Chapter Text
Matt Casey loved his neighborhood. When he had looked for houses almost five years ago, his sister had tried to get him to move closer to her, but Lincoln Park was just not his style. He preferred living in a smaller, slightly older, and much quieter neighborhood, so when he had found the old brownstone in Bucktown, he hadn’t thought about it long.
Even though he had spent half of their first year renovating it, he still never regretted his choice. It had three bedrooms, a decent-sized kitchen, and a big dining and living area. It suited them perfectly, and he couldn’t have found a better place for Madi and him.
Madeline Casey was his eight-year-old daughter, and his entire pride and joy. She was the reason he had needed to find a bigger place, as he had quickly learned that toddlers take up lots of space. The house had been perfect for his little three-year-old explorer, giving her enough space to run around back then. Now, a couple of years later, Madi still loved their home, but instead of running around, she loved to find all kinds of new places to quietly read her many books.
Her quiet and sometimes even reserved personality was something she had inherited from him, but she had gotten her love for books all from her mom. Even as a kid, she had loved it when Matt had read her books, and he’d also never forget the day he had first taken her to the library. When the librarian had handed her a brand-new library card with her name on it, Madi’s eyes had gone wide, and ever since then, they made weekly trips to get more books for Madi.
For her eighth birthday, Matt had surprised her with a new reading nook in their living room. It had taken him two days to get it ready. Two days that he had to convince his daughter to spend at his sister’s place, but it had all been worth it.
Once the girl had been out of the house, he had partitioned about three feet of space in front of the window facing the street off from the living room, creating a small space that was then equipped with two ceiling-high shelves on each side and a daybed in between them to lounge on. To make it cozier, he had added an archway between the shelves, and when Madi had seen it for the first time, she had been overcome with joy.
Needless to say, it was her favorite spot ever since, and the shelves quickly filled up with books to read. His daughter had been sitting in that exact spot when she had spotted their new neighbors for the first time.
It had been a Saturday, and Matt had been doing his usual cleaning of the house when he had spied his daughter kneeling on the daybed, her nose almost pressed against the window. It was an uncommon sight, and when he had stepped up to her, looking out of the window, he had seen what had caught her attention.
A big white U-Haul had stood parked on the street, and two men in uniform had unloaded various pieces of furniture and carried them into the small house across the street. What had caught his daughter’s eyes though, was the little girl sitting on the sidewalk. She had light blonde hair which was cut in a shoulder-length bob. A piece of blue chalk had been in her hands, and with determined strokes, she had drawn a hopscotch on the pavement.
Madi had watched her every move, and when the blonde girl had started playing, Matt had asked if she wanted to go say hi, but Madi had declined. Her brow had furrowed, and she had almost looked like she had been caught, quickly hiding her nose back in her book.
Ever since that day, Matt found his daughter spying out of the window more than reading her books, but she never asked to go outside to meet the girl. Matt didn’t push her either. He had learned Madi moved at her own pace. It took her a bit longer to warm up to new people, as she was rather shy, but he had a feeling she would crack soon.
Two weeks had passed since their new neighbors moved in, and as far as he could tell, it was just a mother and her daughter. Today was another Saturday afternoon, and he was currently standing in the kitchen chopping vegetables for the lasagna they would have for dinner when he heard Madi gasp loudly.
“Dad! Daddy!” She called out to him from her spot in the living room, her voice sounding agitated.
In a matter of seconds, Matt placed his knife on the counter, grabbed a towel, and crossed the distance to the living room in a few long strides. He found his daughter sitting on the edge of her window seat, her eyes wide as she looked back and forth between him and the window.
“They are coming over!” She told him while clutching her book to her chest.
“Who’s coming, sweetie?” Matt asked with irritation, his pulse slowing as he saw Madi was physically fine.
The girl didn’t get to answer him as the doorbell echoed through the house in the next second. As he walked out to the hallway and towards the front door, he saw Madi follow him, but she stopped in the doorway to the hallway instead of joining him by the front door.
When he pulled the door open, he was greeted by the blonde girl from across the street and a young blonde woman who was presumably her mother, judging by the uncanny resemblance between the two of them. He had only seen her from afar until now and most of the time, she rushed out of the house.
“Hi, I’m Sylvie and this is my daughter Millie,” the blonde introduced the two of them in a cheerful voice. “We moved into the house across from you two weeks ago, and we wanted to introduce ourselves.”
A radiant smile sprawled across her lips, and it made him momentarily speechless. He blinked a couple of times, his mouth opening, but nothing came out.
