Lie, Lie Again - Stacy Wise Page 0,75

the park at the play structure. “Do you want to swing?” she asked hopefully. Anything to put an end to the constant wee-ooo, wee-ooo. She was going to end up with a migraine.

Kylie didn’t answer, but she jumped down from the truck. “I go potty, Mama!”

Embry glanced at the driver’s side of the truck. Relief spread through her at the sight of a dry seat. Kylie only meant she needed to go. “All right.” She swooped her up with her left arm and began jogging toward the bathrooms. Who needed to work out when she was running with a heavy kid in her arms and another one strapped to her body? She didn’t bother with the stroller—it wasn’t like someone would run off with it. As they reached the restrooms, three teenage boys sidled to the back of the building, trying to look like they belonged. But it was a regular old Wednesday, and Embry knew they were supposed to be in school. A burst of smoke trailed them as they stuffed their vape pens in their pockets. Embry scowled.

Kylie wriggled in Embry’s arms once they were inside. “I get down, Mama!”

Embry lowered Kylie to the ground, reassuring herself that her daughter wouldn’t die from stepping barefoot on a dirty bathroom floor. And it was just the one foot that was bare. Kylie began tugging at her stretchy cotton leggings, but it was too late. The puddle Embry hadn’t wanted to see was now surrounding Kylie’s feet. Tears pooled in Kylie’s blue eyes.

“I sorry, Mama. I go pee-pee.”

Embry wanted to shout curses at the top of her lungs—not at Kylie but at the situation. At the stupid teenagers and the dirty bathroom floor. And at the park designers who had made the brilliant decision to put the bathroom too far from the play structure.

Deep breaths.

“It’s okay, honey. The important thing is you let me know that you had to go, and we tried to make it on time. Accidents happen.” She lifted her with both hands under her shoulders and walked her to the sink area. “We’ll wipe you off as best as we can.”

“Okay, Mama.”

A burst of love flowed through her as she reached for some paper towels. She’d felt it before, like a sudden ripple, as though her heart had actually expanded, but it was strange that it was happening now, as she wiped pee from her daughter’s pants. Maybe it was because she felt guilty for having wanted to shout at the world. It really had been an accident. “Okay, I think that’s the best we can do for now. Let’s get your shoe off. I’ll rinse it in the sink, and we can wash it at home.”

Kylie nodded and handed her the wet shoe and then the sock.

Embry scrunched her nose as she held the sock with two fingers. “How about I toss the pee-pee sock?”

Kylie laughed and plugged her nose. “Bye-bye, pee-pee sock!”

Embry flipped it into the trash can. “Bye-bye!” She rinsed the shoe and wrapped it in a paper towel that might as well have been a piece of paper for how absorbent it was. “All right,” she said, facing Kylie. “I think our visit to the park has come to an end. Let’s get our stroller and go home. I’ll just grab a few more towels to put under you so the seat doesn’t get wet.”

As they headed home, Embry looked at her watch. It was only eight thirty. Goodness! They had done a lot of damage in just twenty minutes. When Brandon took the kids out, he always came back smiling and happy, acting as though it were literally a walk in the park to spend a few hours with them. Would he have just told Kylie to strip down and pee on a tree? Yuck. That was a gross idea. He’d better not be doing that. But what was it? Annoying, that’s what it was. Maybe he should stay home with the kids and she could work. Then I won’t have to worry about all the pretty girls he’s meeting. Oh, that sounded awful. He was chasing his dreams, and she needed to be supportive of them.

He would do the same for her. She didn’t know exactly what her dream was at the moment, but she knew there was something more. It didn’t have to be a party princess or something from the back of a magazine. She had plenty of skills, and if she could just find a way to