When they reached the classroom, a warm, gentle woman greeted them at the door. “Good morning! You must be Lily.” Her smile reached her eyes. “And you’re Dad, I assume?”

Ethan nodded, trying to sound casual. “Yeah, uh—Ethan. It’s her first day.”

“I can tell,” the teacher said kindly, kneeling to Lily’s height. “Hi, sweetheart. I’m Mrs. Reynolds. We’re going to have a wonderful time in kindergarten. You’ll make lots of friends.”

Lily looked around at the room full of children coloring, laughing, waving. Her small shoulders tensed. “What if they don’t like me?”

Mrs. Reynolds smiled. “Well, I already like you, so that’s a good start, isn’t it?”

Lily hesitated, then gave a tiny nod.