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Emma put her hands in the pockets of her pink hoodie. “Okay. But if you change your mind, I’m right over there.”

She ran off, and Caleb looked up at Milo. “That’s okay. She’s not unhappy with you.”

Caleb watched Emma on the swing, then returned his attention to Frenchie.

During lunch, Emma offered Caleb one of her cookies. He took it, then gave her some of his chips. Milo was sitting next to Rachel at the teacher’s table, and she nudged him. “Well, that’s pretty sweet.”

“I think he’s going to be okay. It’s just going to take a while for him to warm up to the other kids.” He took a bite of his sandwich. “What time are you coming over tonight?”

“I don’t suppose you’d like to feed me.”

“Um… I’ll pick up a pizza.”

“Perfect. I probably won’t get out of here until six. So I’ll be over around seven.”

“Frenchie and I will be ready.”

At the end of the day, Milo lined the kids up at the door, placing Caleb and Emma at the front of the line. He then led them down the hall and out the front door to the parent pickup area and the three buses serving the town.

Wilda was standing near the gate, and when Caleb saw her, he left the line and ran to her. Milo gave her a nod. “Don’t take off. I’ll come talk to you after I get the kids on the bus.”

All but seven kids were picked up by a parent, and Milo took them to their respective buses, then waved at them through the window. He stopped to say hi to two parents as he made his way to Wilda.

Caleb was hugging her leg, but not like he had that morning. Milo walked up to them. “I think we had a pretty good day.”

“He seems okay.”

Milo watched him for a moment. “How do you two communicate at home?”

Wilda patted Caleb on the back. “Will you walk us to the car?”

“Sure.”

Milo followed her to a black Toyota and waited for Caleb to get into the backseat. Then Wilda turned to him. “I’ve learned to use yes and no questions, which he answers by nodding or shaking his head. It helps get through the day, but it doesn’t tell me what’s going on in his head.”

“Yeah, that’s rough. May I ask why you decided to move here?”

“His pediatrician thought maybe a change in our environment would help. It was hard to leave the house he was born in, but my brother finally convinced me.”

“He moved here with you?”

“Yes. He moved in after…” She glanced at the car for a moment. “He’s been a wonderful support system for both of us.”

“How long have you been in town?”

“A week.”

“Oh wow. And you found a place to stay?”

“We found a rental. It’s small, but it works for now. I don’t suppose you know someone who runs a property management company.”

“No. But I know people. I’ll spread the word.”

“Thank you.”

“No problem.” He dug a piece of paper from his pocket, glanced at the scribbled note on one side, then turned it over. He patted his shirt pocket and pulled out a crayon. “Geez, I must be a kindergarten teacher.” He wrote his phone number on the paper and handed it to her. “Now you have a friend in town. Call me if you need anything.”

“This is…very kind of you.”