Page 2 of New Hope

“What?” She held my gaze, listening intently.

“I’m going to try and make one new friend today. That’s it. Just one. I’ll smile and tell them my name and maybe we’ll become friends. Do you think you could do that too?”

Ellie eyed me skeptically. “Just one?”

I nodded, holding a finger up in the air. “Just one. Now, if more than one person wants to be my friend, that would be great, but my goal is at least one. What do you say? We could both give it a try and tonight, we can tell each other how we did.”

Her brow furrowed as she gave my offer careful consideration, and I felt my heart swell with love for her. I may have been a bit biased, but I thought she was the smartest girl in the world. “Okay. I can try,” she finally answered.

I grinned at her and held my hand out over the back of the seat for her to shake. “You have a deal,” I said as she slid her tiny hand into mine. A few moments later, with her backpack over her shoulders, we climbed from the truck and walked toward the building, hand in hand. The scene was a lesson in organized chaos with some parents pulling up to drop their kids off at the front door, others walking their children in, and a crossing guard doing an impressive job of making sure everyone stayed safe.

We got several curious, yet friendly, stares and even a few people said hello in passing. The office was to the left as soon as we walked in and an older woman sat behind a window, her salt and pepper hair pulled up in a neat bun. She smiled as we approached and slid the window open. “Good morning. I’m Francis Baker. You must be Mr. Scott and I’m assuming this is Ellie?” She let out a soft, tinkling laugh when she noticed the surprise on my face. “We don’t get too many new students. Most of the kids that go here have families that have lived in this town for generations. Doesn’t mean we don’t like a friendly new face, just makes it easy to recognize one when we see them.”

I relaxed at her explanation. “Sorry, we’re just not used to anyone immediately knowing our names. It wasn’t like that in the city.”

“That’s right. I saw in Ellie’s file that you two just moved here from New York. I imagine New Hope feels like a different planet to you.”

I chuckled. “We haven’t had much chance to look around yet, but so far it looks like a lovely town.”

“Oh, it really is. If you’d like a tour, I have a daughter about your age who would be more than happy to show you around.” The hopeful look in her eyes as they moved over the empty spot on my left hand where a ring used to be made it obvious, she was eager to play matchmaker. I fought the urge to shiver. I was nowhere near ready to begin dating. In fact, I wasn’t sure I ever wanted to go down that road again. Being Ellie’s dad was fulfilling enough for me. Still, I didn’t want to start off on the wrong foot with the woman. Especially since I got the feeling that she meant well.

“Thank you. That’s a very nice offer, but Ellie and I have plans to do a little exploring on our own, isn’t that right, Boo?” Ellie’s hand tightened around my own as she nodded shyly.

Francis smiled, her eyes sliding down to Ellie then back to me. “Well, that’s sweet. You two enjoy but let me know if you change your mind. In the meantime, I have paperwork for you. You can take it home, fill it out and bring it back on Monday. We received copies of Ellie’s files from her old school, but it looks like she’s due for a physical. There is a grace period for you to turn that in, so she can go ahead and start today, but she’ll need to get it done as soon as possible.”

“Yes, I’m sorry. I meant to take her last month but with the move happening so quickly, it slipped my mind. I’ll call today and make an appointment for her,” I promised.

“That’s fine. Seeing as how you just moved here and probably don’t know of any pediatricians, I highly recommend Dr. Adams. He’s got an office right in town and he’s very good with children. Most of the kids at this school are patients of his.”

“I appreciate that, thank you.” I watched as she helpfully jotted down his name and office number onto a post-it and pressed it to the top of the file which she handed to me.

“If you’re ready, I’ll show you to Miss Sipple’s room and introduce you.” Francis stood and walked around her desk, opening a door to the side of the office. Most of the students were already in their classrooms and the halls were quiet as we walked past rows of doors on either side. “You’re very lucky to have Miss Sipple as your teacher, Ellie,” she said quietly. “She’s one of our best second grade teachers. She makes learning so much fun and all the kids love her.” Ellie remained quiet, but I could feel some of her tension easing.

Near the end of the hall, Francis stopped and knocked on a door. A moment later, it slid open and a woman with straight blonde hair and kind blue eyes appeared. “Miss Sipple, this is your new student, Ellie Scott and her father. They just moved here from New York City.”

“Hi. It’s nice to meet you.” The teacher shook my hand with a friendly smile then dropped down, so she was eye level with Ellie. She spoke in a soft voice that put us both at ease and I liked her immediately. “Hello, Ellie. I’m happy to meet you too. I’m excited that you’re in my class. I’ve got a desk ready with your name on it and I sat you next to someone I think will be a nice friend. I told the class you were coming, and they can’t wait to meet you.”

I knelt beside them, still holding Ellie’s hand and she turned to me. “What do you think, Ellie? Are you ready to go inside?” I watched as her bottom lip trembled and I felt my heart sink inside my chest. Maybe I’d chosen wrong. Maybe I’d pushed her too far, too soon. I opened my mouth to ask if she wanted to go back home and try again the next week, but then I saw the change in her eyes, probably unnoticeable to anyone but me. But I knew my daughter better than anyone else and I recognized the moment she made the decision for herself.

Raising her chin, she met my gaze and bravely answered, “Yeah, okay.” It was the simplest of answers and spoken in the smallest of voices, but I knew the strength it took for her to say it.

I swooped her up in a tight hug, emotions clogging my throat as the pride I felt for my daughter mixed with sadness that the last year had forced her to grow up so fast. “That’s my girl.” I pulled back to look at her. “Remember, we’ll both give it our best effort and tonight, we can tell each other all about it. Deal?”

She blessed me with a hint of a smile. “Deal. Except, I might want to tell mine over ice cream.”

This girl. I laughed at the hopeful look in her eyes. “Definitely over ice cream.”

I gave her a kiss and one last hug then left her in the care of her teacher, praying that Miss Sipple was actually as wonderful as she seemed. After making sure the school had my cell phone number, in case they needed to reach me, I headed out to my truck, feeling as if I was leaving my heart behind with each step.

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