Luke's Wish,Used

Excerpt. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. "He what?"Leaning against the open door of his pickup, his cell phone cradled against his ear and noise from the construction site making it nearly impossible to hear, Joe Morgan was sure there had to be some mistake. Even though Luke was only in first grade, Joe had already gotten some strange phone calls from school. This, however, was the strangest."What was he doing with his hand in a girl's mouth?""Trying to pull the tooth, I believe," said Miss Reynolds, Luke's twentysomething, eversoproper, firstgrade teacher. "Maybe Luke will explain that to you. He certainly wouldn't say anything more to me."Joe could just imagine the story Luke would tell about this particular antic. Luke was always up to something, always scheming and planning, always into some sort of trouble."He broke the girl's tooth?""Apparently the tooth was already loose. When he tried to get it out of Jenny's mouth, it hurt. So she bit him. When he pulled his hand out of her mouth, the tooth came with it. It was stuck in the side of his thumb.""Wonderful." Joe could just imagine what this girl's parents must think of him and his son."Neither one of them is hurt. Not really. They both just want the tooth. Luke claims he bought it from Jenny for a dollar.""While it was still in her mouth?" Joe frowned. Other kids were content to play doctor. His son had to be original."Honestly, Mr. Morgan, that's all I've managed to get out of them. The children know they're in trouble and are refusing to talk. We also can't find the tooth, something that's causing them considerable anxiety."Joe sighed.Ever since Luke had lost his first toothno, even before thathe'd been fascinated with the whole idea of losing teeth. He was definitely up to something. Joe had no idea what. Raising two little kids on his own, now that his wife was gone, was proving to be almost more than he could handle. But he never thought he'd get tripped up so thoroughly over something like teeth."I'm afraid you're going to have to come in again, Mr. Morgan. We need to talk about what's going on with Luke."Joe groaned, but he was at the school at threetwenty, right on schedule. He parked his pickup amidst enough minivans and SUVs to stock a car lot, then dusted off his jeans as best he could, sending sawdust flying. His shirt was coated with dust, as well, his cowboy boots caked with dried mud, but there was nothing he could do about that. He worked hard for a living, and by this time of day, it showed.The school Luke attended was old and steeped in tradition. For more than one hundred years, St. Mark's Academy had educated the welltodo children of the welltodo St. Mark's parish, and the family of Joe's former wife had been founding members of the church and the school. His motherinlaw had put the kids' names on the preenrollment list the day they were born, and she'd probably pulled some strings to get them admitted.Joe felt as if he'd had no choice but to send Luke and Dani there, even if tuition was killing him and he never quite felt at ease inside this building or with the parents of the other students.Keeping his eyes down, a tight smile on his face, he made his way across the broad sidewalk, where children were waiting to be picked up from school. In their school plaids and white shirts, the girls were neat and tidy, their hair done in sleek ponytails or intricate braids that Joe would never master. The boys, in dark slacks, white shirts and outrageously expensive sneakers, were louder and rougher as they huddled together laughing and talking about their day. His son was probably in Mary Simmons' office. Ms. Simmons was the principal, and Joe had never met a woman so good at invoking guilt and remorse in his weary soul.He went to Luke's classroom, with its four neat rows of tiny desks and chairs, every inch of the walls covered with kids' drawings and posters and signs. Order reigned here, where chaos was king at his home. No