I needed that car for work too.
There wasn’t a bus route that could get me across town on time, and several days of rideshares would eat through the money I was trying to save for repairs.
Emma stood beneath the porch roof.
“Are we going to be late?”
“Probably.”
Then I remembered Vanessa.
Four houses away.
Brand-new SUV.
Same school.
Same morning.
I called.
She answered after several rings.
“Hey.”
“Vanessa, my car is dead. Could Emma ride with you and Sophie just this once? I’ll deal with my car today.”
There was a brief pause.
“Fine. Have her ready.”
Relief flooded through me.
“Thank you.”
I looked at Emma.
“Vanessa’s taking you.”
Emma blinked.
“Really?”
“Why do you sound surprised?”
She shrugged and picked up her backpack.
By the time Vanessa’s SUV pulled up, the rain had become even heavier.
Emma waited at the curb beneath an umbrella.
The wind blew rain underneath it, soaking the bottom of her jeans.
One sneaker splashed into a shallow puddle.
Vanessa lowered the passenger-side window.
“Thank you so much!” I called.
Her expression changed the moment she looked down at Emma’s shoes.
“Oh.”
She stared at the wet sneakers.
“No.”
Her eyes shifted toward the cream-colored seats behind her.
