The Next Best Thing

Chapter 9

Just as Emma reached the bathroom door, Mitch's tap started to run. He beat her by mere seconds. She still had one foot in the air.

Noooooooooooooooooo.

How long would he be? Rules were rules, but she hadn't done anything to get ready for work yet. Maybe, if she was quiet, he wouldn't hear her in there too. No. She couldn't risk it after all the hell she'd given him. With a heavy sigh, she accepted she was going to be crazy late meeting Ruby, and she only had herself, and the kindness of strangers, to blame.

The day before the day before, she was picking Gabe up from his afterschool program when another student's mother sidled up to her and introduced herself.

"Hi. I'm Isla's mom, Casey," she said, so soft-spoken Emma had to replay the words in her mind to make them out. Her voice had a natural crack to it too, like she was recovering from laryngitis.

"I'm Gabe's aunt, Emma."

"We know," she said, nodding awkwardly and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She was a willowy brunette with skin so fair the veins at her temples looked like painted lines on china.

"We do?"

"Sorry," she laughed nervously. "That sounded stupid. It's just that we all loved Sophie. She was such a wonderful person."

"Oh," Emma said. "Thank you."

"All the parents get to know each other through the kids. Can't be helped. There are always birthday parties, pick-ups, plays, et cetera. It can seem a little suffocating at first until you realize how many afternoons off you can get in a busy birthday month."

"That's what they must mean by 'it takes a village'," Emma said, feeling like her guest pass had expired and she was now expected to join the club.

"This is a good group. Except for you-know-who who lets the tooth fairy give their kid fifty bucks a tooth. I had to tell Isla the fairy was drunk."

"I wish I'd thought of that. I told Gabe it happens when she knows the new teeth are going to grow in crooked, and it's to help pay for braces."

Casey giggled and nodded, knowing that Emma now had to pray the rest of Gabe's adult teeth came in straight. She said, "I wanted to say hello to you before but I, we, weren't sure if you'd be sticking around. Jackie didn't really say and, well, we barely ever saw Jake except for parent teacher night anyway."

"Gabe and I are going to be sticking together, probably for the school year." If there was one thing Emma hated more than covering for Jake, it was giving busybodies the gossip they wanted. Not that she thought Casey's interest wasn't genuine, but every village had its idiot and who knew what tree they were hiding behind, cocking an ear.

"So is he your ward now?"

"My wart?"

"No, your ward," Casey snorted.

"Ohh!" Emma said, laughing at herself.

"Gosh, imagine this stranger coming up to you and calling your kid a wart." It struck Emma funnier that strangers were calling Gabe her kid. Casey said, "Gabe's such a brave boy, and thank goodness he has you."

"I'm terrified of screwing up, but I love him too much. I can't believe you all volunteered for this. I had to get drafted."

"Look, I hope you don't mind, but Reece and I were talking – Reece is one of Shazza's dads."

"Which one is that?"

"The taller one with the buzzed sides. Rick never does anything for the school but cut a cheque."