“We made cupcakes for you. There are chocolate and vanilla cupcakes. We weren’t sure which flavor you liked,” the girl, Millie, added while spying past him. An equally wide smile spread over her lips, and she waved in excitement a second later.
It pulled Matt out of his trance, and when he spied over his shoulder, he found Madi still rooted in the doorway of the living room, but her head was peeking out to look at their guests. She didn’t reciprocate the wave from Millie, but she also didn’t hide again.
“Uhm, well, we just wanted to say hi,” Sylvie stammered then. She stretched the plate with the cupcakes out to him, while she rambled on, “I hope you enjoy these. They are not gluten-free or sugarless, so I hope you and your wife aren’t into that kind of diet. If you are, that’s fine, of course, then we’ll just take them back with us. Anyway, uhm, I’ll guess we’ll go again.”
She was already backing away when Matt finally found his words again, blurting out hastily, “It’s just the two of us.”
The young woman immediately stopped, her eyes finding his. She swallowed hard before a small smile crossed her lips. “It’s just the two of us too.”
A weird sense of understanding spread through him at her admission, and he sucked in a small breath. His eyes wandered to the cupcakes then, and he blinked a couple of times.
“Isn’t it usually supposed to be the other way around?” He asked.
A wrinkle appeared on Sylvie’s forehead, but when he nodded towards the tray in her hands, she chuckled softly. With a smile on her face, she averted her eyes to the ground, her shoulder-long hair partially hiding the rosy color that spread over her cheeks. “Well, we’ve been here for two weeks, and nobody has welcomed us into the neighborhood yet. Millie insisted we should take matters into our own hands.” She winked at her daughter before catching his eyes again.
There was a twinkle in them that made his pulse race, and he felt caught. Embarrassment flooded him. Lifting his hand to scratch his neck, he sheepishly replied, “I guess you’re right about that. We haven’t been welcoming.”
“It wasn’t meant as an accusation,” Sylvie clarified with her hand held up in front of her. “We’re from a small town where everybody knows everyone, so living in the city is certainly a change for us. There is definitely more anonymity around here.” Pursing her lips, she tilted her head to the side. “Though I do think people in this neighborhood know the names of their neighbors.”
Another wave of embarrassment flushed through him, and his cheeks warmed. He was a complete moron. He hadn’t even introduced himself. What was wrong with him?
“I’m sorry,” he quickly apologized. “I’m Matt, and this is Madi.” He first pointed to himself and then towards his daughter, who still stood in the doorway of the living room. He tried begging her closer with a wave of his hand, but she stayed rooted in her spot.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Matt and Madi,” Sylvie said, lifting the tray of cupcakes in front of her again. “How about those cupcakes now? I hope I didn’t offend you with my comment about gluten and sugar. It wasn’t my intention.”
“No, absolutely not. We actually love chocolate and vanilla cupcakes, right Madi?” This time, his daughter at least nodded, and he took it as a win.
“Well, then please enjoy.”
The young woman handed the tray over to him, and Matt took it, briefly holding it in Madi’s direction so she could look at them too. It made her take another step further into the hallway, her sweet tooth getting the better of her.
“I put sprinkles on the frosting of the vanilla cupcakes, so they are more colorful,” Millie explained, once again stretching her neck to spy past him. “I drew a hopscotch on the sidewalk the other day, and it’s still there. There is not that much space to move around, but it’s alright. Do you wanna play with me, Madi?”
“She grew up on a farm,” Sylvie pointed out. “She’s used to acres of land to roam around. We don’t even have a backyard here.”
“We have a backyard,” Madi chimed in then. Her voice was small, but when Matt turned in her direction, he was surprised to find her walking toward him. She still had her book clutched in front of her chest, and when she reached him, she placed herself slightly behind him. “I also have a swing set with a slide and a playhouse.”
“Really?” Millie’s eyes went wide, her lips parting.
For a moment, Madi kept quiet. She silently chewed on her lip, her eyes searching for Matt’s. She looked torn about how to proceed, one part of her wanting to play with Millie while the other still wanted to hold back. It wasn’t a decision Matt could make for her, but he placed the tray of cupcakes on the dresser next to him before running his hand over his daughter’s long, brown hair. It was enough for the girl to find some courage, and she uncrossed her arms, one of her hands fisting the back of his shirt while the other pressed the book against her chest like it was her shield.
“Maybe we can play in it sometime,” she offered.
“That’d be so cool! When do you have time? Do you wanna go play now?” Millie asked her excitedly, almost stumbling over her words.
“Millie, honey, calm down,” Sylvie gently chastised her daughter by placing a hand on her head. “We just brought Matt and Madi some cupcakes, so why don’t we let them enjoy those today? We have to clean up the kitchen anyway.”
