Page 12 of Lose You Twice

For one blissful second, the house is quiet.

Then Daisy says, “I forgot I need one hundred pennies.”

I close my eyes.

“Why,” I ask carefully, “do you need one hundred pennies?”

“For the hundredth day of school.”

“You need them today?”

She nods. “No, tomorrow, but I forgot until today.”

Lily gasps. “I forgot too.”

Justin, from inside the pantry, says, “Natural consequences.”

“You literally have one shoe on,” Holden tells him.

Justin looks down at his one-socked foot. “That’s different. I think I left one down here and only found one in my room.”

I inhale through my nose. I exhale through my mouth.

I am calm. I am capable.

“Everyone eat,” I say. “Holden, find pennies if you can; if not, we will find them tonight. Justin, find your shoe and your packet. Twins, sit down before someone loses a limb. I’m finishing lunches and then will help with finding more pennies.”

By 7:19, we are somehow in the car.

By 7:21, Lily realizes she forgot her backpack.

By 7:23, I am sprinting back into the house in slippers to grab said backpack and because I forgot to change into actual shoes.

By 7:31, we are finally, actually leaving.

I drop the twins first, both of them yelling goodbye and running into the school to find their besties. Justin’s school is next. He finds his history packet crumpled in the side pocket of his backpack two minutes before we pull up, then acts like he knew exactly where he put it.

Holden is last.

Before he gets out, he pauses with one hand on the door handle. “You good?”

The question catches me off guard.

I glance over. His hood is pulled up, his expression holding too many questions for this time of day.

“Yep,” I say. “First day. Thriving.”

“You look like you fought a raccoon.”

I grin at him, dramatically sweeping my hair away from my face. “Did I win at least?”

He doesn’t smile. “Wren.”

“I’m good, Holden.”

He watches me for another second, then nods like he doesn’t believe me but is choosing mercy. “Text if you need me to pick up the twins later. I can walk.”

“You have practice.”