He couldn’t believe how hard it was to leave Brooke at the preschool. Not for her, of course. His social-butterfly daughter had marched into the preschool as if it was her long-lost home. He felt a huge knot clamp down on his stomach. Janis was audibly sniffing next to him. “It’s sometimes more difficult for the parents,” Laura Wilkes said from the doorway where she watched the children gather on the rug. “And grandparents,” Janis said with a loud snuffle. John had chosen to wait outside, smart man. Millie, who was also starting her first day as a teacher’s aide, was sitting in a rocking chair near one side of the brightly colored rug. She leaned forward to speak to one of the boys, gently patting his head as he gazed up at her and sidled closer. Jake could understand the boy’s desire to get closer to Millie. Jake had the same reaction. Something about her very presence soothed him.
