“Just make sure you have cash for bail if we need it.”
He shook his hand and turned the van into the high school parking lot. “We don’t need cash. Plus, bail bonds places take credit cards.”
“That’s reassuring.” I glanced at him. “And slightly disconcerting that you actually know this.”
He grinned. “I know lots of things.”
The parking lot closest to the theater entrance at the high school was already mostly full when we got there, and families were hustling into the theater. Like Sophie and Grace, most kids had arrived in costume. There were deer and rabbits, and a couple of little kids dressed as birds. Several tall trees walked awkwardly across the lot, their gangly branches swaying in the autumn breeze. A couple other dwarfs were being ushered toward the door and a teenager dressed as the gnarled old witch walked behind them, munching on an apple. I hoped it wasn’t her prop. Two moms were stationed at the door, directing everyone where to go.
My hands clenched into tight fists and I took a deep breath.
Jake noticed. He reached over and touched my hand. “Relax. It’ll be fine.”
“You take them in first,” I said.
“Daisy—”
“Just do it,” I said, lowering my voice. I didn’t want the girls to hear. “So if there’s any issue they don’t have to be a part of it.”
“I’ll stay,” Will said.
Jake’s mouth twisted for a moment, uncertain what he wanted to do. Then he sighed. “Alright. I’ll give you five minutes. But if you aren’t in there, I’m coming back out to get you and I’ll carry you in over my shoulder.”
“That wouldn’t get anyone’s attention at all.”
“You’ve been warned,” he said, pushing his door open. “See you inside.”
I watched him walk off, a dwarf attached to each of his hands.
“How long are we waiting?” Will asked.
“Maybe an hour?”
“Mom. No.”
I sighed. “I know. Just a minute or two.”
“The longer we wait, the harder it’s going to be,” he said. “We should just go.”
“You sound like Jake.”
“You should also know that I’m supposed to text him updates if we’re still sitting in the car.”
I twisted in my seat. “What? He did not say anything like that.”
“Before we left the house,” he said. “He said he’d pay me five bucks if I’d text him every minute we stayed out here.”
“He didn’t even know I was going to stay in the car!”
“Well, I guess he did,” Will said. “Or he just guessed right.”
Stupid, clairvoyant husband.
“I’ll pay you six bucks not to text him,” I said.
Will tilted his head, considering my offer. “I don’t know,” he answered. “He’ll pay me the five and sometimes he tips me.”
“Ten.”
“Deal. But if we stay out here too long and he doesn’t hear from me, he’s going to come looking for me.”
“We’re at least going to sit here for a few minutes so he has to wonder why you aren’t texting him,” I said. “I want my money’s worth.”
Will chuckled and shrugged.
I hated that I disliked confrontation so much. I just wanted everyone to get along. Especially with me. I didn’t like being singled out and I didn’t like anyone thinking I’d done anything wrong, even when I knew that I hadn’t.
“Uh, Mom,” Will said, interrupting my thoughts. “Jake says we need to come in.”
“Well, duh. He’s trying to get you to earn that five dollars.”
“No, this is different,” he said. “He says we need to hurry up. I think something’s wrong.”
I pictured broken zippers and missing buttons from the kids’ costumes. That was definitely not Jake’s department. Or mine, either, if I were being honest. “Like what?”
“I don’t know, but I didn’t text him and he’s just saying we need to come inside now.”
I frowned. “Feels like a trap.”
“I don’t think so, Mom.”
“Fine,” I said, sighing. “Let’s go.”
The wind whipped at our faces as we headed toward the entrance. Leaves skittered across the parking lot, crunching under our feet as we walked. I glanced up at the sky. Thick gray clouds bloomed on the horizon and I wondered if they would be bringing rain or snow when they arrived. I hadn’t checked the forecast before we left but the air felt cold enough for the latter.
“What are we going to do?” Will asked, his chin tucked to his chest.
“We’re going to walk in,” I said. “And hope they don’t slap handcuffs on me.”
“I don’t think they have handcuffs.”
“Stop being reasonable,” I said to him as we stepped up on the curb. “And you’re going first and I’ll be right behind you.”
“Do I stop if they stop you?”
“No. Run as fast as you can and don’t look back.”
“You’re being a spaz, Mom. And I can barely see your face, your hat is pulled down so low.”
“Exactly. Now lead the way.”
We approached the door and I was right on his heels. The mom on the left smiled at Will as we went through the door, then nodded at me. The other mom wasn’t even looking at us.
Will stopped to unzip his jacket and stomp his shoes on the rubber mat just inside the door, dislodging the bits of crushed leaves stuck in the grooves of his sneakers.
“Don’t stop,” I whispered. “We’re in.”
“Mom, seriously,” he said, still wiping his feet. “I think Jake is right. No one cares.”
“You’re only saying that because you weren’t banned,” I whispered at him.
He rolled his eyes.
“Daisy.”
I whirled around.
Annabelle Kingston stood behind me, clutching the hands of two little boys. She smiled at me, a tired, harried smile crossing her face. “I can’t believe we made it to the dress rehearsal.”
“Is Bashful all ready to go?” I asked, referring to her son in the play.
She nodded. “As ready as he’ll ever be.” One of the boys tugged on her hand and she smiled a goodbye and allowed herself to be pulled away.
We walked down the ramp that led away from the entry and around to the hallway that ran in front of the theater. I saw Jake standing at the end of the hallway, his hands on his hips, his back to us. He was talking to someone but I couldn’t see whom.
“There’s Jake,” Will said, pointing.
“Shh!” I hissed. “It might be someone who wants me kicked out of here!”
“Then why would he have told us to come in?”
“Just slow down,” I said, ignoring his logic.
We wove in and out of the groups of parents standing outside the theater. I kept my head down and my hat pulled low on my head. If anyone was looking at me, I couldn’t tell because I was doing my best not to make eye contact with anyone. I was already pleased to have made it this far inside the high school and now I was thinking I actually might be able to get inside and watch the dress rehearsal.
I stepped around a short man shaped like a bowling ball. Will was standing next to Jake. I tapped Jake on the shoulder, feeling like I’d just navigated a minefield.
He turned around and when he did, I could finally see who he was talking to.
Stella Gardner.
Jake’s ex-wife.
THIRTY EIGHT
“Hello, Daisy,” Stella said. “So nice to see you.”
“Hi, Stella,” I said, looking from her to Jake and back to her. “What a...surprise to see you.”
And it truly was a surprise. Stella lived in Miami and had yet to visit Minnesota since Jake and Sophie had moved. When they’d made the move from Texas to Minnesota, she’d taken the opportunity to take a promotion with her company, landing in Florida. Sophie went to visit her a few times a year, and they talked regularly on the phone or via Skype, but she’d yet to make good on her promise to visit Minnesota.