“That’s it?”
“Hey, don’t knock it. Doing nothing feels pretty good.” Before Esme could reflect on that, Kimber softened her voice. “I am real glad you called, Ezzie. You didn’t have to think of me. I appreciate it.”
“We’re friends, right?”
She felt terrible. “Right. We are friends. I’ll call you next time.”
“I hope you will. Oh! Door’s ringing. I’ve gotta go. Bye.”
“Bye,” Kimber replied, though the line was already dead.
After swiping the screen a couple of times to check that she didn’t have any messages or emails, Kimber set the phone down. If the last phone call hadn’t done it, the lack of anything would have cemented the state of her life. She was currently doing next to nothing with her life.
She’d thought it would feel a lot better than it did.
* * *
“Everyone, let’s say a big Coyote hello to Miss Klein and tell her thank you for being our reading volunteer today!”
Kimber smiled then tried not to step backward as the group of nine-year-olds howled at her. Someone needed to tell them to tone it down a notch.
When the librarian looked her way expectantly, Kimber said, “I don’t have to howl back, do I?”
“Absolutely not, dear.”
“Whew. I was a little worried there.”
She’d been serious, but everyone in the room chuckled—the kids, the librarian and her aide, and even the kids’ classroom teacher.
Actually, everyone seemed pretty amused by her except for Jeremy, who was standing in the back of the room with his hands stuffed in the pockets of his worn jeans. She’d learned during her first visit that the dark-haired fifteen-year-old was earning some volunteer credits this semester. He came to the elementary school a few times a month and helped various teachers for an hour or two. Mrs. Lentz, the librarian, loved having him shelve books.
Kimber figured she normally wouldn’t have given the teen a second thought, but there was something about him that called to her. Maybe it was because he looked just as uncomfortable in his skin as she felt. There he was, wearing faded jeans, tennis shoes, and a pullover and looking pretty much like every other fifteen-year-old boy in the area. But there was something in his blue eyes that seemed far older than his years.
Not for the first time, she wondered what his story was.
“Miss Klein, would you like to begin now?”
“Oh. Yes. Of course, Mrs. Lentz.” Holding the picture book up, Kimber said, “This is one of my favorite holiday stories, The Christmas Mouse.”
As she began reading through the well-loved story, everything that had been bothering her began to fade away—the doubts, the boredom, Peter Mohler and his creepy fixation with her.
One by one, the kids stopped fidgeting and got caught up in the story. Little by little, they began to smile about the little Christmas mouse’s adventures.
All except for Jeremy. He kept shelving books but stopped frequently to listen. She loved that. However, every time their eyes caught, he looked away, like he was embarrassed.
When Christmas Day came and the little mouse had a cozy home all his own, Kimber closed the book with a satisfied sigh.
“So what did all of you think?”
Hands shot in the air. Laughing, she called on the little girl with the red pigtails in the front row.
“I want a Christmas mouse.”
“I do too. Does anyone have a favorite part?” She called on a boy in the back corner.
“When he was almost caught in the trap. That was scary.”
Kimber nodded. “I thought so too.”
Mrs. Lentz joined them. “Everyone, it’s time to line up. The bell’s going to ring soon and we need to get you back to class.”
Immediately, all twenty-four of them jumped to their feet and hurried into line. They’d already completely forgotten about her and were excited to move onto the next part of the day.
After the kids left, she glanced at Jeremy. He had picked up the book and was examining the cover.
She walked to his side. “It’s a cute story, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m a fan of picture books. I’m always in awe of the illustrations. Do you like them?”
“They’re all right, I guess. I . . . I’d just heard this one before.”
“Did your mom read it to you when you were little or something?”
He paled. “I’ve gotta go.” Looking like he couldn’t get out of the room fast enough, he spoke a few words to Mrs. Lentz, held out a card for her to sign, then grabbed his coat and strode out the door.
Unable to help herself, Kimber watched him until he was out of sight.
“He got to you, didn’t he?” Jeanie Lentz said.
“I guess he did, but I’m afraid I just scared him off. I don’t know what I did, though. Sorry about that.”
“Don’t worry about it. Jeremy is a good kid, but he’s a little aloof.”
“I know you can’t share too much, but is he okay?”
“I think so.” She paused, then said, “He’s in foster care, with a single dad.”
“He’s a foster kid? Poor guy.”
“People say he’s been through a lot.” Jeanie smiled softly. “I heard his parents died in a car accident or something a couple of years ago, and he’s been in a couple of homes since then.”
Now she felt terrible. “No wonder he took off so fast. I asked him if his mom used to read The Christmas Mouse to him.”
Jeanie shrugged. “No reason to feel bad, dear. You couldn’t have known about his parents. As a matter of fact, I wouldn’t have been too surprised if he had told you all about his mom. He might have enjoyed sharing that memory with someone.”
“Maybe.” Thinking about her own mom—who had adopted her when she was just a baby—Kimber nodded. “Well, I guess it’s time for me to get out of here as well. Thanks for letting me come back.”
“It’s my pleasure. You have a great rapport with the kids, and it’s obvious that you love the books too. I’m delighted that you’re volunteering.”
“Thanks.”
“Actually, no pressure, but if you’d like to do more around here, I’d love it.”
“You mean read to more classes?”
“Yes. And help check books in and out. Maybe do a little bit of tutoring.”