Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Carson awoke, already feeling at home in the house he and Lily would live in for the next year. He didn’t jump out of bed, as he usually did. Instead, he reflected on last night’s dinner at the Perrys’ house.
And Mila.
It was hard to put his finger on why he was drawn to her.
Yes, she was a fellow coach, so they had that in common.
She also was very pretty, with her heart-shaped face and those incredibly blue eyes which drew a person in.
She was also kind, offering him a helping hand as he settled into life in Driftwood Bay.
More importantly, he had now seen her interact with Lily.
Though Mila had no children of her own, she had gotten down on Lily’s level when they first met, focusing on Lily exclusively.
His daughter had also taken to Mila, and that was no small feat.
Usually she was clingy and didn’t want to leave Carson’s side.
The fact that Lily had been the one to ask Mila to come and read to her this evening spoke volumes.
He jumped in the shower and got ready for the day, shaving and dressing in slacks and a sports shirt for his meeting at Happy Hearts this morning. Then he went and got Lily up. She always slept deeply, but once awake, she was bright-eyed and full of questions, jabbering away.
As they shared a breakfast of Cheerios, blueberries sprinkled on top of the cereal, Lily asked about her new preschool.
“We’re going to go see one today. I hope it’ll be one we both like. It’s called Happy Hearts. Bobby and Gina go to school there.”
Lily smiled at the mention of the two kids. “I like them. They’re nice. So is Mila. And she’s pretty and has a ponytail like me.”
“She is,” he agreed, taking another sip of his coffee.
It was nice to be in a fully-stocked kitchen, with everything from a coffeemaker to toaster to microwave.
He had put all their furniture and appliances in a storage unit in Houston.
It had been easier to keep everything in Houston since he wasn’t familiar with the Driftwood Bay area yet and hadn’t known what they had available.
Once the time came and he and Lily had a house of their own, he would return to the storage unit and have everything moved to Driftwood Bay.
Or the Bay. He had noticed several of the locals referring to the small town that way. He and Lily were now locals, and he would try to do the same.
Carson got Lily ready for the day. Rather, she mostly got herself ready.
His daughter already had strong opinions on what she would wear every morning.
Today, she picked out a pink and white striped T-shirt dress.
She pulled on a pair of pink shorts to wear underneath it, and they went into the bathroom so she could brush her teeth.
In the next week before he started his new AD position, he still needed to find a pediatrician and dentist for Lily.
It would be smart for him to find the same for himself, as well as somewhere to get his hair cut.
He hoped Happy Hearts would the right fit for Lily so he could complete all the tasks on his to-do list as they acquainted themselves with life in their new hometown.
“I want a ponytail today, Daddy,” Lily instructed, picking up her brush and running it through her curly locks.
Angie had always been the one who had done Lily’s hair. When that task fell to him, he had worked hard, watching YouTube videos of how to do a toddler’s hair.
“One ponytail coming up,” he said cheerfully, taking the brush and using it to gather up her mass of hair.
“And a bow. A pink one. Not white.”
He did as requested, tightening the hair tie and then removing a bow from the bow tree sitting on the bathroom counter. After he slid the bow into place, Lily studied herself in the mirror, smiling at her image.
“Good job, Daddy,” his daughter praised.
Pride swelled in his chest, knowing Angie would approve of how Lily was turning out. She was a thoughtful child and always thanked others promptly. She was smart, too, and he hoped whatever preschool she wound up at would challenge her.
“Time to go,” he said, filling her neon pink water bottle, something she never left home without.
Lily went and picked up her backpack, which he always kept filled with snacks and a change of clothes. Preschoolers could be messy—and also have an accident every now and then—so he always wanted to be prepared for the unexpected whenever they left the house.
“I don’t think you’ll need that, Peanut,” he said, thinking they’d only be gone for an hour or so.
“But if I like my new school, I want to stay,” she said firmly.
In that moment, a lump formed in his throat, seeing how much his daughter reminded him of Angie. Strong. Opinionated. Pretty.
Swallowing it down, he said, “Duly noted. Let’s go.”
He’d googled where the preschool was last night and didn’t need to pull up directions to reach it. It was across the street from the town library, which was on his way to the high school. The convenient location was already a plus in Carson’s book.
