Cookies and Secrets

HAZEL

Daisy perches on the very edge of the couch, her little pink backpack wedged between her knees. She watches me with the cautious curiosity of a five-year-old who’s already learned that grown-ups can be unpredictable.

I smile gently, hoping I don’t look too awkward. One would think that despite being a mother of two, I wouldn’t be so intimidated by the thought of getting a little girl’