"Mrs. Blackthorne?" Miss Brenner's voice cut through my spiraling thoughts. She'd had her one-on-one with all the other parents and students in Daniel's class, and now it was just me and her in the classroom.
I gave her an apologetic smile. "I'm so sorry for keeping you waiting, but it turns out that my—" I caught myself. "Daniel's father won't be able to make it."
"Oh. I hope there's no problem?"
There was—named Celeste.
I shook my head. "Oh, no. He just got too caught up with work."
"Right." She nodded. If she could sense my sour mood, she made no indication. "Well, shall we begin?"
"Yes." I took a deep breath. "Let's."
"How is Daniel, by the way?" she asked. "The whole class misses him."
"He's doing well, thank you. He has a tutor who comes in every day, so he's up to date with
