“Yup,” I answer, feeling vindicated. I’m not even thinking about the fact that Maude’s thrown down the gauntlet. Or that the girl across the room who hates clones has just been shown up by one, in front of the entire school. I’m not thinking about that—but I should be.

Ollie snags his mom after breakfast. She hugs both of us, and when I’m in her arms, I notice how much stronger she’s grown, even since the summer.

“Hi, kids.” She smiles, resting a hand on Ollie’s shoulder. “This is going to be fun, isn’t it?”

“Way to cramp your son’s style during his senior year of high school,” Ollie mutters. “You realize I’m the only kid at boarding school, probably ever, to have his mommy there with him?” Ollie crosses his arms over his chest like a petulant child, but I know, deep down, that he doesn’t mind. And after the year he’s had—she’ll be a built-in support system for him.

“Sorry.” She shrugs, but her eyes are shining, and she looks so happy, it’s hard for me not to smile too. “Couldn’t help myself. When word got around that a temporary head was needed, I jumped on the chance.”

“And Chloe and Lucy?” Ollie asks.

“Your sisters and I are going to try our hand at Vermont living,” Jane says as she starts to walk toward the exit. Ollie and I follow her steps outside to a wooded path. “I’ve enrolled the twins in a local school, and we’ve rented a cottage a few miles from here. It’ll be an adventure, won’t it?”

“But what about—”

“Booker will fly in when he can. He doesn’t mind, honey. Coming here will be a nice break from everything he’s dealing with.” I know she means Ward, Inc. and the disaster that is Gravelle’s influence over their family’s company. “After you graduate, we’ll go home. It’ll be easier this way. Over fall break, I’m taking you on an East Coast college tour. NYU. Vassar. Cornell. Emerson. BU. Emma—you’re welcome to come along, if you’d like?” We’ve stopped walking and are standing by the shore of Dark Lake, staring out at its opaque waters. Ollie looks thoughtful. Pensive, I guess.

“Thanks,” I answer quickly. “But I need to use the time off to work on my college apps.” I leave mother and son to catch up, sprinting back down the path to my dorm room. I feel a lightness in my chest that’s been missing since I returned to school. I know it’s because of Jane’s unexpected arrival. Before Ollie died—before we thought he died, anyway—Jane had always filled some small portion of the hole left in my heart by my mother’s absence. That hole feels a little less gaping now.