“And kids who ask you to go with them to help them. They should ask a grown-up for help.” Kimbersaid.
“And not to trust grown-ups who say Mom sent them to pick us up,” Kimbersaid.
“They’re supposed to know our code word,” Kadensaid.
Denise blinked at them. “How come I don’t know your codeword?”
“‘Cause you’re family, silly,” Kimber said. “Family doesn’t need to know the codeword.”
“Ah. That makessense.”
“Mom told me our dad was a shifty person,” Kaden said. “She said he died, too, but that man who called said he was our dad. Was that alie?”
There was the segue she needed. Taking a deep breath, she tried to explain. “Sometimes, grown-ups tell people lies because the truth is really bad or it might really hurt the other person’sfeelings.”
“Mommy lied to us?” Kimberasked.
She moved closer so her knees were touching theirs and took their hands. “To answer your first question, yes, this is going to be a grown-up talk. Your mommy lied to you a little bit, but it was to protect you from a really badtruth.”
Trying to frame the words as gently as possible, she gave their hands a squeeze. “Your dad —” God, she hated using that word “—was a bad man. He did some illegal things and hurt some people, including your mom. One day he hurt her really bad and another man tried to help, but your dad hurt him, too. The police sent your dad to prison for a very long time. We think the men yesterday were some of your dad’sfriends.”
She glanced toward the kitchen. Chris leaned against the low counter, arms crossed. His emotions played across his face from anger to worry toI’m here if you need me. He gave her an unexpected sense ofcomfort.
“But those men tried to hurt us,” Kimbersaid.
Denise could see the confusion and hurt on her face. “I think they meant to scare us, sweetie, not hurtus.”
Them, maybe. Anything that happened to her was probably considered collateraldamage.
“Why would he do that?” Kaden asked. “Why would he hurt mommy and why would he let his friends scareus?
She rubbed the back of his small hand. “I don’t know,sweetheart.”
“Is he going to hurt us?” Kimberasked.
“I will not let that happen,” she said. “I promise.” She prayed it was a promise she’d be able tokeep.
* * *
The kids were subduedwhile they did their schoolwork. The principal had been more than willing to send the week’s remaining assignments to her along with the paperwork to disenroll them and transfer their records to their new school. She tried working up some annoyance at the principal so willing to not deal with an issue, but it made her life easier so in the end she decided to let it go. The kids were happy and excited about their new school so she’d take the good where she could getit.
She sent a quick text to Bree.Got time totalk?
Bree:About 5 mins between patients. What’sup?
Will need more time thanthat.
Bree:Everythingok?
Wasn’t that the sixty-four-thousand-dollarquestion?
Need more than 5 mins. Call me atlunch?
Bree:Willdo
She saved the financial spreadsheet she’d been working on and locked the computer screen. Tucking her phone into her pocket, she left her small office to check on the kids working at the small breaktable.
“How’s itgoing?”
