The house got really quiet, and I didn't even notice until Josh pulled on my shirt. He looked super serious and asked if dinosaurs liked pancakes.
Mr Knight was gone by then.
No loud steps. No bossy talking. No feeling like someone was always watching, like a big bird judging me. Just quiet. Lots of air. Calm.
And a six-year-old boy whose hair was a mess and who asked a million questions.
"Emma," Josh said again, because I didn't answer right away. "Do dinosaurs like pancakes or do they like waffles better?"
I got down low so I was at his eye level. I made a face like I was thinking really, really hard. "It depends on the dinosaur."
He gasped. "Seriously?"
"Yep. T-rexes like pancakes because they don't need forks. Triceratops like waffles because they are better at balancing things."
Josh looked at me like I had just told him the biggest secret in the world.
"That makes sense," he said very seriously.
I smiled, and for the first time that day, it felt like a real smile.
