Page 7 of Her Big Bad Wolf

I shared a look with Mary and then took off running for the pantry.

“Oh no,” I cried.

Lucy was right. They had come here for the food. As I took inventory, I noted there were several missing bags, blankets, and even a few toys along with nearly all of the food and snacks in the pantry.

“There’s no food for snack time or even lunch today. I’m going to have to make some calls and have lunch brought in.”

I was trying not to break down, but hot tears escaped and slid down my cheeks. I’d let the boys down and now I was letting down my kids who meant the world to me.

“Go,” Mary said.

“What?”

“Go. You go and take care of this. Get what you need.”

“I couldn’t possibly. The kids are here. It’s time to start the day.”

She reached out and gently squeezed my hand. “I’ve got this. I know their morning routine and then we’ll do some playtime or a movie or something. It’s going to be okay. But you are a mess and need to pull it together. Go get what you need to finish out the week. We’ll be fine here.”

It was hard for me to accept that this place really could run without me. Mary Westin was the best. As a former Pack Mother with five children of her own and a whole Pack ofgrandpups, I knew she was far more qualified than I to run this place, but I still didn’t want to believe it.

I started to make excuses, but she immediately cut me off.

“Vanessa, I’ve got this. Now go.”

Slowly I nodded, accepting my fate. “Yes ma’am.”

I hated leaving the children, but I knew she was right. I really wasn’t in any condition to work today.

I welcomed a few more of my kiddos on my way out.

It felt weird driving away from the school. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d taken a day off.

Once at the grocery store, I parked and hopped out of the car. There were more than a few curious glances my way.

“Vanessa, is everything okay?” Maddie Westin stopped me to ask.

“It’s fine.”

She checked the time on her phone.

“But. . .”

“I know. Mary is holding down the fort for me. We had a bit of an emergency. Sorry. I’m kind of in a hurry and need to grab some snacks and lunch for the kids.”

“But you always have extras there.”

I sighed. “The Baylor boys raided the place last night, but shh. Please don’t spread that around. They aren’t bad boys. They’ve just been dealt a crap hand in life.”

She smiled. “You always see the best in kids.”

“Never met a bad one.”

The look she gave me told me she knew better. Clearly, she’d heard the rumors of the Baylor's. I was sure everyone by now knew all about them. They were likely the talk of the Pack and it pissed me off to realize it. They were just kids.

I excused myself and quickly ran through the store to get what I needed.

After paying for my items, I ran into Lane, our local sheriff, as I was walking back to my car.