Page 140 of The Clover Chapel (Jamison Valley 2)
“Bye!”
“Will you come to my birthday party this summer?”
My students were taking turns hugging me as they shuffled their way out of the classroom and into their summer break.
The kids were excited to be moving up to first grade and I was looking forward to a whole new group of children to teach, though I would miss this bunch. My first class would always have a special place in my heart. Especially Rowen and Mason.
But the wonderful thing about Prescott was that the kids would never be far. I would run into them on the street or at the café. In the school hallways, I would get to watch them grow from kindergartners to seniors in high school.
Prescott was my home and it would be for the rest of my life.
When the line ended, I scanned the classroom and found the student I had been waiting for. It was no surprise that Mason had held back. He wasn’t one to move with the crowd.
“Are you excited for summer at the farm?” I asked, kneeling in front of him.
He nodded, returning my smile and giving me his dimple. “Jack and Annie said I could change my last name from Carpenter to Drummond. And that since I was going to be a Drummond now, the farm would be mine too. I don’t have to leave my vacation.”
“Wow! That’s awesome, Mason!” I said, feigning surprise.
Annie Drummond had asked me to write a recommendation letter when her and Jack had decided to officially adopt Mason. She had been worried a judge would object due to their age but it had gone through without delay. The judge had agreed to an immediate adoption with the condition that Mason’s biological mother sign away her parental rights. Jack had chosen to visit the woman in prison, and no sooner had he pulled out the papers than she’d signed them and walked away.
“Will you come and visit me?” Mason asked. “I could show you around. And you could meet my dog.”
“I would love to. Now, you’d better get going. I’m sure Annie is outside waiting for you. I think she mentioned something about ice cream to celebrate.”
He darted around me and sprinted through the door. He didn’t get too far before his footsteps came back my way. Mason ran through the door and straight into me, throwing his little arms around my hips as he hugged me tight. I bent low and did my best to hug him back.
“I’ll miss you, Ms. Austin. I mean, Mrs. Slater,” he said, remembering my new last name.
“I’ll miss you too,
Mason Drummond.”
As quickly as he had come back, he was rushing out again.
My nose started to sting and the tears weren’t far behind. I had known that today would be emotional for me. In a lot of ways, these kids had pulled me through the year. How many times had I thought about moving? I doubted that I would have stayed in Prescott if it hadn’t been for them.
So in a way, without my students, Nick and I might not have made it through. I might have given up.
When my phone rang, I wasn’t surprised to see Nick’s name on the screen. Even from across town, he could tell when I needed him.
“Hi,” I answered.
“How are you doing?”
“I’m sad.”
“Don’t be sad, Emmy. You’ll see them again.”
“I know you’re right. But I’m still sad. I’ll miss seeing their little faces.”
“You’ll be okay. Are you done for the day?” he asked.
“Just about. I need to put a few things away and drop off my grade sheet in the office. I’ll likely need thirty minutes.”
“Okay. When you’re done, meet me at the building,” he said.
“Your building.”