The blonde girl’s face fell, and she let out an annoyed groan. “But Mom!”
Instead of answering, Sylvie just leveled her with a pointed look that seemed to speak volumes for Millie as she pressed her lips into a tight line and stayed quiet.
“How about tomorrow afternoon?” Matt suggested with a glance towards Madi, who had fallen quiet again. “We can have some lemonade, and Madi can show you her swing set.”
A squeal left Millie’s lips. “Oh, please, Mom! It’d be super fun!”
Sylvie’s eyes found his, and it was the first time he noticed their cornflower blue shade. “If you’re sure about it? We don’t wanna impose.”
The corners of his lips tugged up, and he tilted his head to the side. “Consider it our official, albeit late, welcome to your new neighborhood. I might even make us some snacks to go with the lemonade.”
“It’s a date then,” Sylvie agreed with the same radiant smile from when she had introduced herself, but a second later, she realized what she had just insinuated, and her cheeks turned a soft pink. “A playdate, of course. For the girls.”
He’d be lying if he said his heart hadn’t skipped a beat upon her words, but he quickly pushed that thought away. It had been a long time since he had felt anything remotely close to this, but this wasn’t about him. It was all about Madi making a new friend and being a good neighbor. Nothing more.
“I guess we’ll see each other around three tomorrow?” To keep himself from fidgeting with his hands, he kept one of them firmly on Madi’s head while he placed his other on his hip. He had embarrassed himself enough for one day after all.
“Yes, sounds perfect.”
“We’ll be there,” Millie added in a cheerful voice. “I can’t wait to see your swing set, Madi. I bet it’s super cool! We’ll have so much fun!” She once again waved in Madi’s direction, a bright smile covering her face.
His daughter tightened her grip on his shirt, and he absentmindedly rubbed his thumb over her head. It was a big step for her to invite someone over to their house, something she hadn’t done with anyone except her cousin Violet, and she didn’t count as the two of them saw each other regularly.
“See you tomorrow then,” Matt answered for his daughter while squeezing her into his side.
With one last wave, Sylvie and Millie excused themselves, and Matt and Madi watched them walk down the steps of the front porch. When they reached the street, Millie took her mom’s hand, and the two of them shared a laugh before skipping over the street together. Before they disappeared into their house, Sylvie turned in their direction one last time, sending him a small wave and a smile, and his heart fluttered.
As she closed the door behind her, he quickly shook his head, closing their front door too. His eyes fell on the cupcakes on their dresser, and he couldn’t help the smile that stretched over his lips.
Focusing his attention on Madi again, he grabbed the tray. “How about some cupcakes, kiddo? They got our favorite flavors right, huh?”
Madi nodded, the corners of her lips tugging up too. “Yes, please. I love chocolate cupcakes.”
With a ruffle to her hair, Matt urged Madi toward their living room, not yet grasping how much Sylvie and Millie would change their lives.
With summer in full swing, it was rather hot outside on Sunday afternoon, so Matt had made sure to put extra ice cubes in the lemonade he prepared. He was currently sitting on the back porch with Sylvie, while the girls had just left to explore Madi’s swing set.
His daughter had been nervous the entire morning, barely eating anything for breakfast or lunch. She hadn’t even touched her books today, which was alarming for Matt. She had then changed her outfit three times before finally settling on her favorite jean shorts and a white t-shirt with hearts on it. Considering Madi usually didn’t care much about her clothes, it was another concerning sign that this might all be going a bit too fast for his daughter.
Despite his hope for Madi to find a genuine friend in Millie, he wondered if he shouldn’t have invited Millie and Sylvie over today. Maybe he should have let Madi move at her own pace, like he usually did. She would have eventually warmed up to the idea of making a new friend because her curiosity was too big to hold her back forever. It had always been this way.
“Everything OK?” Sylvie’s voice penetrated his ears.
It was only then he realized he had been shifting around in his chair, and he promptly stopped his movements. He almost felt caught, and with a sigh, he glanced toward the backyard. He couldn’t tell Sylvie he regretted inviting them over. That’d be rude.
“I think they are getting along well so far,” Sylvie offered before he could say anything. “Millie can be a force to be reckoned with, but I have a feeling that Madi’s calm nature is exactly what she needs to adjust to life in the city.”
His eyes flew to Sylvie’s at her words. Usually, people always criticized his daughter’s quiet behavior. They saw it as a character flaw. It was one of the reasons why he hated hanging out with other parents. They always tried to give him advice on getting her out of her comfort zone. They didn’t get her at all.
