Rachel had her doctorate, something I frequently forgot about because she rarely mentioned it. No doubt the county’s payroll people would prefer a younger teacher with less education and experience, even if Rachel’s class greatly benefited from her skill and dedication.
“I was trying to show us having a good time,” I said. “I did make sure not to show anyone drunk. I cut out any curse words. Your dress was modest. Heck, none of us wore anything scandalous. It has to be jealousy, Rach.”
“Maybe just don’t include me in your Mom Scout adventures anymore,” Rachel said, again scratching with vigor.
I witnessed the precise moment when the light bulb went off over her head, and she realized what she was doing and why.
“No, no, no, no, no, no!”
“I swear I did a good job. It has to be something else.”
“Obviously, you missed a few.”
“Well, let me see. Please?”
Rachel glared at me but eventually gave in with a sigh and a nod. I dragged a chair to the window and gestured for her to have a seat. She plopped down with enough force for the chair to crack.
Not much light came through the window, but it was enough for me to be reasonably sure it wasn’t lice.
“Rach, it looks inflamed along your scalp, like ... an allergy?”
“Swear to me you don’t see any of those damned bugs, Vivian. Swear. To. Me.”
“I don’t,” I said as I finger-combed her hair. “I see some patches of dry skin, and your scalp looks really angry—especially along your part, and—”
“That damn touch-up dye,” Rachel muttered. She went for her purse and fished through it with shaking hands. Finally, she turned the purse upside down and scattered its contents on the little table that held our fancy fresh flowers. With shaking fingers, she brought out a pillbox and removed a pink pill.
“What are you doing?”
“Getting Benadryl, if you must know.”
Oh. “You think something they put in your hair caused the itch?”
“If that hair dye had PPD, then I know it caused the itch. And I asked them if their products had PPD! I swear I asked them.”
Before I could respond to Rachel’s conundrum, Abi emerged in a wide-eyed panic. “I gotta go back.”
“But, Abi, you were doing so well!”
I clamped my mouth shut, but Rachel was already looking to Abi and then back to me. Abi gave Rachel an it’s-okay-she-knows look, and I tamped down my jealousy to the point I feared heartburn. “What’s wrong?”
“Barney’s missing.”
“Surely Zeke and the boys can find him. He doesn’t movethatfast,” I said.
Abi skewered me with a look.
Wrong thing to say, Vivian. You seem to be making a habit of that as of late.
“One of the boys let him out by accident, and that idiot dog chased some animal to who knows where. At least he’s been chipped, should Animal Control pick him up. I’m worried that he’s so cute someone will want to keep him.”
Unlikely.
But I knew better than to say aloud that no one wanted to keep a gassy, loud beagle-basset mix. And what did I know? I had an ill-tempered one-eyed cat.
“I’m changing my flight to this afternoon so I can help look for him,” Abi said, disappearing back into the bedroom before I could argue.
“So you’re both going to leave me here alone?”
