Page 62 of Freefall

He looks down at his desk as if it’s going to magically grow legs and escort us out.

“What comments?” Nate asks again.

Mr. Bennett’s entire body goes slack, and finally that plastered smile falters a little. “I guess it came up that Daisy has never met her birth father, and he asked her a question about it.”

God, could he be any more vague?

“A question?” I prompt.

“Yes.”

Nate lets out an exaggerated breath. “This is fucking ridiculous. What question did he ask, Grant?”

Mr. Bennett’s eyes narrow as mine catch on the polished brass nameplate on his desk.

Grant Bennett.

Yep. He definitely summers on the Cape.

Mr. Bennett, or should I say Grant, shifts in his chair. “He asked if her dad left her mom because she was as big a bitch as she is.”

Silence.

I can hear my own heartbeat.

Beside me, Nate goes unnaturally still.

“He said that?” I ask quietly. Not that it’s going to change anything, but maybe I misheard him.

Mr. Bennett nods. “Unfortunately, children sometimes repeat language they’ve heard somewhere else⁠—”

“He called an eight-year-old girl a bitch?” Nate’s voice bounces off the walls of the office that suddenly feels like it’s contracting around us.

Mr. Bennett laughs awkwardly and then clears his throat to cover it up. “We certainly don’t condone the language, but the important thing here is that Daisy chose to respond physically, and we can’t have that.”

I see Nate’s hand curl into a fist before he flexes his hand. Then he stands. “I think we’re done here.”

Bennett blinks again. “With all due respect, Nate, I disagree. We haven’t reached a conclusion. Daisy needs to be held accountable for her actions.”

Nate leans forward, pressing his hands down on Mr. Bennett’s desk. “With all due respect, Grant.” He hasn’t raised his voice. If anything, it’s quieter than before. Terrifyingly calm. “You give my daughter a single consequence for this, and I will let the school board know what a sexist asshole you are.”

Mr. Bennett opens his mouth to say something, but no words come out. Nate straightens, turns on his heel, and walks out of the room. My teeth clack together as I force my own gaping mouth closed. Nate just publicly claimed Daisy as his daughter. I know we never explicitly said we were keeping it a secret, but he said we didn’t have to tell Daisy yet, and I assumed we weren’t telling anyone else either.

At the same time, he defended her, even going so far as to threaten to blackmail an elementary school principal. That’s what Nate does, though. He makes decisions without consulting me, then saves the day, so I forget he overstepped in the first place.

“Look, Harper. I know emotions are running high.” Mr. Bennett’s voice interrupts my Nate-induced spiral.

I almost laugh. Instead, I fold my hands together so he won’t see them shaking. “It sounds like both kids made bad choices,” I say as evenly as possible, “and we will absolutely talk to Daisy about keeping her hands to herself, but I sincerely hope you’ll spend as much time talking to the other student about the consequences of his actions.”

He looks down at his desk. “Of course.”

When I walk out of the office, I expect Nate to be wearing a hole in the carpet, but he’s sitting next to Daisy, who has her hands folded tightly in her lap. I only catch the tail end of their conversation.

“Next time, you use your words. I have a feeling yours are sharper than your shove, anyway.”

A small smile splits her lips. I crouch down in front of her.

“Hi, honey.” Stormy eyes peer up at me from under damp lashes. “You okay?”