as we drove past the small dairy farm where Fred Love and his family had their cows, goats, and sheep and sold cheese from Fred’s Ched Shed.
Gabrielle’s boyfriend, Maverick, did cheesemaking workshops with Fred and had come back to the house yesterday saying Fred’s goats were all having babies and that he actually got to go watch one of the nannies deliver three healthy kids.Maverick got to name them.He went with Apple, Blueberry, and Peach.Then he came home, and he and Gabrielle made pies together because he was craving pies after naming the goats.
Maverick was an odd guy, but he was good for Gabrielle and her children.So I didn’t say anything.
“Mom?”
I shook my head and blinked a few times.“Sorry.Honey, I think this might be really good for you.Just give it a try.If you don’t like it, then you don’t have to go back.He has a pet pig though, and she is adorable.Andsoobedient.”
“A pet pig?”
