At Home on Ladybug Farm - Donna Ball [79]
Lindsay got out of the car and smoothed her skirt. She looked from one to the other of them, trying to mute her anxiety. “It’s the right thing to do, isn’t it? Do I need lipstick?”
“Your lipstick is fine,” Bridget assured her. “Everything is going to be fine.”
“Relax,” Cici added. “Carrie likes you, remember? You—we—are the best thing that ever happened to Noah.”
Lindsay straightened a little, and smiled. “That’s right. We are, aren’t we?”
“And possession is nine-tenths of the law,” Bridget reminded her, and they all laughed.
They crossed a small lawn dotted with crepe myrtles, and took the pansy-lined walk to the front door. Just before Cici reached to open it, Lindsay put a hand on each of their wrists. She looked from one to the other of them. “This is the scariest thing I’ve ever done. Even scarier than the time I had the bad mammogram, remember?”
Bridget said, “We went with you then, too.”
Lindsay nodded. “I just wanted to say thank you. Really.”
Cici gave her a smile that was filled with reassurance and understanding, and she opened the door.
The reception area was small and utilitarian, with cheap wood paneling on the wall and industrial tile on the floor. The receptionist’s desk looked as though it had been reclaimed from a public school, and was piled with untidy manila folders. The entire place had an air of barely managed chaos, even when it was empty, as it was now. Carrie must have seen them drive up, because she came to the door of her office right away and beckoned them in, saving the receptionist the necessity of interrupting her phone call.
“Hi, ladies, come on in. It’s good to see you. I didn’t expect all three of you to come,” she said, closing the frosted panel door and pulling up an extra chair in front of her desk. “I hope this doesn’t mean there’s a problem?”
“No, not at all,” Cici assured her.
“In fact quite the opposite,” Lindsay added. “Of a problem, I mean. At least I think so. I hope you will, too.”
Carrie’s smile was puzzled as she took her seat behind her desk. There was a potted hyacinth in the center of it, and her inbox looked slightly more manageable than the receptionist’s had, but the room was depressing overall, with its utilitarian shelves stacked with office supplies and its gray metal filing cabinets. The lone window looked out over the parking lot.
“It’s really a coincidence that you called when you did, because I was about to call you. There’s been a little complication in the case. That’s why it’s taking so long. It’s nothing to do with you,” she assured them quickly. “We’re very pleased with the job you’ve done with Noah. I know that caring for a teenage boy can’t be easy, and we appreciate your level of commitment. But there’s been a change . . .”
“Yes,” blurted Lindsay, her hands twisted together in her lap. “Change. Yes, that’s exactly what we want to talk to you about. We want to change our level of commitment.”
Carrie blinked. “Oh. Oh, dear. Well, I can certainly understand that. But maybe I’d better explain what’s going on. You see, the fact of the matter is that this might soon be out of my jurisdiction altogether. You see . . .”
“No, wait, I think I said that wrong. What I want to do is—”
Bridget laid a calming hand on Lindsay’s arm. “You do think we’re a good foster home?” she insisted.
She looked surprised. “Well, of course. As far as I’m concerned, Noah has made excellent progress under your care. His schoolwork has improved dramatically, he attends church regularly, certainly he appears to be healthy and as well groomed as one might expect from a boy his age.” She smiled a little at that. “Until the incident with the traffic ticket—and that was minor, really—he hasn’t been in a bit of trouble. I’m sorry if we made you feel otherwise, but there are rules and standards we have to go by, and the procedures are there for a reason.”
A small frown had creased Cici’s forehead. “What do you mean, this might soon be out of your jurisdiction?”
Carrie turned to her to reply, but Lindsay interrupted.
“As long as it is still in your jurisdiction,