Chapter 2
Instead, she quietly placed Julian’s meal in the warming oven.
“If he gets hungry later,” she told the housekeeper, “don’t make him ask.”
At midnight Abigail returned to the kitchen for water.
Julian’s plate was empty.
She smiled.
She never mentioned it.
Over the next four weeks, the Costa children tested Abigail in every way seven grieving children could invent.
Felix replaced sugar with salt in a pastry recipe.
Abigail tasted the batter, threw it away, and started again.
Felix waited for punishment.
None came.
That afternoon he discovered two cinnamon pastries outside his bedroom.
A note rested on top.
Thank you for helping me discover the problem before everyone ate it.
Felix never replaced sugar again.
Theo knocked a bottle of ink across Abigail’s grocery notebook.
She looked at him.
He froze.
“Next time you want my attention,” she said, “try saying my name.”
That was all.
Bianca rejected every dress prepared for her school art exhibition.
Abigail dismissed the stylist and handed Bianca the closet key.
“Choose your own.”
“Dad won’t like some of them.”
“Your father isn’t wearing them.”
For the first time, Bianca laughed.
But Ellie changed first.
One snowy night, she appeared outside Abigail’s room holding a faded stuffed rabbit.
“Miss Abby?”
Abigail sat up.
“What’s wrong?”
“Will you disappear when I fall asleep?”
The question hit harder than Abigail expected.
“Why would I?”
“Mama went away when I was sleeping.”
Abigail got out of bed and knelt.
“Your mother didn’t leave because she wanted to.”
Ellie stared at the floor.
“Everybody says that.”
“Then everybody is telling you the truth.”
“Will you leave?”
Abigail thought carefully.
Children remembered promises longer than adults did.
“I can’t promise I will always be here.”
Ellie’s eyes filled.
“But I promise something else. I will never disappear without saying goodbye.”
The little girl considered this.
Then she crawled into Abigail’s arms.
The following morning she called her Miss Abby at breakfast.
Leonardo nearly dropped his coffee.
Theo took longer.
One afternoon Abigail reached above him for a jar of cinnamon.
Theo flinched.
His arms flew over his head.
His eyes squeezed shut.
Abigail froze.
She lowered her hand.
Then she moved to the opposite side of the kitchen table.
“Theo.”
He said nothing.
May you like
“Who made you afraid of hands?”
His face crumpled.
