“I want to apologize for Gabe scratching you. He really isn’t normally that aggressive.” Her smile was demure, and long lashes fluttered against her cheek. “I know that. He’s a fantastic kid. I know he didn’t mean to hurt me. Transitions are hard. And he’s very attached to Mrs. Samuelson, so to walk in and see the substitute teacher, I knew we were in for a bit more of a challenging day.”
