Best Foot Forward (The Best Girls 3)

“That might work. In fact, you could tell her that was the only reason you went out with Kara.”

“I didn’t go out with Kara.” Brad bristled. “We went to the baseball game as friends—that’s all.”

“Except for that kiss...”

“She may have kissed me, but I didn’t kiss her back. That woman is psycho!”

“I thought you said Grace was psycho.”

“Well Kara is more psycho... A lot more!”

Josh laughed. “That’s what you get for cheating on Grace.”

Brad’s blood was beginning to boil. “I didn’t cheat on Grace. She broke up with me. Remember?”

“Calm down. I’m just kidding you. But are you sure you want to keep dating her if she has plastic surgery?” Josh chuckled.

“That’s not even funny. I’m sure that was never a serious consideration. She’s scared to death of needles and surgery. And Ben said he’d talked her out of it already.”

“I hope you’re right. But she has been acting kind of crazy lately.”

“Well, all of that stops today. I’m going to talk to her and straighten everything out.”

“Good luck, buddy. Hasn’t she blocked your phone number? I don’t see how you’re going to make that happen.”

“My shift doesn’t start until noon. I’m going to see her at her school. I’ll stand outside her classroom until she gives in.”

“Will they even let you inside the school? With all the safety hype, I’m not sure you can get to her.”

“I met her principal the first week of school. Surely she’ll let me in to see her. I’ll wear my hospital ID.”

“Why don’t you just go to her house tonight? Now you know what’s actually going on, you’ll know the right things to say. But you promised Ben you wouldn’t tell her you know about the stalker.”

“I won’t tell her, but I have to see her this morning. I can’t explain it, but I feel like something terrible is going to happen. I can’t take a chance, waiting until tonight.”

Josh grinned. “Be careful. If you run into Horatio, you might have a fight on your hands.”

*****

The bell rang and Grace fought to calm her students who were exceptionally ramb

unctious on this rainy day. Her substitute was scheduled to arrive by eleven o’clock, and she hoped the high-spirited children would settle down before her arrival.

“Ms. Marshall! Ms. Marshall!” Horatio called out. “Cord has a bloody nose!”

Grace grabbed a wad of tissues and rushed to hand them to the boy. Accustomed to the problem, Cord already had his head back and his nose pinched, but there seemed to be an extraordinary amount of blood.

“Come on, Cord,” said Grace, taking his hand to walk him to the nurse. “I’ll be back in two minutes. We’re playing the still and silent game until I get back. Briana is the monitor. No one moves unless the fire alarm goes off.”

Her stomach heaving each time she glanced at the bloody ball of Kleenex, Grace hurried him along to the nurse’s station. Upon her arrival, she felt her cell phone vibrating a reminder alarm. Expecting to see the message prompting her to remember her one o’clock appointment, Grace viewed the screen. Mercy General, biopsy, 11a.m.

Eleven a.m.? It couldn’t be. Wasn’t it one p.m.? She scrolled into her appointment book as her heart thudded in her chest. There it was, plain as day. Her appointment was at eleven and the surgery was at twelve o’clock. Somehow, she’d gotten the one o’clock time stuck in her head, and remembered it as the time she was supposed to arrive at the hospital.

With a frantic pounding of blood in her ears she patted the boy’s arm. “Cord, Ms. Livingston will take care of you. I’ve got to run to the office for a minute. Okay?” Dashing down the hallway to the office, she found the office staff was in conference with the principal, leaving the receptionist alone left to man the front.

“Danna! You have to help me! I got my appointment times mixed up. My sub is coming at eleven, but I have to be there by eleven.”

Danna’s mouth formed a big O as her eyebrows flew up. “What do I do? I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. I’m new—”