The next day, Ms. Conway took Charlie and I to school. The whole day was pretty boring. My schedule was the exact same as Charlie's, which was pretty ironic and funny. Charlie stuck to my hip the whole day, he knew I was uncomfortable and in a foreign place. He sat with me at lunch and neglected his friends just to be with me, my shell was slowly starting to flake off as I became more comfortable throughout the day.

What was really disappointing, was the fact the teachers gave us a pile of homework. It was a Monday which was even worse. In our science class, I sat next to Charlie. Since we had already completed our in classwork, the two of us decided to work on our homework. Every now and again, Charlie would whisper to me if I could help him with one of the problems he was stuck on and vice versa with me.

Even though I only met Charlie yesterday, I feel a deeper connection with him. He was so cute, and dreamy, and everything else above, but I felt like a sister to him. Maybe, he even felt the same way. Charlie Conway was by far the nicest boy I had ever met in my life. His friends are nice but Charlie was just a kind courteous person at heart.

While walking through the hallway next to Charlie, going to our last class, I asked him the question I had embedded in my head, "Hey Charlie?" His head turned, hearing his name. "Do you think I'm like a sister to you? Because lately I've been getting family like sister vibes."

The blond with his red and black plaid hat gently smiled at my question, "Of course you're like a sister to me, Vic. I do have to admit, I did have a crush on ya when ya first arrived at our doorstep with your mom, but it just felt wrong, in a good way, ya know?"

My cheeks heated up knowing that Charlie had a crush on me, "Yeah, I felt the same way too. Besides, we're only children so it's obvious we're gonna attach to each other in a brotherly-sisterly bond."

"True."

I quickly glanced at my watch to check to see if we were running late, but to my surprise, we were five minutes early. Charlie, again, opened the door to the classroom for me since I had two textbooks in my hands. Charlie opened the door for me a lot today, his mother taught him well on how to be a gentleman.

The hour went by obscenely slow. I was so bored out by this teacher, I almost passed out if it wasn't for Charlie tapping my shoulder from behind me, since I sat in front of him in this class.

"Thanks," I whispered.

"Your welcome." He whispered back.

Earlier That Morning...

"Do you think I'll get the job?" Ms. Reed adjusted the suit coat she was wearing on her body.

"Why wouldn't you? Your a hard enough worker as it is." Ms. Conway said from in another room, doing the laundry.

"I don't know." Ms. Reed started, then walked out of the bathroom dressed in a velvet red suit coat, white blouse, black skirt, and heels. "I guess that's the nerves talking."

Ms. Conway closed the dryer door and went into the living room with a basket of warm dry clothes in her arms where Ms. Reed stood.

"If you don't get the job, then it's they're loss because you are a hard-working strong independent individual." She sat the basket of clothes down on the sofa next to Ms. Reed's purse and briefcase.

Ms. Reed smiled at Ms. Conway's uplifting compliment, "Thanks, Casey." Ms. Reed then grabbed her briefcase and purse before walking out the door to her car.

When she arrived at the building for her interview, she was 10 minutes early and the secretary at the front desk directed her on where to go. Then the secretary at her desk, outside her bosses office had directed her to go right in before she stepped inside, the secretary had called her boss, letting him know of Ms. Reed's presence.

Ms. Reed knocked on the wood doors before opening them to the office. Much to her surprise, it was big and had big glass windows at the back where a man sat as his desk looking outside.

The man then slowly turned in his chair to face her, smiling at her, "Hello Ms. Reed." He then stood from his chair. "Pleasure to meet you."

The two shook hands, "Pleasure to meet you too, Mr. Banks." She gave him a confident smile.

"Please sit." He gestured to the chair behind her. Ms. Reed unbuttoned her suit coat before sitting down and putting her briefcase next to her.

Mr. Banks folded his hands on his desk, leaning forward, "How was the travel over here?"

"Exhausting, but pleasant." Ms. Reed spoke honestly.

"I can imagine, coming all the way over here from Grand Rapids in what 9, 10 hours?"

"Eight, actually." She responded.

"Not too bad for eight hours but still exhausting." He paused for a moment. "Please tell me about yourself." He leaned back in his chair.

Ms. Reed then picked up her briefcase to get the resume out, "Here is my resume,"

"Thank you." He smiled and took the resume.

"Well, I am a widow. My late husband passed away a few winters ago, leaving me and my daughter-"

Mr. Banks cut Ms. Reed off out of curiosity, "You have a daughter?"

"Yes, Victoria. She's 13." Ms. Reed nodded her head. "She is energetic, open-minded, kind, attentive, competitive, and a protector."

"A protector?" Mr. Banks leaned forward again.

"Yes, when she was younger at her old school, she was bullied a lot. Whenever she sees come one else being put down she stops them and picks them back up. She says it's against her morals for people to bring each other down."

Mr. Banks chuckled in his chair, "She sounds like a hell of a daughter,"

"She is. She is a true God-given angel." Ms. Reed smiled.

"She'll have to meet up with my son someday." Mr. Banks pinched his nose for a second.

Ms. Reed raised her brow, "You have a son?"

