“Are you the principal now?” Lily asked.

“Oh, no, honey, I’m just the school secretary. Mr. Stewart is the principal. You remember Kyle Stewart? He graduated a couple of years before we did. He’s been here fifteen years,” she said, “but I can get your kiddo enrolled.”

While she looked over the paperwork, Ruth-Ann brought Lily up to date on all their old classmates—who was married, who had kids, who wound up in jail, and who was divorced. “It looks like everything is in order. We offer the same classes that you had in Austin, Miz Holly. We can slip you right into accelerated English, math, and science in the morning so you can get the heavy load over with before lunch.” In less than fifteen minutes, she had arranged Holly’s schedule, printed it out, and handed it to her. “Your locker number is right there on the top of the page. If you want a lock, you’ll have to provide it yourself.” She opened a drawer and brought out a blue-and-gold booklet. “Read this, especially the dress code. The school has gray sweats in all sizes for any kids who come to school dressed inappropriately.”

Lily reached out a hand. “Maybe you’d better give me one of those, too.”

Ruth-Ann got another one out and handed it to her. “I wish all parents would read the booklet.”

“I intend to stay on top of things,” Lily said. “I will be calling each week to see if things are going well.”

“Feel free to do that or stop by anytime,” Ruth-Ann said. “If you’d like, I can call down to the elementary school and make sure our principal is still in his office.”

“Braden is in the seventh grade. Isn’t that middle school?”

“Sorry about that, yes,” Ruth-Ann apologized. “Welcome to Comfort, kids, and call me sometime, Lily. We’ll have lunch.”

“Sure thing,” she said, but she had no intention of having lunch with Ruth-Ann. The woman had been the biggest gossip in high school, and she’d already told her everything she knew about everyone in town. Lily didn’t need to hear a weekly update on anything or anyone except her own kids. “Let’s go get Braden enrolled, and then maybe we’ll stop by Sally’s store and see her.”

“Yes!” Holly pumped her fist in the air.

The middle school had been the old high school and was a little over two miles away and closer to town. It was where Lily had gone to school her freshman and sophomore years. Mack’s class had been the last one to graduate from high school in that building. She was thinking of him when she parked the car and got out for the second time that day.

“Can I just stay right here?” Holly asked. “I brought a book, and I’ll lock the doors.”

“You don’t have to lock the doors,” Lily answered. “But don’t get out and go wandering around if you get bored. We may be a little while getting everything done.”

“If I had my cell phone, you wouldn’t have to worry,” Holly sighed.

“But you don’t, and I will.” Lily tucked her car keys into her purse, made sure her phone was in the outside pocket, and opened the door. “If you decide to join us, the office is through the doors and about halfway down the hall on the right.”

“I won’t.” Holly already had her nose in the book.

“Just my luck,” Braden huffed as they crossed the parking lot. “Holly gets the new school, and I have to take the old one.”

“I’d hardly call the high school new anymore,” Lily informed him. “It’s been there for more than twenty years now.”

“Then that makes this one ancient.” Braden hung back a few seconds when his mother opened the door. “Does it even have bathrooms?”

“Sure, it does.” Lily went on in and headed down the hall.

Braden had to run to catch up with her. “Real bathrooms. Not one at the back of the school in an old wooden building.”

“When did you ever really see a bathroom like that?” Lily asked.

“I haven’t seen one in real life, but Holly made me watch reruns of Little House on the Prairie with her when we were little kids,” he answered.

Lily pointed to a door with a “Boys” sign on the front. “Does that ease your mind?”

“Whew!” Braden let out a whoosh of air. “It sure does.”

“Hey, I was hoping I might catch you while you were here.” Mack waved from a room where several other teachers were leaving from both doors. “I’m free to work in my office until eleven. Y’all want to go down to the Dairy Queen and get a snack when you get done?”

“Yes,” Braden answered before his mother could say a word. Then he turned to her. “Please?”

“Love to,” Lily agreed.

“I’ll meet you there in half an hour.” Mack waved and disappeared down the hallway.

The principal was a no-nonsense guy, newer than she was in the town, who handed Braden and Lily over to his assistant—an older lady whom Lily didn’t know either—and rushed out to a meeting. The lady was about as warm as an iceberg, but she was efficient. Braden was enrolled and had his own blue-and-gold handbook in less than fifteen minutes.

Mack arrived at the Dairy Queen just as Lily and the kids found a booth. Lily and Holly were sliding into one side, Braden the other. He waved from the door and joined them. “So what are we having?”

“French fries and a chocolate malt,” Braden said.

“Tater tots and a chocolate chip cookie dough Blizzard,” Holly answered.

“Just a cup of coffee.” Lily slid out of the booth. “I’ll go with you to help.”

“Have you made up your mind about the job?” Mack asked as they waited in line to order. He’d forgotten how good it felt to simply take a woman out for ice cream.

“Not yet, but we’re stopping by Sally’s shop on the way home. I’d like to take a look at the place and get a feel for what I’d be doing,” she answered.

Their turn finally came. Before Lily could open her purse, Mack had his wallet out, rattled off the order, and handed the lady a twenty-dollar bill. The young woman made change and gave him a receipt.

“We’ll bring it out to you as soon as it’s done,” she said. “Are you ready for school to get back in session, Mr. Cooper?”