Chapter 313

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Sherry let out a sigh . “ Christian’s at his mom’s place . ”
His mother’s cancer had come back , and it was pretty serious , so he’d gone to stay with her at her family’s home , Sherry was supposed to be checking into their hotel , but white driving there , she happened to spot Teresa walking on the sidewalk .
“ Christian’s heading to the hotel later , though ,” Sherry
Just then , Sherry’s phone buzzed . It was Christian . She picked “ I haven’t even made it to the hotel yet . Guess who I just ran into ? Teresa . Yeah , Teresa Johnston . Want to swing by ? I’m at … ”
“ Oh , okay . Got it , ” Sherry said before hanging up . Then she explained to Teresa that Christian couldn’t come because he was with his mom . Anyway , it wasn’t a good time . Teresa totally got it . Christian had his hands full taking care of his mom .
“ Mike , why don’t you go make Sherry a cup of coffee ? ” Teresa asked .
“ Aye , aye , Captain . ” Michael spun around and darted toward the kitchen .
Sherry chuckled . “ Mike knows how to make coffee ? ”
Teresa beamed with pride . “ He makes it even better than I do ! He can even do latte art , you know . ”
“ Wow , Mike’s such a genius , ” Sherry said , impressed . “ He knows so much for such a little guy . ”
“ He gets it from his mom . That’s why he’s always been so sharp , ” Teresa said with a playful wink . “ By the way , Sherry , I need to ask you for a favor . ”
Teresa had been stressing about Michael’s preschool’s family sports day tomorrow . Being pregnant , there was no way she could do intense exercises . Teresa had been thinking about telling Ivy about having a child and asking for her help . Luckily , Sherry had shown up .
So , Teresa fibbed a little . “ I just got my period . And besides , I’ve never been the athletic type , you know ? I can’t do any running . ”
“ Say no more ,” Sherry said right away . “ I’ll swing
“ Thanks so much , Sherry , ” Teresa said gratefully.
tomorrow morning and be your stand – in . ”
“ I should be thanking you , Teresa . Thank you for not telling Mr. Lynn about Mike , ” Sherry said .
Worry flickered in her eyes , and she gave a small , bitter laugh . “ Otherwise , who knows what Mr. Lynn would do to Christian ? He’s already having a tough time . And his mom … ” Sherry sighed . “ I just don’t know how much longer she can hold on . ”
Teresa stayed quiet , her expression unreadable . Once Sherry had poured out everything , Teresa finally said , “ Just … don’t tell anyone else I’m here . And thanks for stepping in for me with Mike . ”
“ Come on , what are friends for ? Don’t you worry about a thing , ” Sherry said . “ I won’t tell a soul you’re in Everport . Not even Miriam . ”
Sherry didn’t stick around long and left soon after . Teresa tidied up the coffee table . Michael asked , “ Where’s my Children’s Day present , Mom ? ”
“ You’ll get it tomorrow morning . It’s a surprise , ” Teresa told him with a smile .
“ What kind of surprise ? ” Michael pressed , his eyes wide . “ Is it a toy car ? Or sneakers ? Or maybe roller skates ? ”
“ You’ll just have to guess , ” Teresa teased . “ Get to bed early tonight , and if you’re up with the sun , you’ll see what it is . ”
“ Okay , ” Michael said with a little sigh . With Teresa’s gentle voice tellin
him a bedtime story , Michael quickly drifted off to sleep .
After Michael was sound asleep , Teresa placed two gifts by his pillow , then tiptoed out , carefully closing the door behind her .
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Early the next morning , Michael woke up before seven . He stretched , spotted the gifts by his pillow , and grabbed them eagerly .
Teresa was up too . She opened his bedroom door and saw him playing with the toy car in his hands .
“ Happy Children’s Day , sweetheart, ” Teresa said , walking over to him ..
“ Mom , is this the surprise you were talking about ? ” Michael asked .