“Sure thing, Lucy.”

Buddy Thomas stood beside his daughter as she mentally prepared herself to go into the crowded entryway of the elementary school. He watched Lucy adjust her crossbody bag to where it sat just so and then straighten her shoulders. She inhaled, nodded her head once, and then took his hand and headed toward the cluster of students and parents gathered around just on the other side of the propped-open steel doors.

The kindergarten rosters were tacked toward the front of the hall, right after those of the pre-kindergarten and kindergarten. Buddy lifted Lucy up to his hip, and they perused the lists of names. Lucy spied her name before her father did, and let out a little squeal.

“Daddy, Maude’s in my class!” She clapped her hands in delight and grinned at her father.

“That’s great, sweet pea.” His baby girl, an extremely shy and anxious child, had been fretting for weeks about the uncertainty of her new school. Buddy sent up a mental prayer of thanks that her cousin and best friend ended up in the same classroom. “You ready to head down and meet your teacher?” She nodded enthusiastically, and when Buddy set her on her feet, she practically pulled him along behind her.

Lucy came to a screeching halt once she reached the classroom threshold.

“Lucy? You good?”

Lucy looked up at Buddy, her mouth in a tight line. “I think so. Come on, Daddy.”

No sooner had she stepped into the classroom than Buddy heard a high-pitched squeal, and a curly-haired little girl pounced on Lucy, who immediately hugged the pouncer.

“Come meet Miss Mayhew, Lucy!” The curly-haired girl tugged on Lucy’s hand. “Oh, hi, Uncle Buddy. Bye, Uncle Buddy.”

“Hi and bye, Maude.” Buddy chuckled and sauntered behind the two little girls. Maude clasped Lucy’s hand and talked a mile a minute as she led the other girl toward three adults, one of whom Buddy assumed was the teacher, as the two others were his sister, Bailey, and her husband, Colin. Colin had the younger of his two daughters balanced on her belly on his forearm. He eyed several careening children warily before giving Buddy a nod.

“Hey.” Colin Carmichael was a man of few words. Buddy’s sister and their older daughter made up for his taciturnity.

“Buddy, there you are.” Bailey stretched up onto her toes and gave him a peck on the cheek. “Have you met Mrs. Mayhew yet?”

The teacher had Lucy’s hand in hers and was listening raptly to the little girl.

“This is my daddy. His name is Baylor, but no one calls him that,” Lucy said by way of introduction. “Daddy, this is Miz Mayhew.”

Buddy grinned at his sister’s rolling eyes at her niece’s correction. He stuck out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Mayhew.”

“Nice to meet you as well, Mr. . . .”

“Thomas. Buddy Thomas.” Buddy appreciated the fact that this teacher didn’t assume he and his daughter had the same last name. It showed that she was conscientious of nontraditional situations. Buddy would be sharing Lucy’s own nontraditional situation as soon as possible. Forewarned was forearmed, especially when it came to Natalie Rabineaux.

“It’s very nice to meet you, Mr. Thomas,” the teacher greeted him warmly. Her voice was rich and soothing, the kind of voice that was made for reading books aloud. Buddy immediately liked the woman. “I have to say, I would assume that Maude and Lucy were sisters, not cousins. You’re obviously the ones who are related.” Ms. Mayhew looked from Buddy to Bailey and back. Buddy snorted. He and his sister looked very similar, but Bailey got her father’s strawberry-blonde hair, where Buddy’s was more of a sandy blond. Buddy and Bailey, as well as their daughters, all had Leigh Thomas’s gray eyes, though Buddy secretly hoped that was the extent of what his child inherited from her paternal grandmother.

A bell sounded over the intercom, and the principal announced the availability of refreshments in the cafetorium.

“Cafetorium? What the hell, er, heck is that?” Buddy wondered aloud.

“It’s the lunch room. There’s a stage at one end. Cafeteria plus auditorium.” Ms. Mayhew leaned in conspiratorially, as if to whisper something to him, but then seemed to think better of it.

Buddy wrinkled up his nose. “It sounds like vomitorium, which, no. Ugh.”

Lucy’s teacher clapped her hands in delight. “Yes, exactly. Oh my goodness. I thought I was the only one.”

Ms. Mayhew’s cheeks pinked up and her eyes sparkled, and Buddy found himself glancing at her left hand.

No ring.

The two of them locked eyes, and Buddy had the insane urge to ask Lucy’s pretty teacher what she was doing after the open house.

“Daddy! Come on!” Lucy pulled at Buddy’s hand, breaking the spell. “It’s refreshment time!”

Buddy grinned and took his daughter’s hand. “Lucy . . .”

The little girl halted. “Are you coming for refreshments, Ms. Mayhew?”

“I don’t think so, Lucy. I have to make sure everything’s ready for your class.”

“Oh, okay. I’ll see you in a few days, then, Ms. Mayhew. Come on, Daddy!” Still with a firm grip on his hand, Lucy set off.

“Nice to meet you, Ms. Mayhew,” Buddy called as Lucy pulled him behind her.

Very nice to meet you.