If the problem was more than a battery, I had no idea how I was going to manage the rest of the week.
Emma stood beneath the porch roof, watching me.
“Are we going to be late?”
“Maybe,” I admitted.
Then I remembered Vanessa.
Four houses away. Brand-new SUV. Same school. Same morning.
I called her.
She answered after the fourth ring.
“Hey.”
“Vanessa, my car won’t start. Could Emma ride with you and Sophie just this once? I’ll figure out the car today.”
There was a pause.
“Fine,” she said. “Have her ready.”
I almost missed the coldness in her voice because I was so relieved.
“Thank you. Seriously, thank you.”
I hung up and turned to Emma.
“Vanessa’s taking you.”
Emma blinked.
“Really?”
I frowned.
“Why do you sound surprised?”
She shrugged and reached for her backpack.
A few minutes later, Vanessa’s white SUV appeared at the end of our street.
