Page 30 of Under One Roof

“But you’re so short,” he says, and I splutter a laugh.

“Yeah, but I was fast, and I had a pretty good free throw.”

“Really?”

I nod. “We should play sometime. I saw you have a hoop outside.”

“Cool, yeah.”

Grace slurps up some spaghetti before wiping the sauce from her mouth. “Did you really grow up in Texas?”

“Yes, ma’am. On a small cattle ranch. Me, my brother, my parents, and a whole lotta cows.”

Grace smiles, twirling her fork in the noodles. “What was it like?”

My first instinct is to say lonely, but instead, I give them the easier answer. “Fun. Cows are like giant dogs. They’re nice to cuddle with.”

Logan chuckles. “No. Really?”

“Yep. My favorite was Mini. She was spotted white and brown, and I’d go out and lie with her, play my songs for her.”

“I saw you have a guitar,” Grace notes. And when I nod, she asks, “Are you, like, good?”

I toss my head back to laugh. “I hope so. I used to live in LA. Once upon a time, I thought I’d make it as a songwriter, but…” I shrug, hoping I don’t sound too forlorn. “Now, I’m here, getting glitter bombed instead.”

When the twins quiet from giggling, Grace asks, “Do you think you could teach me?”

“Of course. We can start tomorrow if you want.”

“Yeah. There’s a talent show at the end of the year, and?—”

“What? You want to be Taylor Swift,” Logan teases, and I shush him, waiting for his sister to go on.

“Sometimes girls make fun of me, and, I don’t know, I thought if I could do something different, they wouldn’t see me as just a nerd or something.”

“First of all,” I start, sitting up straight so she knows I mean business. “Nerds are awesome, okay? Nerds grow up to make a ton of money and run the world, so you don’t worry about people calling you a nerd. You should take it as a compliment. And secondly, I will definitely teach you to play guitar, but you have to be confident in yourself. Don’t do it for other people. Do it because you want to.”

They’re both quiet at this, and I take a deep breath. If I open up to them, I think they’ll open up to me in return. “You know, when I was your age, I felt like no one really saw me for who I was. It’s hard, especially when you’re young, to feel like you’re not getting the attention you want or need.”

They both look up at me, their eyes wide. I can see the recognition in their gazes, the understanding that I get it. I get them.

“Fifth grade is hard, right?” I lean my elbows on the table, shifting closer to them. “You’re trying to figure out who you are, what you like, who you want to be. And sometimes, it feels like no one understands you. Like no one sees you.”

Grace’s eyes shine with unshed tears behind her glasses. “Yeah.”

I reach across the table, squeezing her hand. “I want you both to know that I’m here for you. Whatever you need, whatever you want to talk about, I’m here.”

Logan drags the tines of his fork over his plate a few times before he finally mutters his quiet question. “Even if it’s about girls?”

“Even if it’s about girls,” I promise.

His cheeks flush slightly. “There’s this girl, in my class… I don’t know what to say to her.”

I set my chin in my hand. “Well, what do you like about her?”

“I dunno. She smells good and is really nice to everyone.”

“Then tell her that,” I say. “Well, don’t tell her you think she smells good right off the bat. That’ll come off creepy. Start with a compliment about something. Like, hey, I like your backpack. Or, hey, nice job getting that good grade on the test. Or, Isabella, I really like how you treat everyone nicely.”

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