Page 5 of Sweet Surrender

“Now, you’ll want to be sure to make a nice impression on the new teacher,” his mom said, seating herself with her mug of coffee and smiling gently at Cal.

“His teachersalwayslove him,” Nick said, sounding a little indignant.

“Well, this young lady is brand new to town,” their grandmother said with a smile, as she put a muffin on each of their plates. “So for once, there’s a teacher who doesn’t know a thing about Calvin or anyone else around here. It’s important for him to do his best to show her that he’s a good boy.”

“I’ll definitely be good,” Cal said, looking up worriedly from his muffin.

“Of course you will,” Zane said.

He found himself looking to Nick, as if it were the louder twin’sturnto say something. But Nick was frowning thoughtfully to himself as he traced the plate with a fingertip, not even attacking his muffin.

“You okay?” Zane asked quietly.

“How comehegets a new teacher?” Nick demanded.

Nick’s teacher, Mrs. Staley was stricter than Mrs. David had been. It wasn’t even Christmas yet, but she already seemed to have taken a dislike to Nick because of his high energy. It wasn’t a surprise that he might envy the idea of getting a fresh start.

“Did you boys know it’s never too late to make a good impression?” their grandmother asked, clearly having come to the same conclusion Zane had.

Nick shrugged and dug into his breakfast. Cal’s mouth was already full, but he looked up at his grandma and nodded politely.

Zane took a bite of his own muffin. It was still warm—the texture so light it almost melted on his tongue, filling his mouth with sweetness and Christmas spices.

“Now, that’s a good way to start our day,” his mom said with satisfaction.

He was pretty sure her day had started hours ago. She was always bottle-feeding calves and doing handy projects all over the farm. But he appreciated the sentiment.

Though, as usual, he found himself wishing the boys had a mother to do special things for them, and help them think about how to connect with a young female teacher. His own mom had so much on her plate already.

“Is it time to go?” Nick asked with his mouth full.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” Cal reminded his brother. Zane chose not to notice that Cal’s mouth was full too.

“I guess it is about that time,” Zane said, gathering their plates.

“I’ll get all that,” his mom said, gesturing for him to go. “You all have a safe trip. I think it’s going to snow a little more today.”

“Will we have a snow day?” Nick asked excitedly.

“Probably not,” Zane told him.

They had seen kids having snow days on television, but they were few and far between in Vermont. Everyone here knew how to handle a storm.

“But you never know,” his mom added, her blue eyes twinkling.

Nick and Cal grinned at her, clearly delighted at the idea.

Maggie Lawrence deserved a sainthood. She never let the weight of her labors suppress the joy that seemed to ooze out of her pores. They were all lucky to have her around.

She noticed him looking at her and winked, and he felt like a little boy again himself. Mom’s smiles and winks always made him feel seen and special.

“Okay,” Zane said, feeling better than before. “Let’s pile into the car. Does everyone have their backpack?”

“Yes,”the boys yelled as one. They were used to this routine.

“Do you have your homework?” he asked.

“Yes,”they answered happily.

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