Chapter 15 - The Woman in Vermont
The call came from a number I didn't recognize. I almost let it go to voicemail until I heard a woman's careful voice.
“My name is Dorothy Vale. I care for Leo at the Vermont house. Mr. Bellini said you might speak to me.”
I closed the drafting software on my laptop. “Is he all right?”
“He's safe. But he heard raised voices over the phone last night. He's asking whether Vanessa is coming back.”
Dorothy didn't sound like an employee fishing for gossip. She sounded exhausted in the particular way adults sound when they've spent an hour explaining uncertainty to a child.
“Have you told him anything about court?”
“Good heavens, no. I told him the grown-ups are handling paperwork and he can still have pancakes.”
“What does he need?”
“Consistency. He hates the dark hall after dinner. He likes the same yellow mug. His school is preparing for the harvest concert, and no one has confirmed who will attend.”
I wrote down the details, then stopped myself. I wasn't Leo's guardian. Dorothy had not asked me to become one.
“Can you tell Adrian exactly that?” I asked. “Not the legal part. The concert.”
“I've tried.”
After we hung up, I sent Adrian one text: Dorothy says Leo needs someone at his concert. That is a real appointment.
May you like
He replied seven minutes later: Send the date.
It was a small answer. I refused to mistake it for transformation.
