Dad stared at him like he’d sprouted an extra limb. “You’re struggling to balance childcare with work, you’ve had to—”
“Doesn’t every working parent have that problem? Most people who foster have other responsibilities too.”
Dad threw his hands in the air. “I don’t know why I’m even trying to talk some sense into you. My mistake. Clearly you have it all figured out.”
Ouch. Dad’s words provoked a mixture of pain and surprise. He counted to three silently before he responded, half expecting his father to retreat. When Dad gave him that same flinty-eyed stare, Levi pressed on.
“Here’s the deal. Savannah is helping with Wren and trying to come up with a float for our store with almost no resources and a limited amount of time. So if you’d like to alleviate some of her stress, then speak to Jasper about his priorities instead of making the rest of us rearrange our lives to accommodate him.”
“Whatever Savannah needs for that float, she can have it,” Dad said, bracing his elbows on the counter beside the register.
“You don’t mean that. You and Jasper both told me there wasn’t much in the budget. Besides, the parade’s ten days away. Even if we gave her an unlimited budget, how would she get what she needed in time?”
“She’s creative. I’m sure she’ll come up with something.”
Oy. Levi massaged his forehead with his fingertips. Before he could say anything else, the door opened and two customers came in. Dad conveniently disappeared into the break room. Then Levi spent the next forty-five minutes helping the guys pick out the gear they needed to hike in the area. Shortly after ten, Jasper strode in, showered, shaved and toting a drink carrier from the coffee shop.
“Hey.” He grinned sheepishly. “Sorry I’m late. Hope coffee will make up for it.”
Levi’s phone chimed with an incoming text. He pulled out his phone and read the message from Savvy.
Wren has been involved in a biting incident at the library. Please come as soon as you can. We’ll be waiting outside.
Levi’s stomach plummeted. “Oh no.”
Jasper paused from unpacking the coffee cups. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s Wren. She’s at story time at the library, and something happened. I’ve got to go.”
“Levi, wait,” Jasper called out after him.
“I can’t.” Levi jogged into the break room, grabbed his backpack, then hurried down the hall and pushed through the back exit. His father’s criticism echoed in his mind.
You’re in over your head.
Yeah, well, maybe Dad was right. There wasn’t a reasonable explanation for how much he cared about her. He couldn’t define the feeling that had propelled him to take action and bring a child into his home without much support. Clearly his behavior baffled his own family. He just knew he couldn’t turn his back on Wren.
“Lee-by is going to be so mad,” Wren sobbed, plodding along beside Savannah as they crossed the library parking lot.
“Wren, I don’t think he’s going to be mad,” Savannah said, gently pressing her palm against Wren’s shoulder. “He cares about you very much.”
“No,” Wren insisted. “He’s going to be so mad. I’m in big trouble.”
Oh, poor thing. There had to be a way to gently guide her out of her fear and teach her that biting wasn’t okay. Her fear over Levi’s anger mattered too. Savannah couldn’t recall ever seeing Levi get angry—well, maybe in a skirmish with Jasper, but he would never hurt Wren. Savannah was 100 percent certain of that.
“Sweet pea, biting is not okay. Can you tell me more about what happened?” She already knew the basics from the library staff, but she thought Wren should give her the full story.
“That girl sat in my place,” Wren said, her little brow furrowed.
“Let’s go over here. There are some swings. We can sit and talk.” Savannah checked both ways before guiding Wren across the street to a small park with a playground. Thankfully, there weren’t any kids around, so they could choose their swings. Wren headed for the oversize disc suspended from the overhead frame with three ropes.
She struggled to climb on. “Will you help me, please?”
Savannah hesitated. This wasn’t supposed to be a fun outing. She needed to get the full story. Maybe they could chat while Wren enjoyed the freedom of not having to share the novelty swing.
“I’ll help you if you’ll tell me what happened. Deal?”
Wren gave a solemn nod.
Savannah gave her a boost onto the swing. As soon as Wren was settled, Savannah gently pushed the rubber circle. “Do you come to story time a lot?”
Wren shook her head, then tucked her chin to her chest.
“So how did you know that was your spot?”
“It just is. I have to be close. I need to see all the pages.”
“I understand.” She couldn’t fault Wren for wanting a front-row seat. Definitely an age-appropriate preference, especially when there had been at least a dozen kids clambering for a seat on the librarian’s multicolored rug.
Wren clutched the ropes with both hands. “The girl, she didn’t move.”
“Did you ask her to move?”
“Sort of.”
“Did you use kind words, or did you just tell her?”
“Told her.”