"Oh yeah, two actually. My oldest one, Max, is in college off playing hockey for his school and my other son, Adam, plays for a hockey league here in Minneapolis." Mr. Banks fixed a picture frame of his family on his desk before going back to reading the resume.

"They sound like amazing kids." Ms. Reed smiled.

"Yeah, they sure are," his voice died down before he asked another question. "Did your daughter Victoria play any sports back at home?"

Ms. Reed frowned at the cheer subject, "Yes, she was the captain of her school's cheer team. Her competition was on Saturday to make districts."

"Oh, how unfortunate."

"Yes, very unfortunate." Ms. Reed nodded her head in disappointment.

"Well," Mr. Banks slapped down the resume on his desk. "I have come to the conclusion that I don't need to look any further," He paused dramatically. "You're hired." He smiled widely.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Banks." Ms. Reed smiled, standing in unison with Mr. Banks. The two then shook hands.

"You start tomorrow and we'll have your cubicle ready and waiting for you." He smiled and buttoned his suit coat back up.

Ms. Reed bent down to retrieve her briefcase then stood back up to button her suit coat. Mr. Banks kindly walked Ms. Reed out of his office before the two departed.

Ms. Reed went back to the apartment where Ms. Conway and the kids were making dinner, "Hey guys, I'm home!" She smiled.

"Hi, momma!" Victoria came running up to her mother, giving her a big hug. Charlie and Ms. Conway stood close by. "Did you get the job?" Victoria asked, looking up slightly at her mother.

Ms. Reed paused, looking at everyone around her, "I did!" Everyone clapped and cheered.

"That's wonderful!" Victoria gave her mother another hug.

"See I told you you would get the job!" Ms. Conway smiled with her hands together and a wide smile on her face.

"Thanks, Casey, for believing in me." Ms. Reed thanked her friend.

"It's not a problem. I had a strong feeling they wouldn't turn you away." Casey Conway smiled and wrapped an arm around Charlie's shoulder.

Charlie then looked at his mother, "Hey mom," Ms. Conway looked at her son with a 'hmm'. "Can Vic come to hockey practice with me?" His voice pleaded.

"Yeah, can I?" Victoria's face lit up with excitement, looking at her mom.

"Did you two finish your homework?" Ms. Conway asked and exchanged looks with the two kids.

"Yeah! We only had math to do when we got home. We mainly did all of our homework in school with our free time!" Victoria smiled proudly, placing her hands on her hips.

"Alright," Ms. Conway nodded. "Let's hustle then so your not late."

"YES!" Victoria and Charlie said in unison, high-fiving each other before running to the kitchen to set the dinner table.

The four all ate dinner together, Charlie and Victoria scarfed down they're food before running into they're shared bedroom.

Charlie dug through is hockey bag to get out the old clothes and put into the laundry basket only to realize his skates weren't there, "Ugh, where are my skates?"

"Aren't they supposed to be in your bag?" Victoria asked, standing closely behind Charlie.

"Yes but they're not here!" Charlie furrowed his brows in frustration.

"Well, where did ya last put them?"

Charlie scoffed before looking at her, "Ya never know with me. They could be anywhere."

Victoria kindly started looking around for the lost pair of skates. Charlie looked on his half of the room, while Victoria did the same on her half of the room. Charlie dived headfirst into his closet and started throwing clothes out to try and find his skates. Victoria had no luck on her half of the room.

She got down on her hands and knees, crawled over to her bed, and took a peek underneath, "Ah-ha!" She reached her arm under the bed and grabbed the skates that were tied together by the worn-out laces. Charlie jumped up and ran over to Victoria, who stood back up, giving Charlie his skates.

"See, I told you. They could be anywhere." Charlie took his skates and put them back in his bag. Victoria laughed and sat down on her bed which was now covered by a teal comforter with white daisies and a quilt folded neatly at the foot of the bed. Charlie went back and forth in his room, putting clothes and his equipment in his bag. Victoria spaced out for a moment staring at her hands in her lap.

"Hey Vic, think fast!" Charlie threw his hockey stick at Victoria who snapped out of her own world and caught the stick with one hand. Charlie chuckled before putting more of his equipment in his bag. "You really do think fast."

"Like a cat," Victoria added while pointing at Charlie.

"Yes," He slung his hockey bag over his shoulder and his skates around his neck. "Like a cat. Now come on we're gonna be late." Charlie waited for Victoria to get up off her bed and walk out of the room.

Ms. Conway drove Charlie and Victoria to hockey practice and told them what time they would pick the two up at.

"I'll pick you two up after practice, k?" She smiled from inside her car.

"Yup, thanks mom." Charlie adjusted the strap of his hockey bag on his shoulder.

Ms. Conway scrunched her lips and blew Charlie a kiss, "Love you."

"Bye, thanks, Ms. Conway!"

Charlie and Victoria walked shoulder to shoulder over to the ice pond. Victoria had Charlie's hockey stick over her other shoulder.

"Hey, Charlie!" A voice called out, they waved their hand in the air from the makeshift ice rink where there was a group of people gathered on the ice.