“That’s none of your concern,” she said. “You need to get here in the next fifteen minutes and take Wren with you.”
“Are you saying that if I don’t come, you’ll call the police?”
“I’m contacting everyone on your emergency-contact list until someone retrieves the child. If no one is willing or able to come, I’ll have to inform the authorities.”
“It’s strange that a church wouldn’t provide a safe haven for young kids who are having difficulties. Isn’t that the point of Vacation Bible School?”
“Our VBS has two goals, which we make clear to our parents and guardians—one is to provide a healthy, wholesome environment for the kids who attend, and the other is to provide teens with a similar experience working with the children. We’ve tried very hard to balance those goals. In Wren’s case, she’s made it too difficult for our teen group leaders. Maybe when she’s older, she’ll be fine. There are special activities planned for the rest of the week, and we’d need extra volunteers to keep an eye on Wren. That’s simply not feasible. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
She hung up the phone.
He was stunned. Had that just happened?
“Is everything all right?” Jasper asked, passing a stack of hangers to Miranda from across the counter. They had been tagging and organizing a new shipment of women’s clothing in the store. Dad stood near the clothing rack, updating the inventory electronically.
Levi was too angry about the phone call he’d just received to even think about why Miranda was helping out in the store today. She definitely wasn’t being paid. “Mrs. Horvath called from church. She’s kicking Wren out of Vacation Bible School,” he said.
Miranda gasped. “That’s terrible. Isn’t Wren, like, three or something?”
“Four, actually,” Levi said sadly. “And thank you for your concern. It really is horrible.”
“Is she in trouble?” Jasper asked, collapsing the now-empty cardboard box and tucking it away.
“Apparently, according to Mrs. Horvath, she’s stealing peanut butter crackers and not following the rules,” he said with a hint of exasperation. “The teenager assigned to Wren’s class can’t handle her. I have to go get her right away.”
Dad shut the electronic tablet he was holding. “Right now? Vacation Bible School ends tomorrow. Can’t they keep her there for just one more day?”
Levi shoved his phone into his pocket. “She’s disrupting everything so much that they can’t cope. They gave me fifteen minutes’ notice.”
Dad shook his head in disbelief. “I’ll need to discuss this with Pastor Blanchett on Sunday. I doubt he’s in favor of removing kids from VBS.”
“Thanks for your input, Dad, but Mrs. Horvath seems to think she’s following church policies and procedures.” Blood pounded in his head. What happened to having grace and compassion when a kid messed up?
Outside, a delivery truck’s brakes hissed, and then the methodical beep, beep, beep ensued as it backed up to the store.
“Let me and Miranda go get her,” Jasper suggested.
“What will you do with her?” Levi asked.
“Take her fishing, like Dad used to do with me when I messed up in school.”
Levi glanced at their father. “Wait, you really did that? Does Mom know?”
Dad waved his hand in dismissal. “That was a long time ago. Best not to bring it up again.”
Levi turned back to Jasper. “Make sure she doesn’t run off. Wren isn’t very patient.”
Jasper chuckled at his brother’s concern. “It’ll be fun. If she can’t stand still and fish, we’ll let her wander around for a bit. Want to go fishing, babe?” he asked Miranda, nudging her shoulder gently.
Miranda hung up the last shirt on the rack and put on a brave face. “Sure thing. I haven’t done that since I was eight, though—you may need to give me some pointers.”
“You need to have Wren back by lunchtime. She gets cranky when she misses a meal.” Levi dragged his hand over his face. He really needed to make sure she took a decent nap today too. Maybe that’s why she was having a hard time listening and paying attention to the rules.
“We should take her out somewhere after fishing, like the Sluice Box or Gunnar’s. Don’t you think?” Jasper asked.
Levi didn’t bother to hide his skepticism. “Are you sure? We’re talking about an energetic four-year-old here. Do you think you can handle it?”
Miranda nodded confidently in response, although there seemed to be a hint of uncertainty on her face.
“Just one more thing,” Levi said.
“Keep her away from the river?”
“Yes, that too. And...you cannot post any pictures of her online.”
Irritation flashed in Jasper’s eyes. “Why would we be posting someone else’s child’s pictures on the internet?”
Levi felt awful for even bringing it up, but he had to let them know. “It’s a rule I’m legally obligated to follow as her foster parent. I can’t—”
“Yeah, yeah, no need to explain. Feed her, keep her dry and don’t let her go fishing without supervision. Anything else?”
He winced at Jasper’s impatience. They really were trying to help. Levi sighed, then met his twin’s gaze. “Thank you guys so much for taking this on. It means a lot.”
“Let’s get going, then, babe.” Miranda took Jasper’s hand, and they left the store.
“You’ll need a photo ID when you pick Wren up,” Levi called after them. Jasper raised his hand in response before heading out.
His dad patted Levi on the shoulder. “Wren is going to be okay. They’ll make sure she stays alive.”
