WHICH MAN STAYS?
"That's a lot of foxes."
"Apparently."
They carried the boxes inside, stacking them against the studio wall like a fort of possibility. Maya opened the first one, the familiar smell of fresh ink and paper rising to meet her like an old friend. The cover was even more beautiful than she'd remembered—the little fox, rendered in soft watercolors, peeking out from its hollow log, its eyes bright with cautious hope.
Leo, home from school, immediately claimed a copy for himself. "I'm going to read it to my whole class," he announced, clutching it to his chest. "Miss Patterson said I could."