CHAPTER 9
Jade stood in front of the circle of carpet squares, clapping her hands together to hold everyone’s attention. “All right, students, what do we tell Officer Taylor for coming to speak to us today?”
A melancholy chorus of thank yous sounded around the room. The children were dismissed for playtime. Jade stepped up to Kimmie. “I’ll get lunch ready if you’re all right handling things out here.”
Kimmie’s eyes were on the trooper. Taylor had stopped to help Jade’s daughter tie her light-up shoes. “Hmm?”
“I said I’ll get lunch ready,” Jade repeated. “That okay with you?”
Kimmie pried her eyes away from the touching scene. “Yeah. Sounds good. You need help?”
Jade shook her head. She looked as if she were about to say something, then just shrugged and walked off. Kimmie scanned the
