Page 12 of Surprised By Love

Chapter Four

Sam

Wewakeupthenext morning and make Amelia pancakes for breakfast. As I’m getting Amelia ready for her first day of school; she is non-stop talking about making new friends and how she hopes the new teacher is nice. How she can’t wait to get to the school and see all the people.

On the walk to the school, which is a few blocks from the house, Amelia comments on everything she sees. Moving to a new town has her very excited.

“Momma. When can we go to the park?” Amelia asks as we pass the park in the center of town.

“We can go soon.” I squeeze her hand.

“I can’t wait. It looks really fun.”

We arrive at Sunset Elementary and the school hasn’t changed one bit. It looks exactly the same as it did when I was a student here.

We walk inside and meet the principal, Mr. Bennett, who is a few years older than I am.

The bell rings, signalling class is about to start. Mr Bennett takes us to Amelia’s room, and a young woman steps out into the hall.

“Hi. I’m Kasey James.”

“Sam Langfield.” We shake hands and I pat Amelia on the head. “This is Amelia.”

“It’s very nice to meet you.” Mrs. James squats to be eye level with Amelia and holds out her hand.

Amelia shakes it. “Nice to meet you, too. You’re pretty.”

I hold in a laugh. Yep. That’s my daughter… no filter, saying whatever is on her mind.

Mrs. James smiles. “Thank you, you’re too sweet. How would you like to go inside and meet some new friends?” She tilts her head to the classroom.

Amelia bounces on her tiptoes. “Yes, please.”

I turn Amelia to me and bend down, giving her a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Have a great first day, sweetie. I love you.” I blink back the threat of tears.

“I love you too, momma.” She turns and walks into the classroom. I’m standing there at the door, a lump in my throat, but it’s different from the one I had when she started kindergarten back in Ottawa.

Walking away from the school, I turn to look back, wiping a tear off my cheek with my thumb. It’s crazy. I never thought in a million years I would be back here in Sunset Creek and my daughter would attend the same school I did.

I walk down the cobblestone street, looking at all the shops. There’s a new bookstore called Turning Pages. I peek through the window and notice it’s an open concept bookstore and make a mental note to stop in there soon with Amelia. She absolutely loves to read. She’ll be in heaven there.

I notice a table with a local author sign and a pile of books. I smile when I see a picture of my friend Amber.

I continue down the street, browsing at all the stores. When I see an elderly couple walking towards me. I faintly recognize them, but I can’t remember who they are.

“Samantha!” The woman wraps her arms around me. “It is so good to see you. How have you been, sweetheart? I’m sorry to hear about your divorce, but I never thought that Derek boy was good enough for you.”

“Now, now, Ethel.” The man pulls his wife away from me. “That boy was nice. We didn’t know he would turn out the way he did, but we are very glad you’re back here to stay with us.” he says, turning his head back to me.

“Thank you. It’s good to be back home.”

“Well, you’ll have to bring your beautiful daughter to the hardware store some time to meet us.” She pauses as if giving me time to remember, and now I remember who they are. The Brooks, and they own Brooks Hardware, which has been a staple in this community since before I was even born. My father was friends with their son.

“I will definitely bring Amelia soon to meet you all. It was great seeing you again, Mr. and Mrs. Brooks. We’ll see you soon.” I turn and head down the street towards our family diner.

I look at the lampposts that are adorned with fall decorations, wreaths hanging from the lights, pumpkins sitting on the bases, and it brings a smile to my face. This is what I loved about my small town–they go all out for every holiday and it’s magical and wonderful, and I can’t wait for Amelia to be a part of this.

I stop as the diner comes into view. Wrought iron benches on either side of the door and fully decorated lamp posts beside those. There is a mural painted on the window and a homemade wreath on the door. I smile, knowing my sister has continued the decorating of the diner the way my parents and my grandmother had years before.

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