“Goodnight, Winter.”
I ended the call and totally would’ve hugged my phone if two sleeping kittens weren’t on my chest.
Ro poked her head in. “Everything okay?”
“It is now,” I said with a smile. “He had a bad day and wasn’t sure how to talk about it. Or if he should talk about it at all. I think he didn’t want to bother me with it.” I sighed. “He’s such a gentle soul. He had a customer’s dog die today.”
“Oh no,” she murmured.
“And it wasn’t even the death of the dog that upset him. It was how upset the customer was. It was an elderly lady. He struggles dealing with heavy emotional stuff.”
Ro frowned. “Is he okay now?”
“Yes, we talked and he was smiling in the end. And I told him I’d go with him to check on his customer. We’ll take some Christmas cookies and have a cup of coffee with her.”
“Oh, that’s really sweet, Win.”
“I’m glad you think so because I was hoping you could mind the store while I go with him. It won’t be for long. An hour max.”
She pretended to be put out for half a second before she smiled. “Of course.”
“He’s the sweetest guy I’ve ever met,” I said simply.
Ro’s smile was warm and maybe a little proud. “You’re a good one, Winter Atkins.”
“I had the best role model,” I said, giving her a pointed look.
She got a little teary, but she fanned her hand in front of her face. “Don’t you make me cry. I just put my night cream all over my face, and that stuff isexpensive.”
I laughed. “I’m gonna put these two to bed. Can I get you anything before I turn in?”
“No, I’m fine. Get some sleep.”
I yawned right on cue. “I plan to. The sooner I sleep, the sooner I get Deacon’s poem text in the morning.”
She snorted. “You sound like a kid going to sleep early on Christmas Eve, thinking it will make Santa come quicker.”
“It totally does. And anyway, my eight a.m. poem is way better than Santa. I get this every day, not once a year, and it’s poetry. About how he’s feeling, or what he’s thinking. It tells me more about him than he ever could, and I think tomorrow’s is going to be the best yet.”
I wasn’t wrong, and I wasn’t disappointed.
“My heart is stronger now you’re in it.”
Ghibli. He’d gone and quotedThe Secret World of Arrietyby Studio Ghibli and fixed himself a permanent place in my heart.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
DEACON
I’d spentmost of the morning overthinking a lot of things. Dad assumed it was about Mrs. Stevens, and although he wasn’t entirely wrong, I didn’t correct him.
Yesterday had not been a good day.
For the most part, I’d managed to keep it all in check while Mrs. Stevens was there. Dad knew though; he always did.
Highly emotive scenes had never been great for me. Emotions made people unpredictable and that always made me anxious, and when emotions were already running high in stressful situations, having me add to that was never ideal.
Dad said he was certain Mrs. Stevens hadn’t even noticed that I’d needed to leave. He’d taken her into his examination room for some privacy while he consoled her, and I dealt with her beloved dog.
