“Your dad likes rocks?”
“He likes the ones I give him.”
Her candor makes me chuckle. “Okay, well…”
“Can you please watch them, Ms. Lewis? I don’t want anyone to steal them.”
My eyes scour the pile at my feet. They look like ordinary rocks to me, but what do I know? Besides, I had a fixation like that once upon a time as well. “Sure, Ellis. I’ll watch them.”
She lunges for my legs, wrapping her arms around them. “Thank you! You’re the best teacher ever!” And then she takes off, running back to the group of girls I’ve seen her play with numerous times.
“Rocks, huh?” Stacey asks.
I shrug. “Every kid has their thing. Mine was pine cones.”
Stacey nods. “My brother collected bugs and didn’t tell anyone that he brought them into his room, so one day my mom went in to clean it and noticed the floor was moving. You can imagine the horror of having to exterminate the entire space.”
Covering my mouth with my hand, I stifle my sound of disgust. “I would die.”
Stacey looks over my shoulder toward the outside of the school. “Is it just me, or has that woman been standing around for a little too long out there?”
Spinning to look in that direction, my eyes land on a woman that can’t be much older than me. “I honestly don’t know. I didn’t notice her.”
“She’s been there as long as the kids have been outside.” Stacey peers down at her watch on her wrist, waving me off with her other hand. “I wonder if she’s waiting for someone, or if she’s someone’s aunt or grandma, or something? It happens quite a bit in our small town.”
Awareness creeps up my spine, but I attempt to push it away. Paranoia isn’t a friend of mine, but I’m sure this woman is there for a reason. Just as I tell myself that in my head, she leans up againstthe fence, gripping the metal poles and pushing her head close to the structure, like she’s attempting to see something better. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say she looks familiar.
“Should I go over there and say something?”
Stacey shakes her head, squinting in the woman’s direction again. “You know what? That’s Sally’s aunt. She’s harmless. Walks by the school every once in a while and waves to the kids.”
As I’m about to look away, the woman waves in my direction, but it’s a small wave. Honestly, if I wasn’t looking right at her, I would have missed it. I arch a brow and then twist my head around to see if there’s anyone else she might be waving to, but no one is looking in her direction.
I turn back toward the playground, ready to let it go, when that unsettled feeling lingers anyway—prickling along my spine for no real reason I can name.
Why is this woman’s presence making me feel curious? And why does she look like someone I used to know?
“You know what, Stacey… I’m gonna go talk to her.”
Both of her brows lift. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah. Watch the kids. I’ll—I’ll be right back.”
She nods and I head toward the fence. When I get closer to the woman, her features become clearer, and that’s when it hits me—she looks like Lydia.
“Ma’am? Can I help you?”
Her eyes connect with mine in an instant before she releases the iron bars and takes a step back. “Oh. No. I was just…watching the kids play.”
“You sure? Visitors are supposed to check into the office. My colleague said you are Sally’s aunt.”
Tears fill her eyes. “Yes. I’m—I’m sorry if I caused any alarm. I just wanted to watch the kids play.”
“Are…are you all right?”
A laugh filters through her tears. “God, I’m sorry. This is…this is embarrassing.”
“Why is that?”
