This was not how Cassie expected her day to start; walking in on John, laughing, smiling, and being kind to her son as they ate side by side, while Tim beamed in happiness. And much to Cassie’s chagrin, Tim was mimicking John. When John took a big spoonful of cereal and milk, so then did Tim, watching John all the while. John, reading the newspaper, didn’t seem to notice the extent to which Tim followed his lead.
She hadn’t expected John to be so nice to her son, or to take his worries over first grade to heart. She assumed he would ignore Tim. Her heart squeezed in her chest; it was painful to witness how much her son needed a father.
She shook her head and grabbed some coffee before she left the house to drop Tim with Estelle and get to work. After only a few moments at her desk, John
