significant startup capital from its investment pool.
“I’ll miss it.” A fond smile graced my lips. I had this class to thank for my life now. My full, rich life filled with love and laughter.
“Next summer, maybe we skip teaching. Take a long break,” Briony echoed my earlier thoughts.
“Whatever you want,” I agreed.
She shook her head and smiled. Then she let out a sigh and sadness crept into her beautiful gaze. “Don’t let me break down and get Caleb a dog.”
“Oh, Bri, I’m so sorry,” I said again because it was my fault. She never would have agreed to foster a child if I hadn’t talked her into it.
“Stop it, M.” Her hands came up to grip my face. “It’s not your fault. It’s sad and awful. I hate that I loved her and lost her and that you and Caleb had to go through it, but we had a wonderful family and we still do.”
I pushed back the tears I felt welling in my eyes and reached for a hug. Briony’s hugs could fend off all sorts of horrors.
“Don’t let Caleb guilt me into a dog,” she sighed and clutched me tighter.
“I’ll see if Willa will let us dog-sit for a while. That’ll make him happy.”
She pulled back and smiled, some of the sadness gone from her expression. “You always have good ideas.”
“Ladies,” Javier stepped into the doorway as he did on occasion, even when Briony wasn’t here. His office was six doors down, and he always made a point of greeting me each day. “How’s tricks?”
“Javi!” Briony’s tone showed her surprise. “What are you doing here?” Her eyes darted to me, checking as she always did on my comfort level. Other than students, I rarely let anyone into my office. But Javier and Alexa didn’t exactly do boundaries. It was that callous disregard that actually made me moderately comfortable with them.
“Stopped by to walk with your woman over to our classes. Didn’t expect to find you here.”
Briony’s grin flashed bright. She flicked her eyes to me, pride and happiness shining through. She always relaxed when she detected my ease in social situations.
“How’s my boy?” Javier asked about Caleb. He’d been his soccer coach for three years now and really cared for him. He also came in handy as an everyday male role model when Caleb’s grandfathers were in another state.
“Better,” Briony answered truthfully. “Still acting up a bit.” Or a lot, but we expected that to settle down as soon as he got into a regular summer routine.
“That camp doesn’t tire him out every day?” Javier’s dark eyebrows slanted down in a frown. He wasn’t able to fit in being the assistant coach this year and looked guilty about it.
“Not enough, apparently. I was thinking of letting him be Quinn’s ball boy at her basketball camp this summer.”
“That might do it. Or you could just give him to Jessie for a week. He’d be so tired he wouldn’t even have thoughts of angst.”
We chuckled. We’d already come up with a reason for him to spend a day with Jessie. The effect lasted a couple of days, but then he got snippy about something again and took it out on his mom. It was all a way to cover his hurt, along with some new teenage hormones.
We’d just have to be more creative and attentive. I wasn’t going to let this sadness become a permanent fixture in my family’s life. We would work at it together because that’s what families did.
M / 16
I rapped my knuckles on Willa’s office doorframe. She looked up and smiled, undisturbed by my drop-in. I almost always called, but I was still out of sorts these days.
“Hey, M. Glad you’re here. I could use the break.” She leaned back in her chair and watched as I took a seat across from her desk.
“Hi. Hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
She shook her head. The dark brown waves in her hair were more curly than wavy today. The length had gone from shorter to medium over the years I’d known her, but the style remained the same. I liked that about her.
“I’ll miss it.” A fond smile graced my lips. I had this class to thank for my life now. My full, rich life filled with love and laughter.
“Next summer, maybe we skip teaching. Take a long break,” Briony echoed my earlier thoughts.
“Whatever you want,” I agreed.
She shook her head and smiled. Then she let out a sigh and sadness crept into her beautiful gaze. “Don’t let me break down and get Caleb a dog.”
“Oh, Bri, I’m so sorry,” I said again because it was my fault. She never would have agreed to foster a child if I hadn’t talked her into it.
“Stop it, M.” Her hands came up to grip my face. “It’s not your fault. It’s sad and awful. I hate that I loved her and lost her and that you and Caleb had to go through it, but we had a wonderful family and we still do.”
I pushed back the tears I felt welling in my eyes and reached for a hug. Briony’s hugs could fend off all sorts of horrors.
“Don’t let Caleb guilt me into a dog,” she sighed and clutched me tighter.
“I’ll see if Willa will let us dog-sit for a while. That’ll make him happy.”
She pulled back and smiled, some of the sadness gone from her expression. “You always have good ideas.”
“Ladies,” Javier stepped into the doorway as he did on occasion, even when Briony wasn’t here. His office was six doors down, and he always made a point of greeting me each day. “How’s tricks?”
“Javi!” Briony’s tone showed her surprise. “What are you doing here?” Her eyes darted to me, checking as she always did on my comfort level. Other than students, I rarely let anyone into my office. But Javier and Alexa didn’t exactly do boundaries. It was that callous disregard that actually made me moderately comfortable with them.
“Stopped by to walk with your woman over to our classes. Didn’t expect to find you here.”
Briony’s grin flashed bright. She flicked her eyes to me, pride and happiness shining through. She always relaxed when she detected my ease in social situations.
“How’s my boy?” Javier asked about Caleb. He’d been his soccer coach for three years now and really cared for him. He also came in handy as an everyday male role model when Caleb’s grandfathers were in another state.
“Better,” Briony answered truthfully. “Still acting up a bit.” Or a lot, but we expected that to settle down as soon as he got into a regular summer routine.
“That camp doesn’t tire him out every day?” Javier’s dark eyebrows slanted down in a frown. He wasn’t able to fit in being the assistant coach this year and looked guilty about it.
“Not enough, apparently. I was thinking of letting him be Quinn’s ball boy at her basketball camp this summer.”
“That might do it. Or you could just give him to Jessie for a week. He’d be so tired he wouldn’t even have thoughts of angst.”
We chuckled. We’d already come up with a reason for him to spend a day with Jessie. The effect lasted a couple of days, but then he got snippy about something again and took it out on his mom. It was all a way to cover his hurt, along with some new teenage hormones.
We’d just have to be more creative and attentive. I wasn’t going to let this sadness become a permanent fixture in my family’s life. We would work at it together because that’s what families did.
M / 16
I rapped my knuckles on Willa’s office doorframe. She looked up and smiled, undisturbed by my drop-in. I almost always called, but I was still out of sorts these days.
“Hey, M. Glad you’re here. I could use the break.” She leaned back in her chair and watched as I took a seat across from her desk.
“Hi. Hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
She shook her head. The dark brown waves in her hair were more curly than wavy today. The length had gone from shorter to medium over the years I’d known her, but the style remained the same. I liked that about her.
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