Page 81

Izzy frowned. “Mags.”

“I mean it,” Maggie said quickly, reaching for the drying rack to start putting away cups. “We’re fine.”

Izzy bit her lip. “I’m going to put my Meddling Maggie hat on real quick here. You leave the room or don’t respond when she tries to talk to you. She sleeps in the family room. I’ve barely seen you look at her. Do you want to talk about it?”

Maggie swallowed visibly, staring down into the drinking glass she was holding. For a second, Izzy thought she might say something — might finally crack and let it spill. But instead, Maggie let out a breath, set the glass in the cupboard with careful precision, and shook her head.

“Okay,” Izzy said, backing off. “Well, I’m here when you’re ready for that.” She hesitated, then added, "You’re not alone, okay?"

Maggie paused, her back still half-turned toward Izzy. "I know. I love you for that."

She felt tears begin at the corners of her eyes, but she willed them away. "I love you, too."

Maggie finally turned back to her, her eyes glassy. “Izzy,” she said, softer now, more careful. "I know it feels like leaving is the wrong thing. Like you’re letting go too soon. But you’re not. You're allowed to want something for yourself, too."

Izzy swallowed hard. She thought of Denver, of Kiera, of what she wanted but had been too afraid to really acknowledge. And she thought of Gwen — of the slow, silent way things had unraveled between her and Maggie, of what happened when two people loved each other but never quite reached for each other in time.

“I know,” Izzy said quietly.

They stood in silence for a long beat, the only sound the clinking of glasses as she put them away, the gravity of goodbye settling around them.

Maggie was right.

It was time to go home.

CHAPTER 23

Kiera

Kiera satat the dining table, laptop open, scrolling through job listings she wasn’t even sure she needed anymore. The offer in Nebraska sat quietly in her inbox — safe, expected, easy to fall back on. But something in her couldn’t stop looking. When a new email notification blinked across the top of her screen, her breath caught.

Subject: Interview Invitation

A middle school near the girls’ elementary school. She stared at the screen, heart thudding. This wasn’t just another listing — it was a chance to stay. To build something real here. To stop feeling like she was camped out in someone else’s life, waiting for her own to restart.

“Mom?”

Eliza’s voice startled her. Kiera turned to find both girls standing in the doorway, dirt smudged across their faces and flower crowns crooked on their heads. Quinn’s tiny hands werecaked in mud, clutching a small plastic chicken figurine like it was treasure.

“Grandma and Grandpa said we could name the new ducks!” Eliza announced proudly.

The words took a second to land. “Ducks?"

Eliza nodded furiously, adjusting her flower crown. “I'm going to name mine Francine."

Quinn beamed. “Mine’s called Captain Quackington.”

Kiera couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out. “Perfect duck names."

Before she could say more, the front door creaked open and her mom stepped into the room with her dad in tow. “Surprise!” her mom said cheerfully. “We figured a few new additions to the coop would keep the girls busy.”

“Ducks?” Kiera repeated, still processing the new information. "You're really just leaning into the fowl play over here.”

Her dad winked, grinning. “That was good.”

“Thanks, I learned the dad jokes from the best of them,” Kiera said, shooing the girls back outside. “But let’s talk ducks.”

“Let’s not,” her dad added, shooing the girls back outside as her mom slid into a seat beside her.