Page 39 of Just Like That

Instead, the words clogged in my throat and I stayed silent. The line moved forward, and I smiled at Sylvie behind the counter.

She was taking orders at the register, and when we made it to the front of the line, her smile grew. “Good morning!”

“Hey, Aunt Sylvie,” Teddy said as though addressing his newfound family was the simplest thing in the world.

JP exhaled and scrubbed the back of his neck, but her hand flew to her chest as she looked at me. “Oh, that’s just thecutest.” She blinked away tears and smiled at him. “How are you, Teddy?”

“Hungry.” He grinned. “Dad and I tried to make pancakes, but he said culinary skills were outside his wheelhouse.”

Sylvie chuckled and nodded. “Sadly, it’s true.” She gestured to the display case bursting with a variety of freshly baked pastries, pies, and doughnuts. “What looks good?”

Teddy and I looked over the glass display case with wide, hungry eyes. Teddy wanted to try a raspberry jam Danish, and I opted for an old-fashioned cake doughnut along with a hazelnut praline latte.

“For you?” she asked her brother.

JP shook his head before reaching into his back pocket. “I’m fine.”

Without him asking for it, Sylvie slipped a morning bun for JP into the white paper bag. She gave him a small smile. “On the house.”

He slid his wallet out of his pocket and handed over his credit card. “Thanks, Syl.”

I wondered if JP knew how lucky he was to be surrounded by siblings. Olive was all I had and she was gone. I hadn’t appreciated her nearly enough while she was alive. Now it was too late, and every day her absence made itself known in the tiniest, most heartbreaking ways.

I handed Teddy the bag, and he reached in and took a bite of his Danish. He stood off to the side while we waited for my coffee.

“Are you coming to the Fireside Flannel Festival?” Sylvie asked as the barista handed her the paper cup with my coffee.

“What’s that? Will Penny be there?” Teddy asked around another hearty bite. Red jam clung to his lower lip in an unusual show of his actual age.

Sylvie slid a cardboard sleeve onto the to-go cup and handed it to me across the counter. “Penny wouldn’t miss it. There are beach bonfires, music, craft vendors, acarnival.” Her eyebrows waggled at him. “With school starting up after Labor Day, it’s like our little kickoff to fall. Are you excited to start school soon?”

Shame jabbed at my gut.

Fuuuuuck.

I had been so focused on having an adventurous, carefree summer with Teddy. Then I found my sister’s letter and focused everything on getting us here and finding JP. I hadn’t evenrememberedthat I was supposed to enroll him in school.

I didn’t even know where to begin. Did I just walk him up to the building and send him on his way? Surely he wasn’t just supposed to walk in on the first day unannounced. Did he need things like pencils and folders?When evenwasthe first day?

A thousand questions folded over one another as I was rooted in panic, unsure of even where to begin.

“Mom homeschooled me,” Teddy announced, and I blanched.

“Um ...” I started. Having exactlyzeroteaching experience, any amount of me teaching Teddyanythingwas bound to be an utter disaster.

JP stepped in, and I had never felt such bittersweet relief. “Hazel’s getting everything lined up. He’ll be all set for second grade.”

Sylvie blinked at her brother, surprise flickering over her soft features.

“Oh, that’s great.” Sylvie’s nervous laugh wobbled. “Well, the Bluebirds help plan everything for the Fireside Flannel Festival. We meet on Wednesdays at the bookstore. You should come, Hazel.”

I couldn’t pinpoint why, but I felt a blossoming kinship with Sylvie. Maybe it was because she was so kind and loving toward Teddy. She’d accepted him—and me—with zero hesitation. Maybe it was because she was a mom who seemed to have her shit together and I could learn a thing or seven from her.

“Okay, yeah. I’ll think about it.” I raised my coffee cup. “Thanks.”

With nowhere to sit, we opted to enjoy our late-morning breakfast down by the marina. As we walked, I indulged in a brief, silent mental breakdown.

I considered Sylvie’s invitation along with the implications of Teddy and me staying in Outtatowner long enough for him to start the school year.