Jordan took his brother’s lead and plopped on the other side of his teacher. “No, they didn’t.” He spoke softly.
Tyler glanced up toward the sky. “They said we were different because we looked alike.”
Kids could be so cruel sometimes. “You know what I think?” Joy stood and then knelt in front of the bench. “I think maybe they were jealous because they knew you were guaranteed to always have a best friend.”
Tyler’s eyebrow arched exactly how his father’s always had. “What do you mean?”
“When you’re a twin, you’ve got a best friend for life. You know someone who always has your back. I’m a twin. Not identical like the two of you, but I know what I’m talking about.”
Grins washed across their faces.
“If anyone ever teases you again you tell them you’re so special, God had to make two of you.”
In one swift movement, the twins wrapped their arms around her. She pulled back—frightened by the tug she felt on her heart. “So, you haven’t told me anything about yourselves. Where did you live before you came to Whispering Slopes?”
“In Chicago.” Jordan answered first.
“That’s where our mommy was born.” Tyler’s smile faded.
“She died there, too,” Jordan added.
Joy had wondered about their mother and why she hadn’t come with Nick to registration. Now she knew. The tear that puddled in the corner of sweet little Jordan’s eye caused her heart to squeeze. She knew the pain of losing a parent at a young age.
“We didn’t really want to move, but Daddy wants to teach where he grew up,” Tyler explained as he jumped off the bench at the sound of the school bell. “He’s going to be the new principal, too.” The child reached for her hand as they strolled toward the building.
What? That was impossible. The boys must have misunderstood. Nick couldn’t be here for that job. The knot in her stomach squeezed a little tighter. She’d been studying hard to obtain her master’s degree and had nearly completed the program. There was only one opening for a principal in Whispering Slopes—and it belonged to her.
* * *
“Here’s the list of school supplies we need. Miss Kelliher said to go to Buser’s General Store. They’ve got the best prices.” Tyler pulled the crinkled piece of paper from his superhero backpack and handed it to his father.
Nick smiled at his son. He always liked to be in charge, while Jordan seemed to follow his brother’s lead.
The twins’ half-eaten ice cream sundaes were turning into milky soup. Since they’d arrived at One More Scoop, they’d chattered nonstop about their first day of school.
Seeing his boys so excited helped to ease some of the painful memories and the guilt that haunted him. Nick smiled at the familiar chalkboard hanging on the wall behind the register. The menu listed all of the specialty flavors of ice cream. They still made Coke floats. Everything looked exactly how it had when he was a kid. It even smelled the same, like a sugary waffle cone on a boardwalk during the height of summer.
Jordan scooped a spoon of the melted dessert from his bowl and held it to his lips. “All of the kids wuh weally nice.”
Nick laughed as the treat dribbled down his chin. It made him happy to know his son had had a good day. Jordan struggled at times in social situations due to his speech impairment. Nick yanked a napkin from the holder and passed it to his son. “Here, I think you need this.”
“Yeah, and no one teased us about looking alike either,” Tyler added.
Jordan wiped his mouth as the whirl of a blender charged from behind the counter. “Even if they had, Miss Kellihuh told us what to say. She’s weally nice.”
Nick’s ears perked up at the mention of Joy’s name. There was a part of him that had hoped he’d run into Joy, but when he’d made the decision to move home, he never imagined his first love would end up teaching his sons. “What did she tell you?”
“She said if someone teased us to tell them we were so special God made two of us,” Tyler said, wearing a huge grin. “She’s really cool.”
He closed his eyes for a second and pictured Joy’s face. Her response to the boys was exactly what he’d expect. It’s what he’d loved most about her. She always knew what to say at the perfect time. “She’s right, you know.”
“She’s a twin, too.” Jordan picked up his bowl and started to drink the melted ice cream.
Nick reached for his arm. “Use your manners, son.”
“Sowwy.” He put the treat back onto the red-and-white-checkered tablecloth and fidgeted in his seat.
“Yeah, Daddy, Miss Kelliher has a twin sister.” Tyler took a sip of his water. “But they’re not identical like us.”
Growing up, Nick remembered Joy wishing she and Faith were identical. Her twin was good in math while Joy struggled. She always thought it would be nice if Faith could take her place on the days they had a test. “Yes, I know.”
The boys looked at each other with crinkled brows. “How?” they asked in unison.
Nick wasn’t ready to tell the boys that, once upon a time, he and their teacher had had plans to marry. “Miss Kelliher and I grew up running around in our diapers together.”
The twins covered their faces and giggled.
“That’s funny,” Jordan said. “I like huh.”
“She’s really pretty.” Tyler spoke up. “Don’t you think, Daddy?”
Nick hesitated.
“Yeah, Daddy, don’t you think so?” Jordan asked.
Nick’s heartbeat quickened. Their mother and Joy were both the most beautiful women he’d ever known. Different in their own ways, but the one common denominator was their loving and compassionate hearts. His stomach twisted at the thought of Michelle suffering in silence from complications of Crohn’s disease. He should have noticed. Since she’d passed away a year ago last November, the guilt had gnawed away at him each day, but more so at night.
Nick shook off the negative thoughts. “Come on now and finish up your ice cream so we can get your supplies.”
The boys exchanged a quick glance.
Nick watched Jordan as he pushed his bowl aside. He hoped bringing his boys back to Whispering Slopes wasn’t creating more anxiety over their mother’s death.
Thirty minutes later the bell on the door chimed as Nick and the boys entered Buser’s General Store. Nick’s heart warmed. Just like One More Scoop, it was as though time had stood still. The scent of cinnamon swirled in the air. He’d always loved the swizzle candy sticks sold in the giant jar. The sound system played a continuous playlist of songs from the 1950s. He smiled when he spotted a young boy and girl, probably in high school, sharing a cream soda at the counter. How many times had he and Joy sat in that same spot, excited about their future?
He turned when the door tinkled. The trip down memory lane came to a screeching halt.
“Miss Kelliher!” All smiles, Tyler and Jordan sprinted across the room.
Nick swallowed hard while he observed the obvious attachment budding between the boys and their teacher. This concerned him. What if he didn’t secure the job as principal? Would he once again uproot the twins? Could he stay in Whispering Slopes and be happy just teaching? He’d worked hard to obtain his master’s degree, at the expense of his family. Of course, he needed to focus on keeping his own attachments to Joy in check, too. But that could be difficult since their classrooms would be directly across the hall from each other. He’d never imagined when he’d applied for the