I was nervous about that, but Mrs.

Alvarez’s voice stayed with me: being wrong was not a character flaw; refusing to check was.

One evening I came home and found an unfamiliar car in the driveway.

For a heartbeat my stomach tightened with an old reflex.

Then I saw Trevor step out, holding a bouquet of yellow flowers, with Elise smiling beside him.

“Surprise,” he said.

I opened the door before he reached the steps.

Inside, dinner was already in the oven.