Olivia was twenty-eight, hired months after Caroline passed. She wore a simple blue dress. No uniform, no clipboard. In her hands was a red paper heart.
Their card.
Luke leaned his head lightly against her arm. Liam smiled up at her as if this was natural.
Daniel froze.
They hadn’t asked him. They hadn’t waited. They chose her.
Olivia looked like someone trying to hold herself steady. Not pretending to replace anyone. Just standing where she was asked to stand.
Daniel didn’t interrupt. He just watched.
And something he thought he was managing quietly began to unravel.
It began with that red paper heart.
In Mrs. Grant’s classroom, glitter and glue covered every desk. Children whispered about brunch plans and perfume gifts. Luke and Liam worked in silence. Identical red blazers. Serious faces.
They folded carefully.
They were not sad exactly. Just aware that this day carried something fragile.
That afternoon, they came home slower than usual. The driver waited, but they didn’t rush.
Olivia was finishing dishes when they entered. She wiped her hands, expecting backpacks and snack requests.
Instead, Luke stepped forward and handed her the folded heart.
Crayon letters across the front: Will you come?