I got up early the next morning, hoping I would be out of bed before Brooke. I wanted to do something nice for her after I finally realized that this was difficult for her, too.
I slipped into the kitchen and stuck some of the sugary toaster pastries she enjoyed in to heat up as I turned on the kettle to make her a coffee.
“Good morning!” I chirped brightly as Brooke emerged from her bedroom in her pajamas with messy hair.
She yawned and stretched dramatically.
“You’re up early this morning, kiddo.”
“Yeah, I thought it would look better if I didn’t show up late today. Besides, I wanted to do something nice for you to celebrate making it through our first week at school.”
“That’s…”
“…please don’t say adorable.”
“Thoughtful?”
“Thoughtful is acceptable.”
I smiled and picked the pip