“She seems like a great kid,” Sylvie added when he didn’t answer right away. “Very observant. Does she like to read?”
He felt like an idiot for not participating in their conversation, but when he glanced at Sylvie, he found her watching him with patient eyes. She was holding the glass of lemonade in her hand, her blonde hair shining almost gold in the afternoon sun. It was impossible not to notice how beautiful she looked right then, but he quickly shook that thought.
It was inappropriate. She was his neighbor, and hopefully the mother of Madi’s first real friend. He couldn’t screw this up for his daughter. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to date. It seemed like a terrifying idea.
With a shake of his head, he refocused again. Thankfully Sylvie had asked him about Madi, and which parents didn’t love to talk about their kid? He could certainly rave about his daughter for days.
“Madi loves to read,” he started after leaning back in his chair. “From a young age on, I’ve read her book after book. The second she learned to read, she always made sure to carry a book with her. We make weekly trips to the library to satisfy her thirst for new books. Otherwise, I’d be broke.”
A soft laugh escaped Sylvie’s lips. “Sounds like fun. I love reading too. I just don’t have nearly enough time for it anymore. I’m happy if I get to finish a book every other week.”
“If I wouldn’t stop her, Madi would read the entire day. She gets lost in every book she reads. It’s almost like she disappears in them,” Matt chuckled.
It pulled a laugh out of Sylvie too, and after she took a sip from her lemonade, she asked, “What kind of books does she read?”
“Pretty much everything. We recently discovered a series about two siblings who live on a farm and solve mysteries involving their friends and family. It’s her current favorite, but she also likes fantasy and slightly more girlish stories too.”
“That all sounds fun. If she ever needs any recommendations, just let me know. I used to gobble books as a kid too,” Sylvie offered with a genuine smile before her eyes strayed to the girls in the backyard. “Millie doesn’t think much of reading. She prefers to be outside as much as possible. She’s happy as long as she can run free all day. I guess growing up on a farm does that to you.”
Following her line of sight, Matt found the two kids still playing on the swing set. While Madi was swinging, Millie was hanging from one of the supporting beams. It highlighted the difference between the girls, but Madi had her eyes trained on her new friend, who chatted idly with her.
Even though Sylvie’s answer provided him with an opening to switch their conversation to the reason behind the Bretts’ move, the girls were the safer topic. A part of him wanted to learn more about Sylvie, but he had a feeling the reason behind their move was more complicated than it seemed. Especially because it was just the two of them.
“It’s not exactly easy to let a kid run around Chicago,” Matt said, his eyes wandering back to Sylvie. Telling her more about Chicago also seemed like a good choice of conversation. Maybe even a helpful one. “This neighborhood is great, and there are a couple of parks close by. I still wouldn’t let her go there alone, but I can give you directions.”
“That’d be great! Thank you.” That beautiful beam stretched over Sylvie’s face again, and it caused his heart to flutter, but before he could get lost in more thoughts about her, Madi called out to him.
“Dad!”
Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw his daughter running up the stairs of the deck. She stopped next to his chair, her arm coming to rest on the back of it. Her cheeks were rosier than usual, and there was a new glimmer in her eyes. She did shyly glance at Sylvie for a fleeting moment, but then she placed her hand on his arm and concentrated back on him.
“Millie grew up on a farm, and they’ve got a big pond where she goes swimming in the summer. It’s hot out today, and I was wondering if you could set up my pool?” Her words were much faster than usual, and she blinked rapidly.
His eyebrows shot up in surprise, and his lips parted with an almost inaudible gasp. If it weren’t for her fingers picking on the sleeve of his shirt, he almost wouldn’t recognize his daughter.
“Mom, Madi’s swing set is super cool. And her backyard is awesome. She just told me she’s got a pool too,” Millie told her mom after she slumped down in the chair next to Sylvie. Her cheeks had the same rosy color as Madi’s, and she reached to take a sip from her lemonade.
For a moment, he wasn’t sure what to make of his daughter’s request, but when his eyes moved back to Madi, he was met with hopeful eyes. He couldn’t say no to her now. Not when she looked at him like this. His daughter had him wrapped around her finger since the minute she was born.
Tilting his head to the side, he asked, “I thought you didn’t want me to set it up this year.”
They had an entire conversation about the pool at the start of summer vacation. Back then, he had tried to convince Madi that the pool would be nice for hot days, but his daughter had insisted that she wouldn’t need it. He had known she planned to read as much as possible, but the pool had seemed like a great way to get her outside more.
