She turned and scanned the area, then spotted him. She ran down the street, looking like a marshmallow in her puffer jacket. Where was her hat? Surely Erykah hadn’t dropped her off at school without a beanie. Chris knelt down.
“Chris!” Cheyenne wrapped her arms around him. “I don’t like school.”
“What? Why?” He pulled her back to look into her face.
“The kids said I talk funny.”
Well, she did have an adorable country accent, but considering she’d grown up in Kentucky, Chris hadn’t given it a second thought. Unfortunately, he’d temporarily forgotten how cruel kids could be.
“What else did they say?”
“They just kept laughing every time I talked.”
Oh man. How could he fix this for her? “Did your mommy talk like you?”
She wrinkled her nose as if thinking. “No, but Daddy did.”
“Then you guys have the same accent.”
“Accent?”
Chris faked a New York accent, then a country one.
Cheyenne giggled. “I get it.”
“See? You talk like your daddy. And your mommy talked like your aunt, right?”
She nodded.
“Then you have nothing to be upset about. Just tell them you’re from Kentucky.”
“Okay. Maybe tomorrow won’t be so bad.”
“I’ll pray it’s not.”
Cheyenne petted Charlie. “I missed Charlie. How come he can’t come to school with me?”
“Pets aren’t allowed at school. They don’t want you to be distracted while you learn.”
“You have pets at your work.”
Trust her to try to find a parallel. “Remember, most of the animals at my job are wild. They’re not pets. Do you know what I mean?”
She blew out a breath. “They’re not domesticated,” she enunciated slowly, as if trying to remember how he told her to pronounce the word.
“Right.” Erykah was lucky Charlie hadn’t been wild.
He stood to his feet and held out his hand. “Did you learn anything exciting today?”
“Did you know that turtles can live for a long time? Mrs. Vega has a turtle as a class pet.” Cheyenne’s brow wrinkled. “We can’t take him home with us, but we’re allowed to take breaks and talk to him. He’s fifteen. That’s old, but not as old as your mom.”
He could only imagine what Cheyenne would think if she knew his age. “Did you know turtles can’t outgrow their shell?”
“No,” she gasp-whispered. “That’s so cool. My backpack is like a turtle shell.”
He glanced at the bright pink Barbie backpack. “I don’t know. It’s pink.”
“I’m a girl turtle.”
