She spun until her dress billowed up around her. “That’s what I said, silly. My favorite song is ‘Dreams.’ Do you dream, Just Jake?”
I was exhausted simply trying to follow this conversation. The most unsurprising part of it would be that Ivy’s daughter would love Fleetwood Mac. I mean, Ivy could be Stevie Nicks’s love child, or at least they could share a wardrobe. I clicked Play on the greatest hits.
“Yeah, peanut, I dream. You ready to make some hot chocolate?”
“And mellows!”
“Heck yeah, can’t forget those mellows.” I moved to my cabinets and grabbed some hot chocolate mix that Sully had given me. Seems his grandma used to make it all the time. I’d been using it in my coffee for what Sully called a redneck mocha. Damn good stuff. I grabbed the marshmallows—sorry,mellows—the electric teakettle, and three mugs. I filled up the kettle and switched it on. I looked to Addie and worked to school my smile. She was swaying around Chief, who just sat still, looking at me, seeming a bit overwhelmed.
I see you, Chief.I see you.
“Addie, do you want to dance or sit up here to help?”
“Help, help!” she said, bouncing on her little feet.
“Can I pick you up?”
“Yep!” she said as she spun again. I wondered if Ivy had the kid in dance. Seemed like a natural fit. Thinking back to Ivy, I glanced up, wondering if she’d followed us in here. Nope. Maybe she was snooping around the house. Wouldn’t shock me.
Giving Addie a spoon, I directed her to put a spoonful in each cup as I waited for the water to heat. Watching her, I guessed that these beverages would be extra chocolatey. Worked for me. I turned off the kettle before it heated all the way up. If Addie was like my nieces, she wouldn’t want it too hot. Pouring it in, I then set the kettle down and helped her stir the mixture. We grabbed a few mellows for each one.
“Mine isn’t all the way to the tippy top, Just Jake,” Addie pointed out.
“We can make more, peanut. This way it won’t spill so easy,” I said, sliding her to the floor and hooking the three mugs on my fingers to carry them into the living room.
“Good idea. I spill sometimes,” Addie said quietly.
“We all do, kiddo. No biggie. Want to go give some hot chocolate to your mom?” I nodded toward the living room.
“And mellows!” Addie said as she started running toward the living room.
Following her, I heard Chief behind me. We got about three steps out of the kitchen before Addie came flying back toward me.
“Shhhhhhh, Just Jake and Chief. Momma’s asleep!”
Wow, that was fast. “Okay,” I whispered. “Let me check on her.”
We moved like a little train with me in the front, Addie in the middle, and Chief bringing up the rear. Addie grabbed my leg around my quad and whispered, “See?”
Sure enough, Ivy was curled up on the couch, and damn it all, she was a vision. She’d let her hair down; blond curls flowed over the pillow. I took a deep breath, noting that my heart was thudding. Yeah, I could get used to seeing this woman napping on my couch, her kid entertaining me in the kitchen. But I wasn’t going there, not with her, not with anyone, right? Still, she still looked cold. I put the mugs down on the coffee table with a glance to Chief that had his butt hitting the floor. I grabbed a throw from under the coffee table and put it over her, tucking it in around her arms. Turning back to Addie and Chief, I grabbed our mugs.
“Addie, how do you feel about cartoons?”
Her little jazz hands shot to the sky.
3
Surprise Sleepovers
Ivy
I woke up in a fog. Dang, that was a hard nap. Glancing around, I had a moment of confusion until I saw a glimpse of Addie’s purple coat on the hall bench by the front door. That’s right, Jake’s house. Tossing the blanket to the side, I paused. I didn’t remember a blanket, just a feeling of sheer exhaustion from the work of opening a small business seven months ago, keeping up with a four-year-old, and dealing with a freak November snowstorm. Being a single mom was hard but worth it.
Speaking of being a mom, I went off to look for my kid.
First, I hit the kitchen. I saw signs that Addie had been here, namely a dusting of hot chocolate mix on the counter, open bag of marshmallows, and a teakettle. Seems like they’d had their hot chocolate celebration. I wondered if Addie convinced Jake to have a dance party? I chuckled. Surely Jake needed me to relieve him. Most thirtysomething-year-old guys didn’t want to spend their afternoons with a four-year-old.
Before continuing my journey, I glanced out the window. It appeared the snow had stopped. That was good, at least. I saw my Jeep was in Jake’s drive. Hmm. How’d he move it with Addie in tow?
