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Milo sat on the wooden counter. The marble floor had been swept, mopped with bleach, then mopped again with soap and water. Now, instead of smelling like a bear, it smelled like a hospital. The floor was drying slowly, and he picked up his cup of coffee. It was his third since he got back from unloading the bear five miles into Forest Service land.
He checked his watch. He’d wait fifteen more minutes before calling Wilda. Milo mumbled to himself, imitating Abe. “We both know which parent you’ll be calling.” His brother was a bastard, but he was also right. Wilda was the only one he considered calling.
He slid to the floor and made his way to the refrigerator, avoiding the last of the damp spots. There wasn’t much to eat in the refrigerator, but he found three leftover breadsticks and half of a small container of marinara. He put a damp paper towel over the breadsticks and microwaved them. They came out as if he’d just gotten them from Rocco’s. Or close enough, anyway. He grabbed his coffee and sat at the card table.
Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out” came from his phone, and Milo picked it up. “Good morning, Rachel.”
“Hey, are you alright?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“I just ran into Justin at the coffee shop. He told me about the bear.”
“Oh, right. Yeah, it really happened.” Milo dipped a breadstick into the marinara sauce.
“Oh my gosh, I’m so glad Frenchie was with me.”
“Yeah, I’m fine, too.”
“You must’ve been terrified.”
“More annoyed.”
“Do you need to take the day off?”
He swallowed the bite he’d taken. “No. I’m going to round up a parent volunteer. I’ll be fine.”
“Did you get any sleep?”
“I slept great until two. So, a few hours.”
“I want to hear all about it at lunch.”
“I’ll give you the whole story, with pictures.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to take some time this morning?”
“I’ll see you when you bring Frenchie in.”
He ended the call and finished a second breadstick, then dialed Wilda’s number.
“Hello.”
“Hi. This is Milo.”
“I know. I have you saved on my phone.”
His stomach fluttered, and he scowled. “Right. Um…I don’t suppose you could come help out in the classroom again today.”
“Of course. Is there something special going on? Another brother with an exciting career?”
“No. I…had a bit of a rough night and…not the kind of rough night that probably just popped into your head. I didn’t get much sleep…I just need some extra help today.”
“No problem.”
“Thank you. I’m not trying to be mysterious. I’ll fill you in when I see you.”
“I’m not worried about it.”
