Page 22 of The Sandbar saga

"You don't play anymore? They don't have a band class at your school?"

"Yeah, but I'm not in that class." She shook her head. "I haven't played since Miss Cynthia died."

"That's right, your dad and Miss Cynthia both died." Dr. Conner hummed under his breath. "I liked hearing about what you used to do with your dad. Anytime you want to talk about him, you can share your stories with me."

"Mom doesn't want me to talk about him."

"Your mom isn't here, and you and I can talk about whatever you want," he said.

She studied him. "I don't want to talk about him anymore."

"That's fine, too." Dr. Conner grabbed his briefcase from the backseat and opened the top. "I do need your help, though. I was trying to figure out something on my own, and can't make up my mind. Maybe you can help me."

"To do what?" She yawned.

"I'm going to paint my house." The corners of his mouth tightened, and he pulled out two papers. "Which color do you like?"

She looked at them both and held up the gray one.

He took it from her and studied the paper, making a silly face. "You're sure?"

"I don't like brown." She laughed, feeling better after helping him.

"Okay, then. Gray it is." He checked his phone. "And, now that we've helped each other, I better get you back to school."

She groaned. "I wish I could stay with you all the time."

"You've only been at the school for six months. It'll grow on you if you give it a chance. Your teachers have mentioned you've already caught up with the other kids, and your grades are good." He pointed at her. "Put your seatbelt on."

She buckled up. "Can you go slow and take the long way back?"

His mouth softened. "I can do that. For you."

She settled against the seat and yawned again. Rubbing her eyes, she looked at him. "The rain is making me tired."

"The rain has that effect on people."

She watched out the window as he drove her back to school. As he ran her up to the front door to get out of the rain, she stopped before he walked her inside.

"Remember, don't go over the bridge." She watched him to make sure he agreed.

Then, she ran inside and counted the hours until Friday when she could see Dr. Conner again.