In the Eye of the Storm by Jennifer Hayden Page B

innocently.
    “Oh,” Kylie said, taking a drink of orange juice. “I was wondering how you managed to figure out all that information.”
    “You can tell a lot about a person from the contents of their grocery cart,” Beau replied, matter-of-factly. “Usually people who buy the things Kate buys have six kids at home.”
    Trey snickered at that.
    Kate frowned and then shrugged her shoulders. “I like sugar.”
    “Lucky for you, you don’t gain weight,” Kylie said. “So how are things with Mrs. Pendleton?”
    “Don’t ask,” Kate snapped.
    “Who is Mrs. Pendleton?” Trey wanted to know.
    Beau listened with interest.
    “She’s the parent of a kid in my class—David. He’s got some social issues. He doesn’t like hanging out or interacting with the other children. He’s been biting, hitting, kicking and so on. His mother thinks I should just let him be and not make him take part.” Kate took a drink of her coffee.
    “What did Principal Wilson say?” Kylie asked.
    “What do you think he said? He told me to work it out.” Kate grimaced. “I really don’t know what I’m going to do with this kid. He plays alone every recess. If anyone tries to play with him, he gets nasty. It’s just not normal.”
    “He any good at sports?” Beau asked.
    Kate looked surprised. “What does that have to do with anything?”
    Beau shrugged. “Some kids don’t like to play with the other kids because they aren’t good at things and they’re afraid they’ll get made fun of. I went to school with a kid like that. Do you remember Butch Walter?” Beau looked at Trey, who made a face.
    “Didn’t I kick his ass once?”
    Beau grinned. “Yep. He was twice my size. He pushed me down on the playground when we were playing baseball and I caught his fly ball.”
    “That kid was a creep,” Trey mused.
    “David’s not a creep,” Kate said thoughtfully. “But now that you mention it, he is a little uncoordinated. Do you think he’s being teased on the playground and that’s why he hates all the kids?”
    “It’s possible,” Beau said. “The kid may just be antisocial though. It’s hard to say.”
    “Well if his mother would take a little more interest in his mental health, instead of telling me to just do what David wants and leave him alone, maybe we could get to the bottom of things. I’m really worried about this kid.”
    Beau saw yet another side of Kate that surprised him. She obviously cared about her students. “I wouldn’t isolate him,” he finally said. “I mean I’m no doctor but I’d find some way to showcase something he’s good at. Make him feel good about the other kids seeing him do something well.”
    She appeared to think that over. “Maybe you have a point.”
    “It’s worth a try,” Kylie said, standing up. “Are you ready? It know what onhe was have to grade a few papers before the bell rings.”
    Beau went to work clearing the table.
    “You’re not what people think you are, are you?” Kate asked quietly, stepping up behind him.
    He shrugged. “Most people don’t really know me.”
    “Most people don’t really know me either.” She gave him half a smile and turned around to follow Kylie out the front door.
    Kate climbed from Kylie’s Jeep and hoisted her purse up over her shoulder. That’s when she saw Wick. He wasn’t standing plainly out in the open where anyone would have seen him. He was standing off to the side of the parking lot, his head barely visible behind a large elm tree.
    Her heart began to pound almost uncomfortably inside of her chest and she froze. He was following her. She looked around the parking lot for his car. She didn’t see it.
    “What’s wrong?” Kylie wanted to know, following her gaze.
    “Nothing. Let’s go.” Quickly, she herded Kylie into the school building, thankful once they were safely inside.
    “What’s wrong with you? You’re acting funny.”
    “I’m fine,” Kate said, stopping at her classroom. “I’ll see you after