And Killian kept that secret for her. He should have told me.
I should have known that getting involved with him was a terrible idea. Chloe and I were doing just fine without Killian in our lives. Sure, I've been having fun, laughing and feeling lighter for the first time in as long as I can remember – and Chloe likes him. But what was I thinking, dating someone who knows nothing about children?
It's completely irresponsible. I've been irresponsible.
"I'm really sorry," Chloe sniffles, her eyes red. "I know you're mad at me."
I exhale heavily. "No, honey. I'm not mad at you. I'm disappointed that you didn't tell me what was happening. Alex and Hannah shouldn't have been doing what they were doing. But I'm the grownup and it's my job to protect you. You're not supposed to handle that on your own. That's why you're supposed to tell me what's happening."
"You would tell Mrs. S."
"So? That's who I'm supposed to tell. She's your teacher!"
"They would just do it more. That's what happened after you talked to her before. It wouldn't do anything. And you get worried."
"My job is to worry about you, Chloe. That's what I do, because I'm your mom. And it's definitely my job to help with this kind of stuff."
"Alex pushed me in the shoulder."
"So you punched him in the face?"
"Hannah said that I don't have a dad because I'm stupid and ugly, and then Alex pushed me in the shoulder."
"Hannah said what?" That little shit.
"I know it's not true," Chloe says, exasperated. Her eyes well up with tears again. "But it hurt my feelings, and Alex was laughing and he pushed me again and I wanted him to shut his dumb mouth and stop pushing me. So I punched him."
Is it wrong that I know I'm supposed to teach her not to hit other kids, but inside I'm secretly a little bit pleased that Chloe punched the kid who's apparently been tormenting her?
I slide my arm around her and pull her onto my lap, her head against my chest. "You can't go around punching people in the mouth when they say stupid or mean things. Even if you want to. I want to punch people in the mouth sometimes, but I don't."
Chloe starts to giggle, then sniffs. "No, you don't."
"It's okay to feel angry and upset, but it's not okay to just hit another kid in your class. If you told me or the teacher what Alex and Hannah were doing, we'd make sure it stopped."
"Do I get to stay home from school?"
I groan. "Yeah, you get to stay home from school. They suspended you for three days. That's the whole rest of the school year. That means you're stuck with me at the bakery."
Now it's Chloe's turn to groan. "All day? But tomorrow is crazy hair day." The last week of school is basically a fun week, which means Chloe's getting doubly-punished by missing out on all of the end of school activities.
"Yep. Remember that the next time you think about giving someone a fat lip. And no TV this week, either. Make that two weeks."
"Mo-om."
"Don't mo-om me."
She sighs, but she snuggles up against me, quiet in my arms. "Are you mad at Killian?"
I exhale heavily. Am I mad at Killian? That's a complicated question. "I'm not mad at anyone, Chloe."
"I love you, mom."
"I love you, too."
"What am I going to do there all day?" Chloe whines.
"You're really going to go with whining here, when you got suspended from school?" I ask. "Hanging out with me all day long is your punishment."
"Mo-om."
My phone vibrates, signaling a text, but I don't open it because I'm driving. And also because I know it's Killian. Opal's daughter is already in town, so Opal is not texting me at eight in the morning. And I haven't quite worked out what I want to say to Killian, even though it's been running through my head all night.
This isn't going to work.
You made a mistake, let's move on. Just consult me before turning my kid into a boxer, okay?
I'm bouncing back and forth between extremes, and I don’t know which way to go. So I'm delaying responding to the text I know must be from him, even though I'm going to see him in a few minutes and have to deal with it then anyway.
When I arrive at the store, my heart stops. I can't even pull up to my regular parking space on Main Street. A bright blue van is parked outside of the bakery, and Killian stands on the sidewalk, his cellphone pressed against his year, yelling at someone.
I think I'm going to be sick.
What's that saying about bad things happening in threes? First Opal breaks her hip, then Chloe gets suspended. What the hell is going on at the bakery?
I park on the other side of the street, get Chloe out of the car, and take her hand as we cross the road. "Killian!" Chloe yells, running up to him and he high-fives her before hanging up the phone.
My heart is racing when I reach him and I don't know if I want to look inside the bakery.
Don't tell me something happened with the bakery.
Don't tell me. Please don't say it.
"Something happened last night," Killian begins.
My heart sinks.