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Back The Mother Next Door Save as PDF
Chapters (84)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise
  3. Dedication
  4. About the Author
  5. HALLOWEEN
  6. Seven Weeks Before Halloween
  7. ONE
  8. TWO
  9. THREE
  10. HALLOWEEN
  11. Six Weeks Before Halloween
  12. FOUR
  13. FIVE
  14. SIX
  15. HALLOWEEN
  16. Five Weeks Before Halloween
  17. SEVEN
  18. EIGHT
  19. HALLOWEEN
  20. NINE
  21. TEN
  22. HALLOWEEN
  23. ELEVEN
  24. TWELVE
  25. Twenty-Five Days Until Halloween
  26. THIRTEEN
  27. FOURTEEN
  28. HALLOWEEN
  29. FIFTEEN
  30. SIXTEEN
  31. SEVENTEEN
  32. EIGHTEEN
  33. NINETEEN
  34. TWENTY
  35. HALLOWEEN
  36. Eighteen Days Until Halloween
  37. TWENTY-ONE
  38. TWENTY-TWO
  39. HALLOWEEN
  40. TWENTY-THREE
  41. TWENTY-FOUR
  42. Eleven Days Until Halloween
  43. TWENTY-FIVE
  44. TWENTY-SIX
  45. Eight Days Until Halloween
  46. TWENTY-SEVEN
  47. TWENTY-EIGHT
  48. TWENTY-NINE
  49. HALLOWEEN
  50. THIRTY
  51. Four Days Until Halloween
  52. THIRTY-ONE
  53. HALLOWEEN
  54. THIRTY-TWO
  55. Two Days Until Halloween
  56. THIRTY-THREE
  57. The Night Before Halloween
  58. THIRTY-FOUR
  59. HALLOWEEN
  60. THIRTY-FIVE
  61. Halloween, Present Day
  62. THIRTY-SIX
  63. THIRTY-SEVEN
  64. HALLOWEEN
  65. THIRTY-EIGHT
  66. HALLOWEEN
  67. THIRTY-NINE
  68. HALLOWEEN
  69. FORTY
  70. HALLOWEEN
  71. FORTY-ONE
  72. FORTY-TWO
  73. FORTY-THREE
  74. FORTY-FOUR
  75. HALLOWEEN... NOW
  76. FORTY-FIVE
  77. Seven Months Later
  78. FORTY-SIX
  79. FORTY-SEVEN
  80. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  81. ALICE SWANSON’S
  82. Reader's Guide
  83. Questions for Discussion
  84. Booklist

SEVEN MONTHS LATER

FORTY-SIX

Theresa

Adam’s first graduation ceremony as principal was going to be glorious, even if it was the hottest day of the year so far and the humidity made it feel more like August than June. The football field looked beautiful with the stage and the folding chairs for the graduates, but I felt sorry for the kids under those hot synthetic fiber robes and hats. How pleasant could your high school graduation be if you spent the whole time trying not to pass out?

I helped hand out the battery-operated fans that the Parent Team had ordered, which allowed me to greet everyone as they arrived. When I was done with that, I walked around offering to take pictures for families, hugging the moms and seniors I knew. In just a few years, that would be us—Lily would be wearing the cap and gown—and each time I thought about that, I teared up myself.

But today, I was just the principal’s wife.

“Don’t you look amazing,” Georgeann Wilkins said as she approached me. I’d found a dress on sale at Macy’s that was the same shade of purple as the Woodard colors and had twirled my hair up into a loose bun to keep it off my shoulders.

“So do you,” I said, noting her floral dress and sandals, which actually did look stylish for once. “Practicing your role as the new Parent Team president?”

Georgeann’s face was already red from the humidity, so I couldn’t tell if she was blushing. She held up a finger. “President-elect,” she reminded me. “I’m not responsible for anything officially until the fall.”

“Got it. I won’t yell at you about anything until then.”

“Yell at me? And here I thought we’d be fast friends. I’m starting up a monthly book club, you know. And now that the Ivy Five is just four again...” She trailed off, winking at me.

I knew what she was doing. Hinting around, fishing for information about the group. But I just smiled. I wasn’t going to get into any of that now.

So much had changed since the fall. It was hard to believe it all.

“We’ll see,” I murmured.

“I’m just joking, of course. Where’s Lily?”

I turned, shielded my eyes, looked out at the sea of faces in the bleachers. “Up there somewhere. With her friends.” She was way up at the top, that streak of neon-pink hair standing out in the bright sun. She was giggling in the middle of a cluster of girls.