It was one of the reasons why he was so surprised about her change of mind now. She had been so adamant, but half an hour with Millie Brett and Madi had a complete change of mind. Of course, he was happy that the girls were getting along well, and he’d never suggest that Millie pressured Madi into asking him, but he still hoped his daughter wasn’t trying to bend herself to impress Millie.
Madi had fallen quiet next to him, chewing on her lip while she tugged harder on his sleeve. She had always been able to read his moods, and she could sense his hesitance now. It reminded him of her usual behavior, and it soothed his worries.
Plastering a smile on his face, he reached up to smooth her long, brown hair away from her face. “If you want me to set it up, I can do it.”
Her face lit up like a Christmas tree, and she wrapped her arms around his neck to squeeze him. “Thanks, Dad,” she whispered against his neck before retreating and pressing a kiss to his cheek.
“No problem, kiddo.”
He squeezed her shoulder once, but instead of letting go, Madi kept looking at him expectantly. She started to shift on her feet, pulling her lip back between her teeth. Averting her eyes for a second, she tugged on the sleeve of his shirt again before blinking up at him through her long, dark lashes. “Can you do it now, please?”
A soft chuckle left his lips at her impatience. “You really can’t wait, huh?”
Another smile stretched over her lips, and she grabbed his hand to tug him up from his chair. She knew he’d say yes at this point.
“Alright, I guess I’ll get it out of the basement then,” he said while getting up. His eyes met Sylvie’s then, and he was met with a knowing smile. There was a twinkle of amusement in her eyes, probably because of the way his daughter had so easily convinced him, but he just returned her smile with a small shrug.
“Do you want to see my room, Millie? I need to get my bathing suit,” Madi addressed her new friend and let go of his hand.
The blonde girl jumped up from her chair with a wide smile on her face, before stopping and briefly turning back to her mom. “Can you get my bathing suit too, Mom? I put it in the middle drawer of my closet. Thanks!”
She was already skipping toward Madi, who was standing at the back door of the house, not waiting for her mom’s answer. Madi, on the other hand, glanced at Sylvie for a moment, who just shook her head at her daughter’s antics.
“I’ll grab it,” the blonde chuckled, and it was enough of an answer for Madi to disappear through the door. When both girls were gone, Sylvie turned to him as she got up from her chair. “She really is a force to be reckoned with. At least she said please this time.”
It was his turn to chuckle, and together the two of them walked down the stairs of the deck. Madi and Millie might be polar opposites in many things, but it didn’t keep them from becoming fast friends.
In the three years Madi had been at her school, Matt had not once gotten called by her teacher or the principal. Today was an absolute first, and he couldn’t fathom what could have been the cause for it. The timing of it couldn’t have been worse either as he was on shift today, but Mrs. Lorry had been adamant about him coming in. Principal’s orders. After all, it was just the third day of school.
Luckily, Chief Boden had been nothing but understanding, so Matt had grabbed his radio and rushed off to his daughter’s school. He was currently jogging up the stairs of the building when a flash of blonde caught his eyes right before he could enter through the door.
He abruptly halted, his head whipping in her direction. “Sylvie?”
Her eyes shot up to meet his as she stopped at the bottom of the stairs that led up to the school. “Matt?”
Both of their eyes racked over the other’s attire, and Matt’s heart skipped a beat. His blonde neighbor was dressed in a CFD uniform, just like he was. Except that she was wearing a dark blue paramedic T-shirt instead of his white captain’s shirt. In hindsight, it was funny that the topic of their work had never come up all summer. Not that they had spent much time together or ever strayed much further than talking about the girls. It was an unspoken line they had never crossed.
As Sylvie slowly walked up the stairs until she was in front of him, her hand reached for her radio that was hanging around her upper body. Her eyes focused on his chest for a fleeting moment, before bouncing up to meet his. “I guess we’re colleagues, huh? What house are you working at?”
He was still in trance at her appearance and while he didn’t know her that well yet, Sylvie being a paramedic just made sense. Without trying hard, he could envision her on a scene, calmly helping each of her patients. It just fitted.
Before he could get lost in his thoughts, he shook his head and straightened his spine. “I’m captain of truck 81 over at firehouse 51. Been there for almost ten years now. What about you?”
“Right now I’m covering for the PIC of ambulance 99 from firehouse 20. She’s on maternity leave for a couple more weeks,” Sylvie provided while tilting her head as realization dawned on her. “I guess we’re in the same district then. At least for now. I’m still waiting for a permanent spot.”
“And on the same shift rotation,” Matt added his hands gesturing wildly in front of him. He turned his palms up towards her before awkwardly letting his hands fall to his sides again. “Uhm, I’m sure you’ll get a permanent spot soon. Paramedics are always high in demand. Let me know if I can help you in any way. You know if you have any questions about any of the houses.”
