All business, my little lady.
I chuckle at her and pull on my coat. We slip out the front door and I pull it shut. Crunching our way over the snow, weload into the pickup truck, and I fire her up. Two minutes later, we’re pulling into the Village Store. Maise is out of the truck before I can kill the engine.
I follow her in as she strides around the small shop, hunting for batteries.
She has them in her hand by the time I find my few items—bread, milk, and eggs.
“Found them, Daddy. You good?” she says, gaze landing on the items in my hands as we round the end of the aisle.
“Someone’s in a hurry to get those ligh?—”
I slam into something soft and fragrant.
Maise gasps.
Something hits the floor, a wet sound following...
I look down to find a fluster of wavy dark hair awash over?—
She’s squatting, cursing under her breath.
Celeste.
Just our luck.
It didn’t take long for the small-town grapevine to be overwhelmed by talk of the prodigal daughter who returned home to her ailing father. And with a few strategic vague questions to my crew, mainly Caleb, I got all I need to know about Celeste Black.
Maise lowers to her knees, trying to help contain the mess of juice and... Is that a to-go coffee?
I shelve my items and squat. “Ah, sorry about that.”
Her brown eyes flick up, narrowing when she recognizes me.
“Maybe you should watch where you’re going?” she retorts.
“I was.”
She huffs a breath. “Apparently not.”
The store staff appears with paper towels and a mop and bucket a heartbeat later, and the three of us step back, letting them clear up the mess. But now my items are stranded on the shelf where I left them.
We’ll have to wait.
“You live next door to us,” Maise says with a beaming smile.
Celeste drops her gaze to my daughter’s happy face. “That’s right.”
“Did you want to come over? We’re lighting the tree.”
“On fire?” she says with a smirk.
Maisey cocks a hip. “No, with lights.”
I’ve never been prouder. My girl has sass that could take down a marine.
Celeste fights a smile. Maybe there’s a reasonable woman in there somewhere...
“Yeah, no, Maise. We should get back.”
