“That’s fair.”
Vanessa ignored him.
“So now you’re punishing Sophie because you’re angry at me?”
“No,” I replied. “I’m setting a boundary with you. Sophie is welcome to be friends with Emma. I care about her, and I won’t suddenly stop being kind to her. But the daily school rides are over. You will need to make other arrangements.”
Vanessa stared at me as if I had announced something outrageous.
“What am I supposed to do? I have Pilates at seven. Tuesdays I go straight to work, and Thursdays I have a client call. I can’t just rearrange my entire life!”
For a brief moment, my old instincts kicked in.
I started mentally rearranging my own schedule.
Perhaps I could take Sophie on Mondays and Fridays. Maybe I could work something out with my manager. Perhaps I could—
Then I stopped.
I had been doing that for two years.
Every time Vanessa had a conflict, I searched for a way to make her life easier.