A smile stretched over Sylvie’s face. “Thanks, Matt. I appreciate it.” She blinked at him once before taking a deep breath and nodding towards the doors. “I guess the girls got into trouble, huh? Can’t say I’ve been called to the school before.”
With a shaky laugh, Matt reached for the door and opened it. “Me neither. It’s very unlike Madi to get into trouble.”
“I can’t say the same about Millie. She’s very strong-willed, but she usually knows the limit. She never got into any serious trouble before. Like principal’s office trouble,” Sylvie drawled out as she slipped through the door. “Apologies in advance if she’s the reason why you are here too.”
“Nah, it’s fine. Madi makes her own decisions. If she let herself get pulled into it, then she will learn her lesson.” Matt waved her off as they walked along the corridor. “I’m glad Millie and Madi get along so well. Madi never really had a friend before.”
Ever since that first afternoon in Matt’s backyard, the girls had become inseparable. All summer long, they had spent their afternoons and sometimes even mornings together. Well, except every third day, but it made a lot of sense that neither of them had questioned it. Maybe the girls had even talked about it and knew all along that their parents both worked for the CFD. He couldn’t imagine Madi not telling him though.
His daughter’s friendship with Millie still felt a bit wonderous to Matt. His usually very reserved and quiet girl was running through the backyard these days rather than sitting inside and reading. Sylvie had even taken the two of them to the zoo during the holidays, and Madi had come home excited and with a wide grin on her face. There was so much laughter in her life now, and Matt enjoyed every second of it.
Madi was thriving, and it had been all he ever wanted for her. Turns out she just needed to find her person.
“Madi has been a great friend for Millie. I don’t think Millie would have taken the move so easily without their friendship,” Sylvie told him as they rounded the corner to the principal’s office. “But by the way the two of them are sulking over there, I’m guessing our assumption was correct.”
She pointed ahead of them, where Millie and Madi were sitting next to each other on two chairs that were standing against the wall of the principal’s office. Their legs were dangling in front of them, and while Millie had her arms crossed in front of her chest, Madi had threaded her fingers together, resting them on her lap. Their brows were pulled together, but while Matt could spot the worry on his daughter’s face, Millie seemed rather angry.
Just a second later, his daughter looked up, and the moment she saw him, she jumped off her chair and ran toward him. “Dad!”
He had just enough time to bend down and open his arms before she crashed into him. Her arms wound tightly around his neck, and she buried her face against him. “I’m sorry for getting into trouble, Daddy.”
She sounded upset, and maybe even a bit guilt-ridden, and Matt reassuringly ran his hand over her head. “It’s OK, kiddo. Take a deep breath and tell me what happened.”
Madi followed his instructions, her ribcage expanding, but before she could start, they got interrupted.
“Miss Brett, Mr. Casey, please come in,” Mr. Reynolds, the principal greeted them from his office door. “Madeline and Millie will wait outside.” He threw both girls a rather stern look, one that made Matt rest his hand on Madi’s head as he guided her back to Millie who hadn’t gotten up.
She hadn’t moved from her spot, and Sylvie was kneeling in front of her, one hand cupping her daughter’s cheek while the other rubbed her leg. Millie didn’t even look up or greet him when they stopped in front of her. It was only when Madi sat back down next to her that she uncrossed her arms and looped hers through her friend’s.
“They are being unfair,” she growled while throwing a dirty look in the principal’s direction, her blonde bob swinging over her shoulder.
“Millie,” Sylvie warned her in a soft voice while grabbing her chin and searching her eyes. Her daughter kept staring onto her lap, not meeting her eyes, and Matt could see concern flash over Sylvie’s face.
She seemed to have the same feeling as he did about the situation. Without knowing what happened, she also sensed that there was more to the story than meeting the eye. It was clear in the way she got up reluctantly, and without thinking, Matt placed a reassuring hand on her back.
It was the first time they touched, and he was surprised to feel her relax and step closer to him. His heart skipped several beats at that, his palm going sweaty in an instant. He pulled it away quickly, focusing on what was ahead of them. Now really wasn’t the time to get tied up in any kind of feelings.
“You can take a seat if you’d like,” Mr. Reynolds offered once they were in the office.
Neither Matt nor Sylvie took his offer though, standing behind the chairs instead. Matt was too anxious to sit. His stomach felt hollow, and his heartbeat picked up with every second that passed without knowing what happened.