They went to the front door, which was locked. It had a keypad on it, but he had no code to get in.
A woman appeared at the door and opened it.
“Good morning. I’m Miss Debra. I bet you’re Lily and her daddy.”
Lily smiled up shyly at the woman, who looked to be in her mid-forties and had auburn hair and a sprinkling of freckles across her nose and cheeks.
“I’m Lily,” his daughter confirmed.
“And I’m Carson Andrews,” he said, offering his hand to the owner and director of Happy Hearts.
“We are so excited to have you come and visit with us today, Lily,” Miss Debra continued. “Let’s go inside so you can see our school.”
They entered the large foyer, which had a glassed-in reception area, and another door which also had a keypad. Miss Debra typed in the code and opened it for them to go through.
“How old are you, Lily?” the older woman asked.
“I’m four,” Lily said proudly, holding up four fingers on her left hand.
“Then let’s go look at the Orange Room. That’s where the four-year-olds are.”
They moved down a corridor lined with artwork done by children, passing rooms that were labeled Green and Red. When they reached the Orange Room, Miss Debra paused.
“I see they’re having story time now. Miss Andi is the teacher for the Orange Room. Could you go join the learning circle and listen to the story she’s reading?”
His daughter nodded solemnly and moved quietly into the room, setting down her backpack and water bottle before going to the circle of children. Carson saw her take a seat next to Bobby. The boy grinned, patting Lily on the shoulder, and then returned his attention to the teacher.
“We can talk quietly here for a few minutes, Mr. Andrews. That way, you can keep an eye on Lily.”
“I appreciate that. We lost Lily’s mother two years ago, and I can be a little overprotective sometimes. And please, call me Carson.”
“I almost called you Coach,” she admitted. “I’ve heard you’re taking over the boys’ basketball program at the high school. My son will be a sophomore this coming year. He played on the JV, but he has aspirations of moving up to varsity this fall.”
“Then you must be Caleb Connors’ mom,” he said, recalling her last name from the website.
“My, you already know players’ names. That’s a good sign. You’ll find Caleb is a hard worker. He’s not like most teenagers who dig in their heels when you talk to them. He’ll be easy to coach. I promise. Now, let me tell you about Happy Hearts.”
Debra Connors explained to Carson the philosophy of the preschool, saying that learning was key—and that laughter was a part of that learning experience.
“We want our children at Happy Hearts to truly be happy to come to school each day. We aim for a balanced education. Children learn everything from numbers and colors to farm and zoo animals. We work on fine motor skills and even expose them to conversational Spanish. Music and art are a huge part of their day, as is physical activity. A strong body helps with a strong mind.”
Carson liked the fact that it was a balanced curriculum. He had thought Lily’s last school leaned a little too heavily into academics, but he hadn’t wanted her to change schools when it was the only place she had ever known. He had a good feeling about Happy Hearts.
“Michael Perry recommended Happy Hearts to me.”
Miss Debra smiled. “Michael and Cecily have both their children with us. Gina is in the Green Room now. I noticed Lily went and sat next to Bobby.”
“We met them last night at dinner. Dr. Perry had us over to welcome us to the community.”
“Bill and Laura Perry are lovely people. Bill has done wonders for the school district, and I can’t go into Laura’s shop without coming out with something new. Would you like to see the rest of our facility, Carson?”
By now, story time had ended, and Lily had joined other children sitting at a table. Bobby was sharing crayons with her.
“I should let Lily know where I’m going.”
“Let me do that,” Miss Debra said gently. “We prefer to keep parents in the hallway so the classroom isn’t interrupted.”
The owner went into the room and spoke briefly to the teacher, who smiled and waved at Carson. Then she went to the table where Lily sat and knelt, talking to her for a minute. Lily nodded and looked up, smiling at him. He waved and she grinned before going back to her coloring.
Miss Debra joined him again. “Lily feels comfortable with us leaving.”
He saw the rest of the school, and they returned to the director’s office.
“We do have a spot open for Lily. If you would like to put down a small deposit to hold that spot while you think things over, I’d advise you to do so.”
“That won’t be necessary. I believe that Lily has found a new home at Happy Hearts.”
“That’s terrific. Let me pull out paperwork for you to fill out, Carson.”