Page 102 of Second Time Around

Chapter 19

For Thursday’s meal, Kyra had chosen a dish that required her to chop onions. That way she could blame her red-rimmed eyes on the pungent fumes instead of a night spent crying over Will. Emily wasn’t fooled, but no other staff members had looked at her with pity, so her camouflage seemed to be working.

She’d been second-guessing herself ever since the day before, wondering why she couldn’t find the strength to be friends with Will. She’d done it in college. But Babette had provided a handy barrier to her feelings, so she’d been able to tamp them down to a manageable level. With nothing to stop her now, she’d plunged into love with him without a moment’s hesitation. Stupid move.

She picked up another onion and whacked the ends off with more violence than necessary.

“Ms.Kyra?” Diego looked around before he slipped into the kitchen as though he didn’t want to be seen. “I gotta talk to you. In private.”

Kyra wiped her sleeve across her eyes to dash the onion tears away. “How private?”

“I need you to come somewhere with me,” he said. He’d ducked into a corner so no one could see him from the hall.

Kyra put down the knife. “What’s going on?”

He shook his head and gave her a pleading look. “Can you just come with me?”

She scooped the onions into a plastic storage container and shoved them in the fridge before washing her hands. She should probably get Emily involved but Diego seemed in a hurry. “Do I need my bag?” she asked.

“No. It’s not far.” He checked the hallway before leading her out past Powell.

“We’ll be right back,” Kyra said to the guard, since Diego seemed to want to keep this outside jaunt under the radar.

Powell nodded and went back to reading something on his cell phone.

Diego checked both directions on the sidewalk before turning right and practically jogging down the block. Kyra had to trot to keep up with him.

“In here,” he said, veering into a narrow walkway between two buildings. They dodged around several garbage cans and a ramshackle shed. Behind it, Felicia sat on a plastic crate, her bandaged arm cradled on her lap. When she looked up, her thin face was streaked with the tears welling up from her brown eyes.

“Oh, sweetie, what’s wrong?” Kyra said, dropping to her knees by the child without a thought about the dirty cement. “Is your arm hurting you?”

Felicia shook her head. “I mean, yes, it hurts but that’s not it. I heard Mama talking to Mr.Allen and she say Shaq gotta be put down because he bit me. I can’t let my dog die. He didn’t do nothing wrong.”

“He bit you,” Kyra said gently. “But he probably won’t have to be put to sleep since it’s the first time. He won’t even have to go back to the shelter because I’m going to adopt him.” Why hadn’t Diego told her that?

Relief and hope flared in Felicia’s face, then faded. “But I won’t ever get to see him again.”

“Do you want to after what he did?” Kyra asked.

“You gotta tell Ms.Kyra what you told me,” Diego said. “You can’t let Shaq take the blame no ... anymore.”

Felicia shook her head. “If Ms.Kyra going to adopt Shaq, he’ll be okay.”

“You know that’s not right,” Diego said, his voice stern.

“I can’t. My mama ...” The girl dropped her gaze to her arm.

“It’s okay, sweetie,” Kyra said. “I’ll take good care of Shaq.”

“It’s not just Shaq,” Diego said. “It’s the K-9 Angelz. They might have to shut it down.”

“We don’t know that,” Kyra said, noticing that Felicia’s shoulders were shaking with silent sobs. “I’m sure Ms.Emily will find a way to keep it going.”

“I heard Doc Quillen talking,” Diego said. “When a dog bites a kid, it’s real bad.”

“He didn’t bite me,” Felicia muttered so softly that Kyra barely heard her. “Another dog did. One from down the hall.”

“Are you sure?” Kyra glanced up at Diego, hoping he hadn’t persuaded the child to make up a different story.