Page 72 of Shift the Tide

“I think you’re one of the strongest, bravest women I’ve ever met,” Izzy said, so quiet it was barely audible.

Tears pricked at the edges of Kiera’s eyes. “That might be the kindest thing anyone has ever said to me.”

“I mean it,” Izzy insisted.

“Well, thank you.” Kiera leaned forward and smiled against Izzy’s lips. “Everybody Hurts” hit volume 11, absolutely blasting for a moment, before abruptly turning off. Suddenly, they could hear Gwen say, “Hey baby…” as the primary bedroom door shut.

“Okay, I think it’s a sign,” Izzy murmured, her lips curving into a smile so small Kiera barely caught it. “Nowjust sleep.”

Kiera’s shoulder shook in quiet laugh, and she leaned to press one last lingering kiss to Izzy’s jawline, then waited for Izzy to flip back over and be her little spoon. She held Izzy tight, grateful to have someone so open and honest with her on this strange and thrilling new adventure.

The plane ride backto Denver felt like floating in limbo — neither here nor there, just suspended in the air with nothing but her thoughts to keep Kiera company. It was a reminder of how the world didn’t stop for grief, how life around her spun on as if nothing had changed. The hum of the engines was a poor distraction from the pit in her stomach. Leaving Austin felt wrong, like she was abandoning Maggie during one of the worst moments of her life. But Izzy had insisted she go home, and Maggie… Maggie had whispered, voice raw and quiet, "I’ll be okay. You need to be with your girls."

She didn’t seem okay. Of course she didn’t seem okay —how could she?

When the plane landed and she turned her phone back on, an email notification popped up. She swiped it open, ready to face yet another rejection, but the subject line surprised her. There, in capital letters: OFFER. She stared down at the email, skimming the details. Teaching position. Offer. …Lincoln, Nebraska.

That last detail hit her like a punch to the gut. Lincoln. So close to Omaha, where Alex was. The girls could be close enough to see their dad. Her teaching license wouldn’t have to change…

She swiped open her spreadsheet, trying to remember even applying to this job. She scrolled down the column of application dates, finding that she’d applied to this nearly four months ago,right around Christmas. She must have been feeling mighty desperate. Still, it seemed the desperation was going both ways if they were extending an offer without meeting her.

She walked through the airport in a daze, nearly getting on the wrong train in all of her distraction. Nebraska. Did she really want to go back? A job was a job… but she finally felt settled here. And a small part of her instantly felt disappointment at the thought of Izzy moving to Denver just as she was moving away. That would pretty much close the door on their future, wouldn’t it?

Her parents were waiting at the Passenger Pickup curb, their expressions a blend of relief and concern. Her daughters, bundled in oversized jackets despite the mild spring day, were the first to spot her. Eliza broke free from her grandmother’s grasp and sprinted toward Kiera with reckless abandon. “Mommy!”

Kiera crouched down just in time for both girls to crash into her arms. The sheer relief of holding them, feeling their small bodies against her chest, made her want to cry. “I missed you both so much,” she whispered into their hair, clinging to them as if she could anchor herself there. "Did you have a nice time with Grandma and Grandpa?"

"Chicken Nugget Dinosaur Monster Truck Rocketship missed you," Quinn admitted.

"Dinosaur Monster Truck?" Kiera asked. “This lady is really racking up the names.”

Quinn’s brow furrowed the same way when Kiera was making a very important point. “She’s very important, Mama.”

“Should we add Her Highness to the beginning of her name, then?” Kiera asked, nuzzling her face against Quinn’s cheek.

“That’s a great idea!” Quinn said with excitement.

Back home, everything felt painfully normal. The incense from her mom’s latest cleansing ritual swirled faintly in the air,and her dad was already preparing an early dinner, humming an off-key tune under his breath. The familiarity should have been a comfort, but it gnawed at her instead, highlighting just how much she felt like she didn’t belong anywhere at the moment.

Kiera settled at the kitchen table, her girls beside her, their chatter filling the space with life. They told her about their days, about Quinn’s daring leap off the back of the couch into the pillow fort they’d built, and Eliza’s latest drawing obsession — chickens, naturally. Yet, beneath it all, a heavy guilt simmered — guilt for leaving Maggie, for feeling relieved to be home, for wanting something as simple as peace.

Kiera satat the edge of her bed, staring at her computer screen. The house was quiet except for the distant clinking noise of the dishwasher running in the kitchen. The weight of exhaustion pulled at her bones, but sleep felt impossible. Her mind was racing, thinking about the offer, about moving back to Nebraska, about leaving her parents and her friends and… Izzy. She’d been tossing and turning for over an hour when she’d just given up and opened her laptop to watch New Girl episodes. Again.

Her phone lit up from the bedside table.

Izzy

Did you make it home okay?

Kiera

I did. Her Highness Chicken Nugget Dinosaur Monster Truck Rocketship was very happy to see me.

Izzy

Was she really?

Kiera

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