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“Hi, kids. Hi, Everkins.” Dad planted a careful kiss on my cheek. “Hope I didn’t mess up your makeup. Looks like today was face-painting day?”
“We’re fairies, Grandpa Dane,” Hazel, one of the older girls in my class, said. Her pipe cleaner crown sat askew on her forehead, and there was a purple smudge on her cheek where she’d already wiped off her painted heart. “Teacher Everly and Makayla’s mama are the queen fairies because they’re the biggest, and we’re all princess fairies.”
Silas, an adorable curly-haired boy with a gap-toothed smile, walked up to Dad and tugged on the hem of his shirt. “I’m not a fairy princess. I’m a fairy cowboy. Can you tell?” He gestured toward his cowboy hat and boots.
Beside my dad, Wyatt chuckled.
Yeah, I got it. They were adorable.
Dad gave Silas’s outfit a serious once-over. “I sure could tell you’re a cowboy.” He tilted an imaginary cowboy hat at Silas before turning to me. “Is this still a good time to work on the playhouse, Fairy Queen Everly?”
“Of course, Grandpa Fairy. And if you’d like a sprinkling of sparkly makeup, let me know.” I fluttered my eyelashes at him.
“Maybe later. Hope it’s alright with you that Wyatt tagged along. He reckoned he needed a break from work.”
“Hi, Everly.” Wyatt looked over my shoulder. “Nice wings.”
“Thanks,” I said, thrilled that he noticed. “I found them after our talk yesterday.”
“Come on, son.” Dad patted Wyatt on the back. “Let’s go build our girl a tree house.”
Tonya let out a long whistle as she watched them head over to the magnolia tree. “Who is that? Is he one of your older brothers?”
I glanced at her in amusement. “No. Wyatt’s an old friend from college.”
Tonya pulled down her top to reveal more cleavage and fluffed up her hair. “He sure is easy on the eyes. Is he seeing anybody?”
Her question caught me off guard. Wyatt and I had talked about a lot of things, but his love life never came up in conversation. “I… I don’t think so. But he isn’t here long,” I added, uncomfortable with how she stared at him: the same way my neighbor’s cat watched birds in my garden. “He’s only staying until Thanksgiving. He lives up north.”
Tonya winked. “That won’t be a problem. I’ve already been married before. I’m not looking for anything serious. Let me see if they need any water.”
She left before I could say anything more, her hips swaying a little more provocatively than usual. I frowned at the sight, noticing how her leggings showed off her curves.
Determined not to think about Tonya and Wyatt anymore, I cupped my hands around my mouth and summoned the children. “Okay, everyone. Gather round.”
Everywhere, children stopped what they were doing and ran to the rug by the side fence. Mud pies sat baking in the sun. Watercolors dried on the table. And a massive tower of blocks remained on the patio.
Ten curious faces greeted me from the rug. “Today’s a very special day. Does anyone know why?”
Makayla’s hand shot in the air. “It’s my birthday! I’m five.”
“That’s right. And last night, I went into the garden and told the fairies that live here that it was your birthday. I asked them to leave you a special gift, and when I came outside this morning, I found this.” I showed the children a rainbow-colored ceramic jar.
“It’s so pretty,” Hazel murmured. “What’s inside?”
I opened the jar to reveal blue and purple glitter. “Birthday magic,” I said with a hushed voice.
Silas’s eyes widened.
That’s why I loved working with young children. The amazement. The wonder. For them, anything was possible, and they reminded me of that fact every single day.
“This is Makayla’s birthday magic, and she’s going to share it with you. You’ll each tell her something you like about her and then wish her a happy birthday. After you do that, she’ll give you a pinch of her birthday magic.”
“What do we do with it?” Junie, one of my newer students, asked.
“Whatever you want. You can rub it in your hair or on your face, or all over your arms. Doesn’t that sound beautiful?”
The kids nodded, and Makayla stood, bouncing on her tie-dye sneakers. As she walked around the circle, handing out birthday magic to each of her friends, Tonya returned with a massive grin on her face. My heart sank. Tonya was gorgeous, so of course Wyatt had given her his number. That he’d agreed to go out with her sat uncomfortably with me, but I kept my smile in place, not wishing to spoil Makayla’s special moment.
