Page 3 of His for the Holiday

2

SUTTON

“Come on, kiddo. We’re going to be late.” I gently tugged Winnie behind me, my cheeks flushed and hot as I hurried her into her new school.

Her new school which happened to be my old school.

It was still a little surreal that she would be going there, but I didn’t have time to dwell on the unexpected turn our lives had taken that had landed us back in Portsmouth.

Winnie’s little legs pumped to keep up with me, but I could also feel her holding back. When I glanced at her, my suspicions were confirmed. Her gray eyes—my eyes—were wide and wild, darting this way and that as we rushed down the hall toward her first-grade classroom.

Bayshore Elementary School looked exactly the same as it had when I’d gone to school here and I’d showed her some pictures, but she was still nervous. I suppose looking at photographs isn’t quite the same as experiencing the real thing.

Not to mention the accents.

They were all American, of course, this being New Hampshire, and Winnie and I were both still suffering a touch of culture shock as we tried to settle into life in the States. I had no doubt that was part of what was bugging her.

My normally bright, bubbly, feisty little redhead was clammed up today, and she slammed on the brakes as soon as we turned the final corner to where her new classroom was located. I groaned, checking the watch on my wrist and seeing that we only had a few more minutes before she had to be seated.

Abruptly stopping myself, I spun to face her and dropped down into a crouch. As I met her at eye level, I caught her hands and smiled, hoping like hell that I looked more confident than I felt.

“Win? What’s wrong, lass?”

Her little lip quivered as her eyes kept darting up and down the hallway, taking it all in and looking like she was about to bolt. “I don’t like it here, Mam. It’s too loud.”

“It’s no louder than back in Stonehaven, baby. You’ll be alright.”

She shook her head firmly, tears welling in her eyes. She bit her quivering lip, leaning in to speak against my ear. “They talk too fast.”

I chuckled, squeezing her hands. I pulled back and wiped a lock of hair away from her face, securely tucking it behind her ear. “It’s perfectly normal to be nervous on your first day at a new school, Winnie. It doesn’t mean that the kids are too loud or that they talk too fast. You’re just nervous. It will fade, and when it does, you’re going to make so many new friends.”

Please, God. Let that be true!

She stared at me, but the fact she hadn’t started arguing was a good sign, so I pressed on. “Mommy went here, remember? The kids are very nice, I promise. Portsmouth isn’t that much bigger than Stonehaven.”

Only about exactly double the size, population-wise, I thought, but I kept the smile on my face. “It’s practically the same place. I loved growing up here and I think you will too. You just need to give it a chance. Chin up, baby. Everyone here is going to adore you. You’ll be the new kid with the cool accent. They’ll be fascinated by you.”

Finally, my beautiful little angel cracked a smile. “Do you really think they’ll think it’s cool?”

“Oh, I know it.” I squeezed her hands again, holding her gaze for a moment longer. “Now, as much as I love our heart-to-hearts, it’s time for you to go meet your new teacher and friends.”

Her chest rose and fell on a deep breath before she nodded, resolute. She marched the rest of the way to her classroom without clinging to my hand. Tears stung the backs of my eyes as pride surged through me, but I blinked them away, knowing I couldn’t let her see me get emotional.

With her chin up high, she paused at her door and spun to wave at me. “Bye, Mam! See you later.”

“See you later,” I replied softly, blowing her a kiss and waiting until she disappeared into the classroom.

Once she was gone, I blew out a harsh breath and the smile slipped away from my face. I was beyond stressed out about all of this, but I desperately tried not to show it in front of Winnie. I hovered in the hallway for a minute longer, just making sure she wouldn’t run back out if she needed me, but when she didn’t appear, I joined the last of the parents making their way outside.

Driving back to my parents’ house, I parked beneath the over-the-garage apartment I now lived in, but I sat in the car for a moment, finally allowing myself to shed a few tears. Winnie was officially enrolled in and attending Bayshore Elementary. After eight years in Scotland, I was back home in Portsmouth, living with my parents, a single mother with a failed marriage under my belt.

It was all still so unbelievable that the reality nearly crushed me every time it sank in, and seeing Winnie walking into that classroom had really done it for me. My little girl was starting her new journey at a new school in a new country, and somehow, I had to pick up all the pieces of both our lives and figure out what the hell to do now.

Thank heavens, my parents had had the space for us. The apartment above their garage had been empty after my grandmother had passed. I shook my head as I wiped the tears from my eyes and gave myself a mental pep talk similar to the one I’d just given my daughter.

It was time to buck up and get on with it. Finally climbing out of the car, I made my way upstairs to my desk and fired up my computer to check my emails. Naturally, since I was already feeling a bit sorry for myself, the first email my gaze fell upon was from my divorce lawyer.

I blinked hard as I skimmed the contents, bowled over by how very unexpected this news was. It was finalized. After going through a particularly nasty divorce for a full year, Calen and I were done. It was over.