“I really wish you would’ve taken more notice the day of. That being said, I know how difficult it can be to reel in some of the parents, especially ones like Cassandra Trainor.” She stepped closer and lowered her voice. “Is she here?”
Riki scanned the line of parents that flanked the field. “I don’t see her. Huh. She typically shows up for everything.”
“It’s probably best. I’m not sure what I would say to her. That woman knows how to get under my skin.”
Cassandra Trainor was a little bossy, perhaps, but not mean. Well, not lately, at least. There had been a situation earlier in the year involving some alleged bullying of Darcy, her daughter. Alleged, because as it turned out, Darcy had been the one who was causing trouble with some of the other girls. As she recalled, Mrs. Trainor’s reaction had been exaggerated. Riki hadn’t taken it personally. She’d been warned about the hyper parents who were always right, even when they were proven wrong. “To be fair, I’m sure she didn’t intend to upset Jeremy.”
With a smirk, Mrs. Tau said, “That’s to be debated. You don’t know her the way I do. You’re aware she sits on the board of directors, right? Everyone has to tiptoe around her because she thinks she owns this place.”
A boom blasted the air, followed by a screech that caused everyone to slap their hands to their ears. They looked to see the principal, dressed in a brown sports coat and yellow shirt, fumbling with the microphone. “Sorry, Ocean Avenue families! A little bit of a technical problem here, but I’ve got it all worked out.” He laughed. “I think,” he said with another hearty laugh.
Riki wondered if anyone else thought he resembled the annoying-but-meant-to-be-funny uncle from an eighties sitcom she used to watch on Nick at Nite. She liked Principal Rosenkrantz—he was very supportive of the teachers—she just wished he wouldn’t try so hard in front of the parents. He came across as a total clown.
“Thank you for coming to the sixth annual Ocean Avenue Jog-a-Thon! Let’s give a big round of applause to all our suuuperstar joggers!”
Parents and teachers clapped and cheered. Riki whispered to Mrs. Tau, “Thanks again for filling me in. I’ll keep an eye on things.”
“If it happens again,” she muttered, “I’m going to have a word with that woman.”
Riki nodded and edged closer to her friend Amelia. “Can it be Friday yet?” she whispered.
Amelia laughed. “Right? It can’t come soon enough. I bought some Girl Scout Cookies from one of my kids this morning. We can indulge at lunch.”
“Can’t wait,” Riki replied.
As Principal Rosenkrantz led the students in a cheer, she clapped along, but her mind traveled to last night. The cheer reached a rowdy finale, and she stretched luxuriously, remembering how good it felt to have Chris’s hands trailing down her back, teasing her as he dragged his fingertips across her thighs. She touched a hand to her cheek. I can’t think about that now, she thought. Not in front of all these kids. But the fact that she had thought about it with such pleasure was a good sign. They would be a great couple. It could totally work. She was certain of it. She clapped and gave a loud whoop. The jog-a-thon was over. Thank God.
CHAPTER FOUR
Sylvia turned onto the long driveway of the fourplex on Mockingbird Lane, slowing her car to wave to Embry and Riki, who stood just outside the white picket fence that enclosed the small square that Embry laughingly referred to as her yard. Apparently, front yards were bigger where she came from. Bigger and cheaper.
Well, there’s a price to pay for all this beauty, Sylvia thought as she rolled into her assigned spot in the carport next to Embry’s ancient yellow Subaru. The window was down. Entirely irresponsible to leave a car window open. It was as good as asking for someone to steal your car. But nothing bad ever happened to Embry. It was like she walked with a protective cloud surrounding her, sheltering her and those darling babies from any harm. Some people were born lucky.
Sylvia wasn’t one of them.
But no matter. She made her own luck. After gathering her purse from the back seat, she walked toward her apartment, not in the mood to join the neighbors’ idle chitchat. Hugh had texted that morning saying he’d call at five thirty, and she wanted a minute to get ready. The week had been a busy one for him, so aside from some scattered texting, they hadn’t had a chance to talk. It actually worked in her favor. He would be itching to see her, and she would tease him just enough to put a halt to any thoughts of Lily.
Embry flapped an arm, motioning for Sylvia to join them. “Hey, come on over. You’re going to want to hear this.”
She swallowed a sigh and walked toward them, her heels wobbly on the rough asphalt driveway. This had better be worth it. She still needed to change into something casual but sexy. Perhaps her thin scoop-neck T-shirt with her black-lace plunge bra. The perfect answer for understated sexy. And of course, she would need to reapply her lipstick. That was a must. As she neared Riki and Embry, she said, “What’s this urgent news? Has Brandon become an overnight sensation?”
Embry tightened her ponytail assertively and leaned forward. It was hard not to like the woman, even though she wore rose-colored glasses on the daily.
“No, I wish that were true. It’s Jonathan.” She motioned toward the apartment above hers. “He’s here, and he’s been acting suspiciously. To be honest, I think he’s been there all night. I swear I heard footsteps. It’s like he’s hiding out.”
Riki leaned forward, her earbuds dangling at her shoulders. “He gives me the creeps.” She looked at Embry possessively, the way a middle-school girl who wanted to lay claim on someone as her friend would. What was that all about? Sylvia wasn’t a threat to their friendship. She watched with interest as Riki continued. “I was about to go for a run when Embry called me over. We decided we should ask what he’s doing in Nadine’s place. If he’s going to rent it out, we should be informed, right?”
Sylvia studied Riki’s earnest expression. Such a Debbie Do-gooder. The two were quite a pair. “He doesn’t have to tell us a thing about his plans for Nadine’s place as far as I know. But since he’s here, let’s ask. And I’ll remind him about the broken step. It’s ridiculous he hasn’t fixed it yet, but then again, he’s not the one nearly tumbling down the stairs every morning.”
Riki nodded in agreement. “It’s totally dangerous. If he doesn’t fix it, you should consider filing a lawsuit.”
Huh. That would be fun. She could imagine Jonathan turning beet red and hurling obscenities at her while she watched him calmly, like a parent waiting out a child’s tantrum. “Interesting idea.” Tapping a finger to her lips, she said, “Or better yet, I could lure him up with the offer of a nice glass of wine. I’ll conduct an experiment to see if the busted step can hold his weight. Although I’d hate for him to fall to his death on my staircase just so I can make a point. That would be tragic.”
Riki and Embry exchanged horrified looks. “Sylvia!” they said in unison. Once again, she was reminded of middle-school girls.
“You can’t do that!” Embry said, her hand fluttering at her neck.