The Deputy's New Family. Jenna Mindel

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СКАЧАТЬ “Who won?”

      The look of disgust on Corey’s face clued her in.

      “Sorry. She always beat me, too. Are you ready to play some different games?”

      The boy looked cautious. “Like what?”

      “Sound games.” Beth spread out her flash cards.

      “That’s schoolwork, isn’t it?”

      Beth met the boy’s wary eyes. “Did your dad tell you that he asked me to be your tutor?”

      “Yeah.”

      “Did he say why?”

      Corey looked down. “Because I don’t read good.”

      Beth touched his hand and gave him a big smile. “You will, Corey. I promise, in time you will read much better.”

      He looked at her with a lot of doubt in his face, but she spotted hope shining in his eyes.

      * * *

      Thursdays after school, Beth helped staff a kids’ art program. She milled between tables, helping where needed but mostly watching kids create. Corey sat at a table littered with paper, crayons and markers he hadn’t touched.

      Grace Cavanaugh worked beside him drawing a house on a piece of yellow construction paper. She cut out trees made of brown and green paper and then pasted them on the yellow. She glued cotton balls for clouds.

      “Don’t you like to color?” the little girl asked.

      Corey shook his head.

      “Why?”

      He shrugged.

      “This is our house. It’s for my mom.” Grace stuck the paper in Corey’s face.

      “My mom died.” Corey flicked the edge of the paper away.

      Beth sucked in a breath, but she remained quiet and watched the two kids interact.

      Grace set her paper down and tipped her head. She considered what Corey had said for a few seconds and then shrugged her shoulders. “That’s okay. I don’t have a dad. Maybe you’ll get a new mommy. Want me to help you get started? I know where everything’s at.”

      Corey nodded.

      “C’mere, then.”

      Beth’s eyes stung when Corey followed Gracie to the paper bins. She directed him to pick a color and he did. And then he followed her back to the table while she rattled off a host of things he could draw and she promised to help. God bless little Gracie. She’d broken into Corey’s shell.

      “Hey, Beth, got a minute?” Diane, their school counselor, leaned against the door.

      Beth scanned the room for the other teacher helping out. She spotted her assembling the supplies they’d need for tonight’s lesson in painting. The kids were busy chatting and hanging up their backpacks. She could duck out for a few. “Yeah, sure.”

      Diane nodded toward the hall.

      Beth gave the other teacher a heads-up and then followed Diane out of the art room. “What’s on your mind?”

      “I understand you’re tutoring one of your students. The new boy, Grey, is it?”

      Beth folded her arms. “Corey Grey. I cleared it through Tammy. The boy’s behind in reading.”

      “Where are you working with him?”

      “My mom watches him after school, so we work at home. Why?”

      Diane looked concerned. “I had a long talk with Mr. Grey about his boy still grieving. Corey might latch on to you as a maternal replacement, so it might be wise to stay in teacher mode.”

      Gracie’s words whispered through Beth’s mind. Maybe you’ll get a new mommy. And something deep inside twisted, wishing...

      Not going there. Beth cleared her mind with a firm nod. “Gotcha.”

      “We should compare notes in a week or so to see how he’s settling in. Check for improvement.”

      “Sure. That’d be great.” Beth knew the routine.

      Because it was a small elementary school, grade-level teachers worked together as a team sharing lesson-plan notes and progress reports. But Diane seemed more careful than usual with Corey. Was it because of Nick’s position or Corey’s transcripts?

      Beth gestured toward the classroom. “He’s working with Grace Cavanaugh right now. And Thomas Clark has taken Corey under his wing, too. They’re all tablemates in the classroom.”

      “Good.” Diane gave her a nod. “Good pairings there.”

      Beth wanted to roll her eyes. That was why she’d placed Corey at their table. “I thought so.”

      Diane nodded again. “Okay, then, I’m heading home. We’ll meet soon.”

      “Sure thing.” Beth slipped back into the art room.

      “Miss Ryken, can you help us?” Gracie’s hand was in the air with a tube of paint. “We can’t get this open.”

      Beth popped the plastic top and handed it back. Both kids had donned aprons. Each one held a paintbrush.

      Corey looked nervous as he stared at the blank white paper clipped to a tabletop easel.

      Beth stood next to him and stared, too.

      Corey looked at her, his eyes unsure.

      “Let it fly, Corey.”

      “I don’t know what to make.”

      Gracie was busy painting big red flowers.

      Corey seemed too tentative. He did fine coloring preprinted pictures like the tall-ship work sheets in class, but the blank page intimidated him. Was that the result of his previous school making too much of the dark pictures the boy drew?

      “Sometimes playing with the colors creates something special all by itself. Give it a try.”

      Corey thought about that a moment and then dipped his brush into Gracie’s red paint. He slathered the paper and then rinsed the brush to try another color. Blue.

      “There you go.” Beth patted his shoulder. “Nice.”

      Corey looked at her again and smiled.

      “You got it, Corey. Now have fun with it.” Maybe he’d paint what was inside his heart.

      Beth made her rounds, helping other kids and doling out encouragement. But she made her way back to Corey, curious.

      “Wow!” She stared at his painting and smiled. “That’s beautiful.”

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