“There’s nothing I can do at this point but see what plays out.” It’s the truth, but I don’t like it. I feel like my hands are tied behind my back. “We’ll see what happens.”
“Okay. Are you going to take Dash school clothes shopping tomorrow with me?”
“I’ll be working.” No way am I going to be dragged along for the torture that clothes shopping is. I feel bad for Dash that his aunt is taking him, but I wasn’t going to drive three hours away to a mall where she’ll go store to store for every little thing.
“Fine, but don’t be mad when I buy him more than he needs according to you.” The evil little grin she gives me has my wallet quaking in my pocket.
“Don’t blow through my whole paycheck on clothes he’s just going to grow out of. Make sure he gets stuff he can grow into as well.”
“I will.” She nods. “I’m also going to take him to Build-A-Bear while we’re out. He’s been asking to go.”
“That's good, but as I said, don’t blow all my money.”
Lexy is smart, and I know she wouldn’t, but she also doesn’t tell her nephew ‘no’ when he sees something he wants. “I promise not to go over the set amount.”
I’m doomed to be broke by the end of tomorrow.
“Great, now, what’s for dinner?”
Chapter Seven
Delaney
Bracing myself for the day ahead of me, I brush my teeth for the second time this morning. I shouldn’t have eaten the scrambled eggs and bacon earlier. I’d hoped to be able to keep it down, but unfortunately, it came right back up.
I put my toothbrush back in the holder and run my fingers over the side braid, smoothing any stray hairs back into place while looking myself over in the mirror. I don’t give myself much time to do this before turning away to get ready. My clothes are already laid out on my bed for today. I pulled them out before my shower a bit ago.
Quickly, I slide on a pair of hot pink slacks, the loose, wide legs make the pants appear like a skirt in a way. I match them with a white button-up shirt that comes to my elbows. I pull a sweater over top of it, making sure to flip the sleeves back over the sweater.
I give myself a once-over in the mirror over my dresser and adjust the collar of my shirt.
Satisfied with my appearance, I pull on a pair of flats, no way I was spending all day in heels. Not running after little ones.
I leave my room, ready to head out. I gather my stuff by the door.
I spent the weekend pretty much planning out the rest of the first half of the school year and cleaning the house top to bottom. I’m not sure if it was first day jitters or something else entirely, but I couldn’t settle to save my life. So, I went ahead and worked on everything I could to exhaust myself.
I do a double check that I grabbed a thing of my favorite crackers and a Sprite Zero before opening the door. Outside, I grab the handle, ensuring I lock the door.
Making my way to my truck, I open the passenger side first to set all of my stuff down on the seat. Once my hands are free, I round the hood and open the driver’s side door. Climbing up, I get everything I need out of my bag and start the engine.
Music plays through the speakers as I drive to the school. Of course, it's 90s and early 00s playing. It gets me ready for the day ahead.
By the time I pull into the school’s parking lot, my stomach has settled a bit. I find a spot to park and turn off my truck. I gather everything out of the passenger seat, open the door, and hop out. I’m early enough that there’s only a handful of cars in the lot so far, with other staff starting to roll in.
Sucking in a nervous breath, I make my way up to the school and through the doors. I stop in the front office, where all the teachers have a small ‘mailbox’ and scan my badge to clock in.
“Morning, Delaney,” Lily, one of the office admins, calls from her station.
“Morning,” I call back, giving her a smile.
“Did I see you coming out of the doctor's office the other day?” she asks, perching her elbows on her desk, a coffee mug between her hands. “I hope everything is okay.”
“Oh, I’m fine,” I tell her, not liking the fact that she would even ask, all because she saw me there.
“You looked pale as a ghost, are you sure?”
“Yep, perfectly fine.” No way was I telling her how my appointment went.
