Libby offered her a smile and ducked back outside to wait for her. She was fiddling with her keys and tapping her feet nervously when Annie appeared. With a roll of her eyes, Annie snatched the lunch bag off the counter and peered into it. Her face gave nothing away as she brushed past Libby and wrenched the front door open.
Outside, the early morning sun was high in the sky, set against a backdrop of clear blue skies. Birds called out to each other, and a few kids raced past them on their bikes. Without missing a beat, Annie inched past them and continued on her march. Once they reached the school, Libby’s stomach grew even tighter.
“Have a good day, sweetie,” Libby called out to Annie’s retreating form.
For a while, Annie walked and didn’t say anything. Then, before she disappeared inside, she glanced over her shoulder at Libby, who gave her an enthusiastic wave. Libby waited until she was sure Annie was inside before pretending to walk away.
She stopped behind a cluster of trees nearby and peered through them at the front door.
Libby had no idea what she was hoping to accomplish by spying on Annie. Or what she was going to accomplish by following her around, but it had to be better than sitting around at work, tapping her screen every hour and waiting for the app to load while she carried around a heavy feeling in her stomach. While Libby knew there was no excuse for what she was doing, she was officially out of options.
Annie barely said more than a few sentences to her, giving nothing away. And she refused to see the child psychiatrist Charlotte had recommended.
Short of dragging Annie there, bound and gagged against her will, her foster daughter wasn’t going anywhere near thepsychiatrist’s office. Now that Libby was running out of options, she clung to the only thing she knew: her own judgment.
So, she stood there, chewing on her apple and scrolling through her phone. When her legs grew too stiff, she shook them out. Then, she wandered over to the cluster of benches outside the school. She sat down on one of them, stretched her legs out, and checked her watch.
Hours later, when Libby was studying her nails, she heard a shrill bell. Hastily, she scrambled to her feet and went back to hide behind the cluster of trees. A few students poured out of the front door, with teachers trailing after them. Libby spotted Annie easily, with Charlotte hot on her heels. She smiled when Charlotte placed a hand on her shoulder and said something.
But Annie was looking right through her.
Abruptly, Annie leaned out of reach, spun on her heel, and walked away. Libby’s heart was pounding in her ears as she sucked in a harsh breath. She waited for a while longer and then jumped out from behind the trees. She earned a few curious looks from the other students, but no one said anything.
Libby was sweating as she followed Annie at a safe distance down Hamlin Avenue. Annie snuck glances at her phone the entire time, her shoulders hunched. She veered left onto Kathy Lee Bates Road, and Libby slowed her pace. Libby’s heart was still pounding erratically, and she felt like she was going to throw up.
Suddenly, Libby was overcome with the urge to run in the opposite direction.
What if Annie was engaged in some illicit activity?
How was Libby meant to stop her?
Before she could wonder about all of the trouble Annie could be in, she saw Annie step onto the path leading directly to the Falmouth Public Library. It had immaculate green laws sprawled out and several brown-colored buildings on eitherside, then the library itself, with its gabled roofline and white windows, sprawled in the center.
Libby ducked behind the nearest tree, and her eyes widened when she saw Annie duck inside. When a long moment passed, and nothing happened, Libby stood up to leave.
Shame on you for doubting her. She’s a good kid, Libby. It’s a good thing she didn’t see you.
Libby cast one final glance over her shoulders, guilt and frustration still coursing through her and making her stomach tighten into knots when she saw Annie step out. A heartbeat later, Annie glanced over her shoulder and smiled at the tall, blond-haired man who looked to be around Annie’s age. With a frown, Libby squinted and saw the man had dreadlocks to his shoulders and wore too large clothes, and when he smiled, he showed off a row of yellow teeth.
A shudder went through Libby when the man reached out and engulfed Annie in a hug.
Sweat broke out over Libby’s forehead and back.
Annie returned the hug, and the two of them stood there on the steps of the library while everyone moved around them. Libby’s heart was in her throat, and she had to stop herself from marching over to them and yanking Annie out of his grasp. She wanted to give the man a piece of her mind; then, she wanted to drag Annie home and do the same.
But she didn’t.
Instead, against every bone in her body telling her otherwise, she stood there, clenching and unclenching her fists. She bit down on her bottom lip hard enough to draw blood. For the longest time, nothing happened, and Libby was still using every ounce of self-control she had not to do something stupid.
Finally, Annie was the first to pull back, her cheeks flushed with color.
She gave the man a small smile, and he returned it.
Libby felt sick to her stomach.
Annie gave the man a quick wave and walked away, shoulders squared and her hands clenched at her sides. Heart hammering in her throat, Libby ducked behind a nearby tree and waited for her foster daughter to pass. Then, she counted backward from sixty and slowly poked her head out from behind the tree. When Annie’s friend climbed down the steps, Libby released a deep breath and stepped out.
She followed him as he left the library and wandered through the streets of Falmouth. Libby lengthened her strides to keep up with him as he marched down West Main Street. At the intersection, he turned left on Locust Street and then stopped to tie his shoelaces.
