Stella laughed, and the sound echoed.
“Tyler? Tyler Walsh?”
He turned to find Natalie Rodriguez standing in a classroom doorway, a stack of papers in her arms. Same warm eyes, same knowing smile. She’d been at Meg’s side since kindergarten, and she looked at Tyler now with the fondness reserved for friends’ hopeless younger brothers.
“Natalie. Hey.” He managed a smile. “Meg mentioned you were teaching here.”
“English department. Twelve years and counting.” She shifted the papers to one hip, her gaze moving to Stella.
“And Stella! Two Walshes in my hallway. This is either very good or very bad.”
“We’re hoping for good,” Stella said.
“She’s thinking about staying,” Tyler added. “For senior year. We’re trying to figure out what that would require.”
“And you came here without a plan.” Natalie’s smile turned teasing. “That also tracks.”
“Everyone’s a critic.”
“You need Lindsey Matthews. Guidance counselor—handles all the complicated enrollment situations.” Natalie nodded toward the end of the hall. “She’s great.Very calm, very smart. Won’t judge you for showing up without an appointment.”
“That’s twice now someone’s implied I’m a mess.”
“You look like a dad trying to do right by his kid.” Natalie’s voice softened. “That’s not a mess. That’s just hard.” She glanced at Stella. “Good luck. And tell your Aunt Meg we need another coffee date.”
She disappeared back into her classroom and new school year prep, and Tyler led Stella toward the guidance office.
“She seems nice,” Stella said. “I met her with Aunt Meg at the grocery store a while back.”
“She’s known me since I was five. She has stories.”
“I’m going to need those stories.”
“Absolutely not.”
The guidance wing had a cheerful bulletin board—NEED SOMEONE TO TALK TO? WE’RE HERE!—and a small waiting area with chairs that looked designed to discourage lingering. Tyler approached the open office door and knocked on the frame.
The woman behind the desk looked up from her computer. Mid-thirties, dark blonde hair pulled back in a clip, reading glasses she removed as they entered. A coffee mug near her elbow read WORLD’S OKAYEST GUIDANCE COUNSELOR.
“Hi,” Tyler said. “We’re looking for Lindsey Matthews. Natalie Rodriguez sent us.”
“You found her.” She stood, gesturing to the chairsacross from her desk. “Come in, sit down. What can I help you with?”
Tyler sat. Stella took the chair beside him, close enough that their elbows almost touched.
“I’m Tyler Walsh,” he said. “This is my daughter, Stella. She’s been living with me this summer —visiting from Australia. Her mother has custody there.”
Lindsey nodded, pulling a notepad toward her.
“She was supposed to go back in three weeks,” Tyler continued. “For Year 12—senior year. But she’s thinking about staying. We’re trying to understand what that would actually require.”
“I want to stay,” Stella said quietly. It was the first time she’d spoken since they sat down. “I’m not just thinking about it. I want to.”
Lindsey looked at her with calm, unhurried attention. “Okay. That’s good to know. Let’s talk through what staying would look like.”
She asked questions—practical ones, delivered gently. What was the current custody arrangement? Did Tyler have legal documentation? What was Stella’s academic standing in Australia? Had either of them spoken to her mother about extending the stay?
Tyler answered what he could. Temporary guardianship for the summer, yes. Medical decisions covered. End date matching her return flight. No transcripts—they were all in Sydney. And no, Fiona didn’t know they were even considering this.
