Free The Book of Eleanor by Nat Burns

dumped pizza on me at The Fat Mother restaurant. What would she do to me now?

Angie
     
    It was a perfect day for a beach outing, even if only for the hour we stole from the end of the school day.
    The sky was a pure pale blue with just enough cloud to make it interesting, and the sun was a golden glow on its descent toward evening. I guided the Jeep into a parking space at Billy’s beach access and quieted everyone for a quick pep talk about safety and staying together as a group. Tommy had gotten hyper on the trip over, as he always did when riding in the open-air Jeep, and I had to give him a few stern looks to calm him during my warning speech, but I think everyone got the importance of staying safe. Besides, they knew the drill from previous trips. My overprotectiveness was just that—overprotectiveness.
    It was only the mobile kids with me today anyway. The wheelchair kids would be riding out with Father Sephria when he came in the van to pick these kids up for their ride home.
    I had actually been hoping for some beach time all week. I think we all needed a little R and R right about now.
    “Miss Angie?” Maria had fallen in step with me while the others ran ahead to chase the retreating waves.
    I rested my hand on one of her slim shoulders. “Um-hmm?”
    “The school is closing, isn’t it?”
    Her voice was so quavery and light that I almost couldn’t discern the words. “Let’s not go there just yet, Maria.”
    “I’m...”
    I paused and turned her so that she faced me. “What, hon? Tell me what you’re thinking.”
    Her long, dark hair hung in her face to hide the scar that marred her right cheek. My hands itched to pull back the thick hair so I could see both her eyes, but I knew that would make her uncomfortable. I took a chance, though, and laid a hand on the bare skin of her arm. My body jolted uncontrollably when I felt the cold steel of a knife against my throat. I jerked the hand away, but I had also felt her question and knew her fear.
    “We’ll figure something out, Maria. You won’t have to go to regular school. I promise I won’t let that happen.” I made her see me, see my truth. “Don’t be afraid. Trust me on this.”
    She nodded, and I saw a smile curve her lips. “Better watch out.”
    I turned just as a shirttail full of sand landed on my sandaled feet. Tommy had talked Sally into holding out the hem of her T-shirt so he could load it with sand. They were huddling back and giggling uncontrollably.
    “Tommy, I know you were the mastermind of this one,” I said as I lifted each foot and tried to shake the sand off.
    “Mastermind,” he muttered behind the hands pressed to his mouth, ineffectively holding the hilarity in.
    I turned my head around and glared at Sally. “Do you even know what your mother is going to do to me when she sees that shirt?”
    Sally looked down as if just now realizing how peppered with sand her shirt was. She looked up and I saw a storm of tears brewing.
    “Oh, no, honey. Don’t cry ! Look, we can brush it off…”
    Her chubby little hands started scrubbing at the shirt. I leaned to help.
    “Oh, no,” Tommy called. “Someone’s hurting him!”
    I whirled to see that Emilio was under attack. “Watch them,” I told Maria as I rushed to rescue Emilio.
    “What the hell are you doing? If you’ve hurt him, I’ll have your butt in jail so fast...”
    I took a double take. It was her ! My future wife. I had been wondering when I would see her again. But she had thrown Emilio to the ground and was standing over him, her chest heaving. What in the world?
    I took a minute to study her. Dressed in walking shorts and a sleeveless tank top, delicate leather sandals trailing from one of her hands, she was still gorgeous. She looked tired, with dark smudges under her eyes, and had an absentminded air about her.
    I approached slowly and leaned over to pull Emilio up off the sand.

Grey
     
    I stopped in my tracks and studied the delivery girl. She was