The Best of Winter Renshaw - An 8 Book Collection - Winter Renshaw Page 0,45

kindergarteners in lieu of learning the art of cold reading.

“That’s good to hear,” I say. I slip my hand into Brooks’s. She smiles. I inwardly cringe.

“Excuse me.” Mom rises and moves toward the door. “I’m going to get Derek. I know he wanted to leave here by eleven.”

“Sure, Mom,” I say.

“I was going to tell you, sweetheart,” Brenda says once Mom leaves. “My sister’s Go Fund Me efforts have raised nearly fifty thousand dollars in the past week. Isn’t that incredible? This community is so generous. So many people are concerned about Brooks. They love my son so much, don’t they?”

“Wow. That’s quite impressive.”

“Now, our insurance will cover Brooks’s rehabilitation expenses, but I was thinking that perhaps you could quit your job at the elementary school and commit to taking care of Brooks full time?”

My jaw hangs on its hinges.

Any teacher knows you don’t walk away from a job you love at a school you love with a principal you love. That kind of trifecta in this industry is rare.

“I, uh . . . I don’t know what to say.” I’m burning. My throat constricts. I need a drink of water and fresh air, or I’m going to lose it.

“Oh, sweetheart, there’s nothing to say. I’ve already cleared everything with Principal McLean. You know she and I go way back. She’s a very good friend of mine. She said she has a substitute filling in for you through the end of the year, but she’ll go ahead and terminate your contract. She said this isn’t how she normally does things, but she’d make an exception in light of the circumstances. Anyway, you won’t have to worry about going back after Christmas or next year. You can focus solely on Brooks.” Brenda smiles, patting his hand. “He’s going to need you, Demi—your undivided attention.”

Wonderful.

Just wonderful.

“I really love my job, Brenda,” I say. “You didn’t have to do that. I wanted to go back. And we don’t know how long his recovery will take. Don’t you think that was a little premature?”

“Nonsense.” She swats her hand. “You would’ve quit your job anyway after the wedding. Brooks needs a woman of the house, and you’re worth more than that paltry salary anyway. Your place is in the home. Abbott women run households, and the only snotty noses we wipe are those of the children we bear ourselves.”

Brenda’s lips pull into a warm smile to soften her crass words. I can’t help but wonder if she knows exactly what she’s doing—if the sweet space cadet thing is just an act. Maybe she’s one of those people with a personality disorder who manipulate everyone around them without anyone ever noticing.

All her quirks, all her idiosyncrasies . . . I’d always written them off, laughed and joked about them.

But this is where I draw the line.

“Brenda, I really wish you wouldn’t have done that.” My eyes burn. I feel the tears building behind them.

“Sweetheart, why are you so upset? I thought I was doing you a favor. Teachers could lose their licenses for abandoning contracts. This way you won’t have to deal with any negative fallout from not returning to your job,” she says. “I was only trying to help.”

I’m two seconds from telling her about the credit cards he charged up in my name when Derek waltzes in.

“I won’t stay long,” he says. “Just wanted to show my support and check on our guy.”

Brenda rises, arms wide open, and embraces my brother. “I appreciate your coming by, Derek. I’ll be sure to let Brooks know you were here.”

She speaks as if he’s going to wake up any minute and life will return to business as usual.

I hope to God he does wake up any minute.

And I hope he’s coherent, because as soon as he’s able, he’s got a lot of explaining to do.

Plus, I want my job back before it’s too late. I need my job back.

When Derek leaves, Brenda points toward a chair that pulls out into a bed. “Why don’t you get some rest, sweetheart? I’ll wake you if there’s any activity. I know you won’t want to miss anything, and the Rixton Falls Herald will be here in the morning to interview us.”

“Oh. I didn’t know anything about an interview. What if he’s not awake by then?”

“It’s just an update,” she says. “That Afton has taken a very keen interest in Brooks’s story.”

I find that impossible to believe. The girl’s questions were trite and unoriginal, and she looked like she was two