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CHAPTER 1
AMELIA
“Jamie!” Amelia waved her arms to get her nephew’s attention. “Hold on tight, okay?”
“Okay!” Little Jamie, three years old this month, waved back with one hand as he grabbed the seat with the other. He’d ridden the zip line a few times on his own, and Amelia was confident that he could do it, but a hint of nerves flared anyway as he jumped onto the seat and shot down the zip line. It seemed faster than should be allowed in a playground.
“Aba?” Amelia’s attention turned to little Jade, Jamie’s little sister. At twelve months old, she had just mastered the art of standing while holding onto something, and she was now positioned next to Amelia’s bench in a squat, a clump of dirt in one hand.
“Oh, honey.” Amelia gently removed the dirt from her niece’s hand, then lifted the little girl onto her lap. “I’m sure we can find you something better to play with.” She dug in the enormous diaper bag her sister had packed for her and found a tiny toy duck. Jade squealed with joy, grabbed the toy, and immediately popped it into her mouth.
With Jade satisfied and Jamie safely back in line for the zip line, Amelia took the opportunity to scan the park for the other kids. Molly and Maisy, Amelia’s brother’s six-year-old twins, were sitting at the top of the play structure, playing an elaborate clapping game of their own invention. Ben, the oldest at ten years old and the only child of Amelia’s oldest sister, was playing Uno with a group of similarly aged boys. Everyone seemed happy and safe. Amelia let out a relieved sigh and snuggled Jade closer.
It was a sunny Monday in May. The kids were off school for a teachers’ conference, and Amelia had happily volunteered to watch all five of her nieces and nephews while their parents went to work. A few months ago, on a Monday afternoon, Amelia would have been elbows-deep in a meeting or scanning potential new hires for the start-up where she used to work. Yet now she was here, holding a toddler and watching kids run and play.
Amelia sighed. She loved her nieces and nephews more than anything and cherished the hours she got to spend with them while they were still little. The time she had to really get to know these amazing kids was a silver lining in the dark cloud of her having been let go several months ago.
Amelia sighed again. It wasn’t her fault that she’d been let go, and she knew it — the start-up, Shondyn, had been bought out, and everyone had moved on. Yet Amelia couldn’t really move on. She’d poured her heart and soul into Shondyn. Her job there, in HR, had been her first work out of college and had lasted through her twenties. Amelia had sacrificed everything to see the company grow, giving up on a social life when most of her friends were out at parties and thriving in the dating scene. And then, suddenly, it had all been over.
“Aunt Amelia!” Maisy came tearing across the playground and came to a stop by Amelia’s legs. Her cheeks were flushed with excitement. “Molly and I made up a new trick on the monkey bars. Will you come see?”
“Of course!” Amelia got to her feet, shifting Jade onto her hip as she stood. “I wouldn’t miss it.”
As Amelia followed her niece across the playground, she vowed to put all thoughts of work out of her mind for the afternoon. Yes, she was still bitter about how her tenure with Shondyn had ended. And yes, she needed to get a new job, soon, whether she wanted to or not. But for today, none of that mattered. Today, she was just a doting aunt enjoying a sunny May day at a playground.
Amelia leaned against the metal play structure and watching as Molly and Maisy grabbed the monkey bars, twined their legs together, and swung back and forth. The routine continued into a knee-hang, during which the girls linked hands, and ended with a trick Molly told her was called “skin the cat,” in which the girls hung upside down, threaded their legs through their arms, and dropped onto the ground.
Amelia applauded appreciatively. “That was great! You two should join the circus.”
“No way.” Maisy brushed her blond hair out of her eyes. “We’re going to be Olympic gymnasts. Right, Molly?”
“Right! Or maybe princesses. Or astronauts.” The girls high-fived, and Amelia smiled. These two were so excited about their future and so full of faith that everything was going to work out. Amelia wished she could be a little more like them.
The twins ran off towards a giant metal slide. Amelia checked on Jamie, who was now playing in the sandbox, then put Jade down. The little girl held on to a low wooden balance beam and bounced on her small legs.
Amelia felt another sting of sadness at the sight of her young niece. Amelia’s focus on work throughout her twenties meant that she was far from any chance of having her own child. Amelia had always known that she wanted a family — a big family. Growing up in a happy, noisy house with her three siblings, there had always been someone to play with, someone to help if she was in trouble, and someone to laugh with. Amelia’s siblings were all married now, with kids of their own, but Amelia had never even had a serious relationship.
That was a problem for another day, too.
Just then, Jamie came running towards Amelia. His little face was bright red with anger.
“He stealed my truck!” Jamie shouted. He pointed back at the sandbox, where a toddler was driving a plastic truck back and forth across the sand.
“Honey.” Amelia bent down. “I know that must have been frustrating. Were you playing with the truck?”
Jamie nodded and sniffled.
“But remember, the toys at the park are for everybody. How about we find something else fun to do? Do you want me to push you on the swings?”
Jamie teetered for a moment between the fun of the swings and his anger over the stolen truck. Then he tipped into anger.
“Nooooo! I want the truck!”
A full meltdown was coming. Luckily, Amelia had a few tricks up her sleeve for just this situation.
“Hey, Jamie. How about some ice cream?”
The little boy perked up, his howl cutting off in the middle.