“Very well then,” Mr. Reynolds said after closing the door and walking around his desk. “I’m sure you’re wondering why I summoned you to the school in the middle of the day.” He paused, looking at them expectantly, almost as if he wanted them to agree with him, but Sylvie and Matt stayed quiet. It resulted in another disapproving look towards them, but then Mr. Reynolds continued, “There has been an incident during recess today. Our recess supervisor had to break up a quarrel between Madi and Millie and one of the boys in their class. Millie had pushed him to the ground while Madi was verbally attacking him.”
“Excuse me?” Sylvie asked in a perplexed voice.
“Do you want me to repeat myself, Miss Brett?” Mr. Reynolds asked her with a pointed look through his glasses. “I think the story was quite clear.”
“No, I don’t need you to repeat the story. I’m just having some trouble wrapping my head around it,” she countered while crossing her arms over her chest just like Millie had earlier. “Let me get this clear. You’re trying to tell me that my daughter pushed someone to the ground?”
“And my daughter insulted the same boy not two seconds later?” Matt jumped in with his hands going to his hips. The words sounded bizarre coming from his mouth.
Though it did seem like it was only bizarre to Sylvie and him because Mr. Reynolds took a slow, deep breath while pursing his lips and grabbing the back of his chair. He was not amused by the way they were questioning the story.
“Miss Brett, Mr. Casey, it pains me to tell you again, but your girls have violated our most important rule. We don’t tolerate any kind of violence in our school. Physical or verbal,” he said in slow, clear words. He was losing his patience.
If it wasn’t for the fact that the story sounded so absurd to Matt, he might have sympathized with the principal, but he just couldn’t wrap his head around it. He had watched the girls together all summer, and while they were thick as thieves now, they wouldn’t hurt a soul. Not without a reason.
Mr. Reynolds’ eyes were still on them, and he was waiting for them to say something, but Matt was at a loss for words. He turned towards Sylvie, and when their eyes met, he instantly felt a wave of calmness spread through him. She was finding it suspect too, and the wrinkle in her brow suggested she was about to get to the bottom of it.
“What about the rest of the story? There must have been a reason why Madi and Millie acted this way,” Sylvie inquired in a calm voice. “They wouldn’t pick on someone without having a reason. Did the boy do anything to provoke them? Why isn’t he sitting in front of your office? He was a part of the incident too, wasn’t he?”
It surprised Matt how calm yet unrelenting Sylvie could sound. There was still politeness in her voice, but the way she clearly pronounced every word suggested that she was not going to jump to conclusions without hearing the full story first.
The older man standing opposite them was not amused by her questions as he squared his jaw and crossed his arms in front of him. “Miss Brett, we don’t tolerate any kind of violence,” he repeated, his attention shifting from both of them to Sylvie. “Madeline has never shown any kind of violent behavior before, so I’m assuming she has let herself get carried away with the behavior of your daughter. She—”
“I’m gonna stop you right there,” the paramedic cut him off in a sharp tone. She lifted her hand in front of her and stepped around the chair and closer to the table. “Millie has never shown this kind of behavior in her old school either. Something you can look up in her old school’s record if you need a refresher. So I am assuming there is more to the story than you’re telling us.”
“Miss Brett, I don’t like—”
“Why don’t we ask the girls?” Matt jumped in to de-escalate the situation. He even placed his hand on Sylvie’s back, spanning it over her left shoulder blade. When she met his eyes, he added, “They know what happened.”
Her stiff posture relaxed under his touch, and she threw him an appreciative glance while taking a steadying breath. She understood without words that he also thought Mr. Reynolds was out of line for accusing the girls, and especially Millie. For whatever reason, he seemed to have an agenda.
“Mr. Casey, we—”
“I’ll get them,” Sylvie declared, speaking over Mr. Reynolds for a second time.
It didn’t help the tension in the room, but Matt could understand her anger about the entire situation. Any other parent might be relieved when the blame got passed to a different child, but it was completely unfair and unprofessional in his opinion. If he was honest, he was getting rather livid on Sylvie’s behalf.
So while Sylvie went outside to bring in the girls, Matt made sure to stare down Mr. Reynolds for good measure. The principal kept quiet, but Matt could see the tension in his jaw. The older man was just as angry as they were, and Matt hoped the situation wouldn’t escalate.
Just a moment later, Madi and Millie walked back in with Sylvie, who left the door open. Probably on purpose. Madi went to stand by his side, her eyes averted to the ground and her hands folded in front of her. He lifted a hand to her head, smoothing her long dark hair back in hopes of giving her some reassurance.
Millie, on the other hand, was still wrapped up in her angry attitude, staring openly at Mr. Reynolds. That kid had guts. Matt had to give her that. It was probably one of the reasons Sylvie crouched down in front of Madi instead of her daughter just a moment later.
