Page 20 of Sunshine
“I’m sorry that happened,” I tell her. “And I’m sorry your friends are upset because math is easier for you than it is for them. That’s not fair, and you didn’t do anything wrong.”
Izzy’s body softens with another sigh. “Sometimes it’s easier to pretend not to know things because then other kids like me better. But other times, I don’t want to pretend. It’s more fun to get the answers right than it is to get them wrong on purpose, you know?”
“I think so. It’s fun to be good at something.”
“Yeah, but it’s not always easy to be different.”
“I understand. My brain works differently too.”
“It does?” Izzy perks up like a puppet on a string, her eyebrows high with hope. “Are you smart like me?”
I chuckle and shake my head. “Not exactly, but neither of us learns the way most people do, and that’s okay. It’s just extra important that you’re in the right classes with the right teachers—and the right friends.”
“That’s what Daddy says,” Izzy replies. “Did you know I’m starting at a new school soon?”
“I do know that. How do you feel about it?”
I feel Izzy’s legs swinging under the table, and her eyes slide toward Mellie. “I think maybe it’s a good idea.”
“I think it is too. Are you nervous?”
“A little.”
“That’s normal, but you don’t need to be. Your dad will walk you in on your first day, and you’ll meet your teacher before class so they can answer your questions. I bet your teacher will assign a buddy to show you around, and if you’restillnervous, you can talk to me. We can find ways to make school less scary.”
“Will you come to my first day too?”
“Me? I don’t think so. I mean, your dad hasn’t said anything—”
“Could you ask him?” Izzy’s legs swing faster and her eyes light up as she bounces in her seat. “Please?”
“We’ll see. Now let’s finish our milkshakes so we can go home, and I can explain to your dad why you’re hyped up on sugar and too full to eat your dinner.”
“I like you, Poppy.”
That makes me laugh. “You like the milkshake.”
“No. I likeyou. You’re fun, and I don’t have to share you. And you’re not too busy all the time. You don’t have to be somewhere else. Just with me.”
“I like you too, Izzy.” I blink fast to ease the sudden sting in my eyes, then stretch my arm across the table and offer her my hand. She takes it without hesitating. “And like always, you’retotally right. You don’t have to share me, and there’s nowhere in the world I’d rather be.”
seven
Dylan
“What on Earth areyou eating?”
In almost perfect unison, where they sit on the couch wearing black-and-white headbands with cat’s ears attached, Poppy and Izzy startle hard enough that milk sloshes over the side of the bowl Poppy’s holding under her chin. Sensing danger, Izzy shovels the last of whatever muck she’s eating into her mouth like her life depends on it.
She’s been the nanny for three days, and Poppy has already turned my daughter into a cereal fiend.
I swipe up the remote control, hit pause on the cheesy music blaring from the television, and extract the little plastic bowl from Izzy’s death grip. Then I pin Poppy with a disapproving scowl.
“Cereal in front of the television an hour before dinner? Are you serious?”
“I thought I was supposed to bring Izzy to the restaurant at six?” she asks without a hint of remorse. “What are you doing here?”
“It’s Wednesday and the restaurant is quiet, so I came home early to cook something here.” I take Poppy’s bowl, shaking my head in disgust at the remnants of sugar and multi-hued milk in the bottom. “And you didn’t answer my question.”
