Chapter 7
The next morning, tightness gathered behind my eyes when Kale refused to speak with me. I’d cleared enough of my schedule to drive him to school, and for the entire fifteen-minute commute I tried tweaking his tail the way my childhood nurse used to. The trick had always worked on me. Tease, tease, tease...and soon enough I’d turn and nip. She’d accept my angry words, then I’d tell her what was wrong and end up crying in her arms.
Kale was a sturdier specimen. His lips remained sealed for the entire drive and he disembarked without once meeting my gaze. His shoulders stiffened as he walked up the steps to the school building. Even his nods to friends appeared forced.
So I’d flubbed that one. The kid in my charge arrived at school just as upset as when he’d subsided into his pil