“Hey, Madi. We were wondering if you could tell us what happened. We heard you had quite the eventful recess,” Sylvie addressed his daughter. Gone was the anger from just a few minutes ago, and instead, her voice sounded gentle and loving. There wasn’t even a hint of accusation in her voice.
It was a complete one hundred and eighty, and when Matt realized she had placed herself between Madi’s line of sight of Mr. Reynolds, his heart involuntarily jumped.
To his surprise, Madi didn’t need any extra encouragement from him as she told them in a soft voice what had happened an hour ago.
“Millie and I were playing on the swings when Billy walked up to us. At first, he just stuck his tongue out at Millie, but when we got off the swings, he called her mean things. He said her hair looked like straw, and that she looked like a scarecrow. He laughed and said it was fitting because she lived on a farm before.” She paused as her brow wrinkled, but then she swallowed once and continued, “I told him he was being mean and asked him to stop, but then he called me a weird bookworm. Millie pushed him to the ground then, and I said he was a booger-eating donkey.”
Matt had to keep a straight face at his daughter’s try at an insult. Only Madi would get into trouble for calling someone a ‘booger-eating donkey’. It was just as ridiculous as the story that Mr. Reynolds had told them. Especially now that they knew the real one which made a lot more sense.
“Thank you for telling us, Madi,” Sylvie praised the eight-year-old while brushing a couple of strands of hair behind her ear. “That was very brave of you.”
At this point, Matt’s belly was doing somersaults, and he barely registered how Sylvie ushered the girls back outside and closed the door behind them again. His head was stuck on the way Sylvie had interacted with Madi, and how easy it had been for his daughter to open up with the paramedic. That rarely happened with anyone.
“You better have a good reason for only reprimanding the girls and not Billy because as far as I can tell, they didn’t start this little ‘quarrel’,” Sylvie started with an emphasis on ‘quarrel’, pulling Matt’s sole focus on the woman next to him.
“Miss Brett, this is not the story that I’ve been told,” Mr. Reynolds defended himself as he straightened his tie. “Regardless of who else was involved, the girl’s behavior was still unacceptable.”
“Because they were provoked by another child’s unacceptable behavior,” Sylvie countered in a sharp tone, her hands going to her hips. “I don’t see Billy sitting outside your office. Or one of his parents in here with us. If you don’t believe what the girls told us, I’m sure your recess supervisor can verify it. Should we call him?”
“Miss Brett—"
That’s when it clicked for Matt. “Hold on. Did she say Billy? As in Bill Jefferson, the alderman’s son?”
Surely it couldn’t be?
“Mr. Casey—”
An unbelievable snort left Sylvie’s throat, and she shook her head. “When I chose to enroll my daughter in your school, I didn’t realize that it came with special treatment for politicians’ kids. Are you teaching them that money and fame can get them out of anything?”
The look on the principal’s face told Matt that his assumption was correct, but for Matt, it was hard to believe that this social injustice still remained in today’s school system. So far, he had been satisfied with Madi’s school, but today’s incident left a lot for discussion.
With a hand on Sylvie’s back, Matt stepped forward, squaring his shoulders and getting ready to settle this situation once and for all. They had talked long enough now. He briefly met Sylvie’s eyes, and after a second of eye contact, she took a small step back, giving him an encouraging look.
Once Matt’s eyes were back on the principal, Matt leveled him with an unrelenting look. “Mr. Reynolds, do you know Alderman Jefferson at all? Because if you did, you’d know that he would be enraged with your unnecessary fable of favoritism.” He kept his voice calm with an underlying tone of authority. “In fact, I’ve got his number, so maybe I should give him a call and let him know about it.”
He reached for his cell phone in his trousers, holding it up, but the principal shook his head and lifted his hands in front of him to stop him.
“I don’t think that’s necessary,” Mr. Reynolds said in a clipped tone.
“I’m glad we’ve got an agreement then,” Matt agreed, while slipping his mobile device back into his pocket. “I suggest you call in Billy and the kids’ teacher to find a solution for this unfortunate incident. I’m sure they can work something out together.”
Without further discussion, Mr. Reynolds reached for his phone. The tick in his jaw was still there, but he seemed to have realized that he lost this battle. There was no point in waiting in the office with him during his phone call, so Matt walked towards the door. When he held it open for Sylvie, the paramedic peered up at him, a triumphant smile covering her lips. It was sunny and genuine, and together with the twinkle in her eyes, he knew he was in trouble. When she sent him a wink a second later before slipping out of the office, his heart skipped a beat, and he stopped denying it.
He was crushing on Sylvie Brett.