"Bye-bye, Mr. Boss! Bye-bye!"
It was midnight, and the heavy silence of the Narrow Lane was broken only by the chirping of crickets and the fading echoes of a toddler’s goodbye. Iris Marlowe stood at the gate of the Little Red Pony Academy, her shoulders slumped with a fatigue that seemed to reach into her very marrow. She had just finished a grueling double shift, yet the sight of Blanche running back to give Ethan Gray one last wave brought a faint, weary smile to her lips.
Ethan stood on the steps, waving back until the little girl finally turned to follow her aunt. As he watched them go, a realization settled over him. It didn't matter if the girl was four or twenty-four; the secret to winning them over was the same: take them out, feed them well, and let them see the world.
He glan
