"This is the camera feed from our cabin by the lake."
Lake.
Her ears searched for any sound of water. Or the wind across the water.
No.
Not that.
She heard little noises.
Movement out of her sight.
"It's the place that Katie and I go to when we need some quiet around us. When we need a little less of the rush of city life."
Ruth nodded, understanding his words.
"It was our haven after Katie's mom passed away, a place to soothe our souls when we need some quiet." He let out a breath. "We can't get out there as much as we'd like, but the last time we were there I set up a camera where we could see the stars there at the cabin from here."
Ruth found herself drawn into the thousands upon thousands of stars on the screen.
With the sounds of the outdoors at the cabin quietly filling the room, she leaned in against Nick.
"Katie and I have been talking about taking you up there after the run of Nutcracker is over. There's a good chance of some chilly temperatures and maybe some snow. The pine trees surrounding the cabin make it smell like Christmas year-round."
Pine...
She liked that smell.
No, she loved that smell.
Turning her head, she pillowed her cheek on his chest and breathed in his scent.
She wasn't sure exactly when they fell asleep, but it was the best night's sleep she'd had in years, wrapped up in his embrace.
CHAPTER EIGHT
NICK
Katie wasn't an early riser.
There were moments when he felt like he was tempted to go down to his construction company's warehouse and get a few sticks of dynamite to wake his daughter up, but he resisted.
Barely.
So the morning after his date with Ruth, he wasn't expecting to wake up to the soft PING PING PING of text messages on his phone.
Cracking open an eye, he lifted the phone from the arm of the sofa and looked at her messages
KATIE: Well???
KATIE: You were supposed to give me details!
POUT EMOJI
KATIE: Okay, not any gross adult-like details, but you know that.
KATIE: Cuz that would be gross.
