“I believe he did.”
“How does he look?”
“He looks good.”
Britt enjoyed dating and was extremely popular with, well, just about every available man in the county. Her relationships usually broke down after a few months, though. It was perfectly obvious to Maddie that Britt hadn’t settled down long term because none of her boyfriends had been The One. Britt’s friend Zander was very clearly The One for her, in everyone’s opinion except Britt’s.
When Zander returned to town . . . if Zander returned to town . . . Maddie had high hopes that the two of them would finally find their happy ending together.
“Keep your sights off Kurt for now,” Maddie said. “I’d like to keep him in my back pocket as a maybe.”
“There’s no reason to keep him in your back pocket as a maybe, Maddie. Your destiny lies with Leo Donnelly.”
On December seventeenth, Maddie and Leo met to shop for clothing for Kim’s daughters.
Leo held up a conservative children’s turtleneck and jumper. “How about this?”
Maddie’s eyebrows sailed up. “Um . . . no,” she said kindly.
“No?” He glanced at the jumper then back at Maddie. The gold tones in his hair shone beneath the store’s lights.
“Nope. That outfit, while a very worthy suggestion, reminds me of a school uniform from the year 1978. Kim’s girls struck me as liking clothes a little more sparkly and modern.”
Leo hung the jumper back on its track and gave her a charmingly tilted smile. “I can pick out boy’s clothing, but I’m hopeless with female fashions.”
The last thing she wanted was to scare him away from today’s shopping expedition. The fun of this outing would vanish like smoke if he were to leave her here alone. “Be that as it may, I require the pleasure of your company as I choose female fashions.”
“You do?”
“I do. Also, you’re handy. If you weren’t here, who would push the shopping cart?”
She refrained from saying that she loved the way he subconsciously tapped out a rhythm on the bar of the cart with his thumbs.
She loved how, unlike many men his age, he almost never checked his phone.
She loved the way his soap smelled like leather and spice.
She loved his capable hands. His solemn profile. And the faint, grave lines sorrow had chiseled across his forehead.
On December eighteenth, Maddie and Leo met to shop for toys.
They bought board games. Books. Barbies. Barbie clothes. Art supplies. Athletic equipment. Stocking stuffers. And one big gift for each girl—a dollhouse for Victoria and a mini motorized car for Samantha.
“What do you think, Leo?” Maddie asked as they stood in the toy aisle, observing the jumbo-sized boxes containing motorized cars.
Leo started. His upper arm and elbow were propped on one of the racks, but he hadn’t been looking at the toy car selection.He’d been busy watching Maddie. He was having a hard time taking his eyes off her, in fact.
Maddie was so . . . alive. Not half-alive, which is how he’d felt since Olivia’s death. But fully alive. Maddie Winslow waslivingher life.
“Should we go with the pink Jeep?” she asked. “Or the pink convertible?”
“The Jeep, of course. This is the Pacific Northwest. Every girl needs a Jeep so she can go off-roading in the mountains.”
“A valid point if ever there was one.”
“Do you think I should buy one of these for Charlie for Christmas? This one, maybe?” He nudged a camo-sided car with his shoe.
“Is three the legal driving age for miniature cars?”
