“Here we go.” Somehow, Daniel managed to juggle the cake box and open the door for her.
A man of many talents, Holly thought as she climbed into the truck.
Daniel closed her door and rounded the hood, and she couldn’t help but watch him—the confident stride, the breadth of his shoulders beneath his coat, the careful way he placed Mina’s offerings in the back seat.
When he slid into the driver’s seat, the cab suddenly felt smaller, more intimate. The scent of him—cinnamon and yeast and something uniquely Daniel—filled her senses.
“Do we have any plans for this afternoon?” she asked, adjusting her seatbelt. “After we pick up the kids, I mean.”
Daniel turned the key, the engine rumbling to life. A small smile played at the corners of his mouth. “As a matter of fact, we do. But it’s a surprise.”
“A surprise?” Holly raised an eyebrow, curiosity piqued. “For the kids?”
“For all of you,” he said, pulling away from the curb.
The idea that he had planned something that included her made Holly’s heart skip. “Are you going to give me a hint?”
“Nope.” His grin widened as he navigated through town toward the elementary school. “You’ll have to wait and see.”
At the school, parents waited in clusters near the entrance, their breath forming clouds in the cold air. But this afternoon, she didn’t feel so nervous, so out of place as they entered the school building. Maybe it was the new clothes, or maybe it was because she felt more like she belonged after her day in thebakery. As if she were becoming more and more a part of the fabric of the Brooks family life.
And then Maisie and Teddy spotted them in the hallway. Their faces lit up with twin expressions of delight.
“Holly! Dad!” Teddy barreled toward them, nearly knocking into a teacher in his haste. “Youbothcame!”
“Careful, buddy,” Daniel laughed, catching his son in a one-armed hug.
Maisie approached more sedately, but her smile was just as bright. “Hi, Holly. Did you have fun at the bakery?”
“I did,” Holly said, touched that Maisie would ask. “It was so busy. And Mina taught me to make croissants.”
“Did you save us any?” Teddy asked, bouncing on his toes.
“Even better,” Daniel said. “Mina sent cupcakes.”
“Chocolate cupcakes!” Teddy’s eyes widened as he clapped his hands together. “This is the best day ever!”
Maisie nodded eagerly, her braids bouncing. “And when we get home, Holly’s going to help me decorate my cookies, remember?”
“I do,” Holly said as they made their way outside.
“But first we’re going sledding!” Teddy thrust his hands into the air.
Daniel glanced at Holly and chuckled. “And there goes my big reveal.”
“Yay! Sledding!” Maisie slipped her hand into Holly’s. “Do you like sledding?”
“It’s been a long time,” Holly said. “But I am up for the challenge.”
They drove a short distance to the edge of town, where a gentle hill rose pristine and untouched, its blanket of snowglittering in the afternoon sun. Daniel parked at the bottom and hopped out, lowering the tailgate to reveal three sleds nestled in the truck bed.
“Here we go.” Daniel hoisted the sleds from the truck bed with practiced ease, setting them on the packed snow. Before he could say another word, Teddy and Maisie grabbed the biggest one between them and took off, scrambling up the hill, their boots kicking up powdery clouds.
“Last one to the top is a rotten egg!” Teddy shouted over his shoulder.
Holly laughed and snagged one of the remaining sleds. “They don’t waste any time, do they?”
“Never have,” Daniel said, grabbing the last sled. He gestured toward the hill with a playful bow. “After you, unless you’re afraid of being the rotten egg.”
