A desire to defend herself rose up, but Mitzi held her tongue. There was no use engaging her any further. She folded her arms and waited for Louanne to leave.
Louanne sniffed again, lifting her chin as if she were a queen on parade, and tucked her pocketbook under her arm. The woman dressed impeccably. She probably had redeeming qualities—it was just hard to find them under all that greed.
The door swished open and Louanne was gone. For how long? Mitzi couldn’t say. She hoped until Christmas Eve. Maybe laying down the law was what she’d needed to do all along. She grinned, thinking of the way she’d stood tall and stood up for herself.
The guys set their products on the counter, and she greeted them with a “Merry Christmas.”
They mumbled their replies. Mitzi didn’t even care that they weren’t as peppy as she was this fine holiday. She could share a little of her joy.
She hummed as she rang them up and then smiled wide as she handed back the one man’s credit card. “Have a great holiday!”
He returned her smile. “You too.”
She waved as they left. The woman was still browsing in lighting, so she went back to working on inventory.
Carla came back from her lunch break. She stopped to watch as Mitzi sang softly with the music coming through the speakers. “Well, someone’s in the Christmas mood.” She tucked her purse under the register and pulled out her apron, which she tied around her middle.
Mitzi bopped a shoulder. “I guess I am.”
Before Carla could give her a hard time about mistletoe—which Mitzi knew was coming as surely as she knew Forest would come up with something warm and hearty for dinner tonight—Mitzi’s phone rang.
“Louanne, if that’s you …” She pulled it out of her back pocket and saw the school’s number on the caller ID. “Hello?” she answered quickly.It’s the school,she mouthed to Carla. One mom to another—you always answered for your child’s school.
“Mrs. Edge? This is Vice Principal Dimes. Would it be possible for you to come to my office sometime today?”
She was getting called into the vice principal’s office? “Can I ask what for?”
“It appears Billy’s been causing problems in his classroom. I don’t think it’s anything serious, but we should discuss it in person.”
Mitzi placed a hand over her stomach as if holding the place where someone had punched her. “Billy doesn’t cause problems. He’s a great kid.”
“He is. And we love having him here at North Hill Elementary. But there have been a couple instances, today especially.”
Floored, Mitzi began untying her apron. “I have a lunch break now.” She made eye contact with Carla as she said the words, verifying that she was fine if Mitzi took her break. “I can come right over.”
“Wonderful. I’ll see you soon.”
They said goodbye and ended the call. Mitzi moved fast. “Sorry I have to split in the middle of this.” She pointed to the inventory sheet.
Carla waved her off. “It can wait until you get back. No one will trip over it.”
“Thanks!” She hurried out to her car and made the three-block trip to the school in no time.
North Hill Elementary was a tan brick building built in the early ’90s. The windows were tinted and their frames dark brown. The mascot on the sign was a roadrunner—not the cartoon kind that kids loved to watch on Saturday mornings, but a real one that looked like it would run right through you with its sharp beak. Mitzi gulped at the image and wondered if she was about to get run through.
She pulled open the metal door, wondering how the kindergarteners ever got into the building, it was so heavy. Inside, the carpet was maroon with flecks of tan. There were bulletin boards lining the hallway, each featuring a child’s Christmas artwork or 100% spelling test. Paper snowflakes hung from the ceiling, and a red-and-white paper chain draped along the far wall.
The office was the first door on the right, and she ducked inside the room made of windows like a fishbowl. Billy sat on a bench, swinging his legs back and forth. He looked up when she came in and ran to her for a hug.
She held him close, not needing to say anything and not wanting to until she knew the whole story. “Hey, bud. You okay?”
He nodded against her.
“You know I love you?”
He nodded again.
“You know I got your back?”
