Must Be Wright (The Wrights 3)

Gypsy rushed around, pulling together work for Brandy. It was so time-consuming to break in someone new, but Gypsy was excited for the time it could potentially free up. She could stop playing musical chairs with her siblings when she needed a place for Cooper overnight. Depending on how quickly Br

andy picked things up, Gypsy could be home with Cooper as soon as tomorrow night.

She stuffed a pile of bills into her purse to give to Brandy after Cooper’s doctor’s appointment, then scoured through files for Coopers immunization card. He was going to need shots today, and the thought of the way shots terrified him twisted Gypsy’s stomach.

“Is it time for the doctor, Mommy?”

From her bedroom where she kept a desk for her office work, Gypsy saw Cooper roll to his back and pretend to fly a Lego car through the air.

“Sure is.” She spotted the yellow cardstock that documented all of Cooper’s immunizations in the bottom of a folder and plucked it out. He was so excited for this camp, it thrilled her. This would fill at least half his days with fun activities and friends and alleviate a lot of stress on Gypsy.

She slid the immunization record into her purse and started for the door. “Grab your shoes, Coop.”

He scrambled to his feet and ran to the door, fists in the air, cheering. She pushed aside the knowledge that shots awaited her son and glanced at her watch.

“Shoot.” Why did everything take twice as long as she expected? She opened the door and crouched to help Cooper into his shoes. “We’ve got to hurry, buddy.”

She grabbed his coat and coaxed him out the door. While Cooper sang a made-up song about superhero camp, Gypsy secured him into his car seat, smiling. “Maybe you’ll be a song writer when you grow up.”

“Like Wyatt!”

The happiness that vibrated in Cooper’s voice when he talked about Wyatt warmed her heart. He’d slipped past her filters because she’d never considered him a possible romantic candidate, so she hadn’t had any objection to the two of them spending a little time together while Gypsy was working. But he’d been good with Cooper from the start and had become a de facto uncle of sorts. Which just made taking a chance with Wyatt that much easier.

She shut Cooper’s door, slipped into the driver’s seat, and turned over the Jeep’s engine. Along the gravel path off the property, Gypsy buckled her seat belt and pulled her phone from her purse. Autodialing the doctor’s office, she paused before turning onto the main road.

“Doctor Seymour’s office,” the receptionist answered.

“Hi, this is Gypsy Wright. I’m bringing my son, Cooper, in for a physical and shots today. I just wanted to let you know we’re running a little late.”

“How late do you think you’ll be?” she asked. “Doctor Seymour is booked today.”

Oh, how well she knew. The man was booked every day, months in advance, which was why Gypsy had begged her way into this appointment.

“Yes, I know. Maybe only five or ten minutes.”

“Okay, I’ll let him know. If you’re here more than fifteen minutes late, we’ll have to reschedule the appointment.”

“No need. We’ll be there soon. Thank you.”

She disconnected and dropped her phone in the cup holder as she eased toward the road, waiting for a break in traffic. She might not be late at all, but she wanted to give herself a little cushion just in case. And she was glad she had when car after car continued to stream by. The school down the road must be letting out soon.

Her cell rang. She glanced at the display but didn’t recognize the number, so she let it go to voicemail and rested her elbow on the window ledge as she waited for a break in traffic.

The phone stopped ringing, then pinged with a voice message. With her eyes on the line of cars, she picked up her phone, tapped into the voicemail, and listened on speaker.

“Ms. Wright,” a female voice came on the line. “This is Deanna at Whispering Oaks Elementary School. I’m the nurse on staff here, and I’m calling because you are listed as the emergency contact for Belle Jackson.”

Gypsy pressed harder on the brake, sat back in her seat, and cut a look at her phone. “What?”

Cooper started kicking the back of her seat. “What, Mama?”

“Cooper, honey, stop.”

“Belle has had an accident,” Deanna said, then quickly added, “She’s okay, it’s not life-threatening, but she is going to need to be seen at a hospital, and I can’t get ahold of anyone in her family.”

She disconnected from voicemail. “Oh my God.”

Gypsy’s mind tangled with questions. Where was Wyatt? Why wasn’t he answering his phone? Why the hell was Gypsy listed as an emergency contact for a girl she barely knew?