Chapter 2
Two
Twenty-Eight Years Earlier
“Come inside and find your seats.”
Mo listened to the teacher, Mrs. Delaney, and was pleased to see that his seat was beside his sister’s. His cousin, Cal, was one row ahead of him.
The noise level grew and then quieted as everyone settled into their assigned spots.
Meredith tapped his desk, and he turned toward her. She widened her eyes and looked at the door.
Mrs. Delaney had stepped outside the classroom but kept the door open. From his seat, Mo could see her and the principal, and he could hear other voices too. When a small girl peeked around the edge of the door and into the classroom, Mo caught her eye and smiled.
She returned the smile and then her gaze flicked around the room.
“You must understand,” the principal said, “we have a small school, and this is the only kindergarten class.” She pointed to the little girl in the doorway. “If Bronwyn is to attend school here, this is where she’ll be.”
The voice that spoke next was deep and loud enough that Mo heard part of what was said. “We understand, however . . . expect you to try . . . won’t tolerate . . .”
The conversation continued for another minute and then the girl, Bronwyn, was ushered into the room by Mrs. Delaney. The adults who followed—Mo assumed they were her parents—barely said anything, but they glared at Cal. And then at Meredith.
And finally, the mom looked at him.
She glanced down at the name on his desk, then turned to Mrs. Delaney. “Just keep her away from the Quinns.”
Mrs. Delaney’s mouth got all pinched up, and she said, “My students will be expected to interact with all of their classmates, Mrs. Pierce.”
Oh.
Cal turned around in his seat, and the three of them shared a look.
This girl was a Pierce.
Mr. and Mrs. Pierce left the room moments later. Mrs. Delaney blew out a breath and closed the door to the classroom. When she turned back to face her students, she had a big smile on her face.
“Okay, everyone! We’re going to have a great day. Let’s start by getting to know each other. Tell us your name, your birthday, something you did this summer, and then a few of your favorite things.”
Mo knew most of his classmates from church and T-ball. He already knew their names and what they’d done this summer. But when Bronwyn introduced herself, he listened.
“Hi. My name is Bronwyn Pierce. My birthday is in October. I went to California this summer, but I didn’t get to go to the beach. My favorite color is blue, and my favorite food is shrimp tacos.”
A few kids laughed at that. Shrimp tacos? Mo had never had anything but ground beef on a taco. He liked shrimp though. Maybe it would be good?
Bronwyn froze for a moment before she finished in a rush. “I like to swing and ride my bike, and I think I would like camping, but I’ve never been.”
She sat down, and from Mo’s seat behind her, it looked like she was breathing heavily. Cal leaned over to her and whispered, “Good job.”
She gave him a weak smile.
Mo spoke up. “Camping is fun. You’d definitely like it.”
Bronwyn turned around in her seat and grinned at him. “You think so?”
“I do.”
“Do you go camping a lot?”
“No. But we camped by a waterfall in June and roasted marshmallows and hot dogs over a fire.”
“Really?” Bronwyn’s eyes shone. “That sounds amazing.”
Mrs. Delaney cleared her throat, but not the way adults did when they were mad. “Thank you, Bronwyn.”
Mrs. Delaney wiped her eye and called on the next student. Mo decided that she looked happy about something, which was weird since she also looked like she was trying not to cry.
Adults made no sense. He didn’t think he would like to be one. But he had a long time before he had to worry about that.