“Dasher?”Ellie’s voice was soft, surprised.She pulled the door open a little more, revealing that familiar pink fleece robe and a messy topknot he remembered from a lifetime ago.
He felt a ridiculous rush of something warm in his chest.
“I brought reinforcements,” he said, lifting the coffee tray in a mock toast.“Thought you might need them after last night.”
Her mouth curved, just slightly.“You always did know how to bribe me.”
“And you always fell for it,” he added.
She rolled her eyes but opened the door wider.“Get in here before you freeze.”
He stepped inside, the warmth of the house wrapping around him instantly.The scent of pine and sugar lingered in the air, along with something distinctly Ellie—vanilla and clean laundry and faint citrus from the hand soap she always liked.
“Kitchen?”he asked, already moving toward it.She followed, closing the door behind them.
Maddy wasn’t in sight, but there was a bowl of half-eaten cereal on the table, and a pink unicorn slipper peeking out from under the couch.Evidence of a tiny whirlwind always present.
“She’s brushing her teeth,” Ellie offered.“You might get roped into helping with a braid.Just a warning.”
Dasher snorted.“I’ve braided cables and fixed spark plugs in snowstorms.I think I can handle a five-year-old’s hair.”
Ellie arched a brow.“She’s six.And good luck.She has opinions.”
“Like mother, like daughter,” he pointed out.
She really laughed at that and Dasher felt that stupid warmth expand.
They sat at the kitchen table, steam rising from the coffee cups.He handed her a pastry, and for a while, they didn’t say much.Just ate.Just existed in the same room.It was nice, but the quiet between them had weight.The kind that came from unfinished sentences.Almosts.Memories.
“So,” she said finally, brushing crumbs from her lap.“I might need your help.”
Dasher blinked, startled.“With what?”
“There’s a wholesaler about an hour out of town,” she said, reaching for her planner from the side counter.She flipped to a flagged page, then turned it toward him.“One of the businesses that usually donates toys had to back out last-minute.I managed to get a good deal on clearance inventory, but I need to pick it up before they move it to storage next week.”
He looked at the page.Her tidy handwriting.Her checkboxes.Her highlighted priorities.
“You want me to drive you?”he asked.
“I need someone with a truck,” she said, lips twitching.“And someone who won’t let me overspend on glitter glue and tiny plush penguins.”
He leaned back in his chair.“Are you saying I have restraint?”
“I’m saying you’re mildly intimidating and surprisingly budget-conscious.”
He grinned.“You do remember me.”
She shook her head, but her eyes were soft.“So, will you come?”
He didn’t even hesitate.“Yeah.I’m in,” he said.
A small silence followed.The kind that danced on the edge of thealmostfrom last night.
“I wasn’t sure you’d come by today,” Ellie said, almost absently.She took a sip of coffee, not quite meeting his eyes.
Dasher cleared his throat.“I wasn’t sure either.”
“But here you are.”
