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Maggie

!!!!!

Pete

!!!!!

Danica

!!!!!

Maggie

In my house?! Did you guys have a “moment” à la Pete and Danica in Aunt Jade’s bunk room?

Danica

omg

Pete

hey! i take offense

we took way longer than one moment

Izzy

I hate you all.

Pete:

okay but WHEN is the next date??

Kiera:

…Goodnight.

Danica

Not before you tell us if there was bunk bed action.

Izzy named the conversation, “Oops, All Meddlers!”.

Maggie

COWARDS

CHAPTER 22

Izzy

The Texas heatwas sticky and relentless, even in the early hours of the morning, as the first rays of light stretched across Maggie’s quiet Austin neighborhood. Izzy sat on the back porch, legs pulled up onto the worn wooden chair, a mug of coffee cradled between her hands. The cicadas buzzed in the trees, their constant, low drone a comfort at this point in her visit. She didn’t know how long she’d been there — two weeks? The days blurred together.

Inside, the house was quiet. The kids were still asleep, giving Izzy a rare sliver of stillness. Her shoulders ached from holding everything in. For days, she’d been the steady one — wiping counters, ordering takeout, intercepting awkward visits from neighbors. She didn’t know why Maggie seemed to freeze every time Gwen entered the room, only that the silence between them was starting to feel like a wall. That morning, Gwen had made eggs, and Maggie had managed the smallest smile. It wasn’t a fix, but it was something. Izzy couldn’t glue them back together. Shecould keep the laundry moving, keep the fridge stocked, keep the lights on.

Work was another thing entirely. When Gwen was home or the kids were in school, Izzy had thrown herself into Second Star with a focus she hadn’t felt in months. She was tired of feeling like a barnacle to Pete’s brilliance. The guilt from Maggie’s loss had morphed into a burning need to take control ofsomething.

It was a major step out of her comfort zone to talk to community members who would be good mentors. It was only when Denver-based soccer star Sage Carson and her wife Willa signed on to mentor a few teenagers who were interested in sports after barely hearing two sentences, that Izzy felt like maybe this was something she could do. She believed in the work and she believed in Pete, and it was heartening that others seemed to believe in it, too.