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while they took statements and got
everything squared away. Charlie and Dan shooed him along his way,
saying they would take care of the cleanup, so Vance hopped into
his truck and headed for the school, a deep need to see Kendria was
fine for himself.

Chapter
Five
    “What do you think about this?”
    Kendria looked at the blue streamer London Rhymes, a
teacher and homegrown Cottonwood Falls, held up. She nodded. “It
will look fine at the back with the purple, I would say.”
    “I agree.”
    She got back to stapling on the flowers. London moved
to the back and peered around the corner. “Thanks for helping
out.”
    “No problem. When Sarah said we were coming here, I
wasn’t sure what was going to happen, but I’m having a blast.”
Somehow, Sarah got wrangled into staying, and Kendria didn’t mind
at all. She was enjoying herself. Maybe it was hot and sexy we
ran into. She cringed again when the choir hit another note she
wasn’t sure was supposed to exist.
    “There’s no way I can do it!” the young girl cried.
“Just give it to Marsha.”
    “Try one more time,” the teacher said gently.
    “The choir always performs before the judging table.
Not sure why they’re having such a hard time today.” London’s
comment reached her over the ill-hit note.
    Lowering the stapler, Kendria couldn’t let it go,
even though it wasn’t any of her business. “Excuse me a
moment.”
    Well aware she was about to intrude where she may not
be welcome, she made her way over to where a group of children had
gathered around a piano that rested on another float a few of the
non-singing ones were decorating.
    “You need to hold that note, Terry,” the teacher said
with a hint of aggravation in her voice.
    “I’m trying!” She stomped her foot. “I told you I
can’t do this.”
    “Pardon me,” Kendria called out as she paused by the
wheel.
    “Yes?” The teacher put her green eyes on her.
    “I don’t mean to interrupt, but might I make a
suggestion to the young woman having a problem with holding the
note?”
    “Please, I can’t get her to do it.” The teacher waved
her hand.
    Ignoring the sarcasm and the pain in her arm when she
climbed onto the wagon, Kendria smiled at the kids standing there.
All ages.
    “She called you Terry, right?” The frustrated girl
nodded, dashing the tears away from her eyes. “I’m Kendria.” She
crouched down before the girl so they were eye to eye. “I used to
have that problem of not being able to hold the note long enough.”
She glanced around to the rest of them. “I had a teacher one time
help me out with it.”
    “I’m trying. I’m just not as big as the others.”
    “That’s got nothing to do with it.” Kendria got back
to her feet. “Are you all standing or sitting for your songs?”
    “Standing.”
    She nodded. “My teacher told me I had to stop singing
from here”—she touched her chest—“and sing from down here.” She
laid a hand over her diaphragm. “Push up the air from your
diaphragm to hold and hit those notes you didn’t think you could.”
She almost touched the girl then pulled her hand back. “It will
feel a bit different then you may be used to, but place your hand
here.” She directed Terry to touch her belly. “Now, when you sing a
lot it feels like this… Wait, do you know ‘Let It Go’ from Frozen ?”
    “I do.”
    “Okay, for example with that song…” She began signing
it, moving her chest up and down to take deep breaths. “Compared to
this.” She started over, her voice flowing clear and crisp as if
she were on the stage.
    When she finished her example, she stared down at the
girl. “Do you see what I mean?”
    Terry nodded. “You think I can do that even being so
small?”
    “Absolutely. Let’s try it together, then you do it on
your own. Perhaps your teacher would be so wonderful as to give us
the starting note so we can start again with the Disney song you’re
performing,” she said with a glance to the