Running Scared Page 8

  “She was something, wasn’t she?” Mrs. Burkette said. “How old do you think she was?”

  “No idea,” Rainie said. “But that dress was so tight, it’s a wonder it didn’t cut off her circulation!” “Was that a dress? I thought it was a shirt, and she forgot to put on her pants!”

  “Maybe it was an Ace bandage!” Rainie laughed.

  Mrs. Burkette laughed too. “I hope she sprains an ankle falling off those platform shoes,” she said.

  “He’ll dump her when she hits puberty,” Rainie said, laughing harder.

  “I wonder if he’s dating her or adopting her?” her mother said, trying to catch her breath.

  “Maybe he’s babysitting her,” Rainie added.

  Mrs. Burkette walked into the kitchen and opened the freezer door. Rainie followed. “I wonder if he used my microwave to heat her baby bottle?” she said, pulling out a carton of ice cream.

  “Maybe he’s going to her parent-teacher conference,” Rainie said, opening the silverware drawer and pulling out two spoons. She pulled out a chair and sat at the kitchen table.

  “Maybe he’s arranging play dates for her to meet some little friends,” Mrs. Burkette said, sitting in another chair. She put the ice cream container in the center of the table.

  “I’m sorry about all this, Mom,” Rainie said, suddenly serious. “I didn’t mean to worry you.”

  “Honey …” her mother started and then stopped. “We’re going to be okay,” she said. “Both of us.”

  Mrs. Burkette dug her spoon into the ice cream and pulled out a giant bite. She put the whole thing in her mouth. Then she made a face at how cold it was.

  Rainie watched her for a minute, then pulled the carton toward her. “Hey, give me some!” she said as she pulled out a huge spoonful. She started licking the ice cream off the spoon. “Yeah, we’ll be okay,” Rainie agreed.

  About the Author

  Leslie McGill was raised in Pittsburgh. She attended Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, and American University in Washington, D.C. She lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C., where she works in a middle school library. She lives with her husband, a newspaper editor, and has two adult children, both of whom have chosen to live as far from home as possible.