"Are you leaving?" he asks, brows knitting together.
Lindsay pauses, then crouches again, that same easy warmth in her posture.
"Yep. Today's my last day."
Henry nods, processing. His face does something complicated—disappointment flickering across features still too young to hide it well.
"Oh."
"But hey." Lindsay's voice softens. "That doesn't mean we won't see each other again. Firth City's not that big."
"I guess."
She reaches out and ruffles his hair. He doesn't pull away.
As Lindsay walks down the hall, heels clicking against tile, Henry looks at me.
"Does that mean she won't come back?"
The question hangs there, simple and devastating.
I nod my head. "She quit."
Henry's face falls, but he straightens his shoulders. Puts on a brave face. Catherine's face.
"Oh. Okay."
Pause.
"But I like her."
I open my mouth—and find I don't have an answer.
I do too.
