“Hi, Tillie.” Sophie turned to wave her over but nearly lost the top scoop of her ice cream when she spotted Denver strolling beside her. She did her best to smile, but fear that she may be blushing tugged at her.Thanks, Cadence.
“Denver!” Caroline kicked her little legs faster, unable to touch the ground unless she scooted forward. “I got class helper!” She lifted her melting cone in display. “It’s moose tracks!”
“What are the Grants up to?” Sophie asked, raising an eyebrow for Denver’s sake. She wondered if he’d hit his word count. He made a lofty goal before they parted ways, and even if he shut the internet off for those few hours, Sophie wasn’t convinced he’d reached it yet.
“Since Ryder’s on duty, Mom dragged me away from Malcom to make a trip to the lumberyard,” Denver explained.
“Lumberyard?”
“We’re making a parade float! Isn’t that wonderful?”
In surprise, Sophie’s gaze snapped to Tillie. “I didn’t know you were putting together a float. That’s a big undertaking.” The festival was a week from Saturday. That didn’t leave a lot of time to build one.
“You are?” Caroline’s eyes sparkled with awe. Had Denver not swooped in for the save, the girl would’ve lost the remainder of her ice cream cone. Sophie mouthed a silentthank you.
“We sure are! How would you and your mom like to help with building a parade float?”
Sophie flashed back to the one parade they’d gone to in Hawaii. It was after they moved out and into a rickety studio apartment. Blake thought parades were beneath their status, but Caroline loved absolutely every minute and been hooked ever since. She actually cried when the Moose Days Festival parade ended last year. Sophie was still working on forgiving herself for how blind she was to everything while married to Blake.
Those things were sorely obvious now, but back then, they were merely part of life. She’d been complacent.Soblind.
With her insatiable curiosity, Caroline all but forgot about her ice cream cone. Sophie took it from her sticky little fingers for safekeeping. “What kind of float?” Caroline asked.
“Why, a moose one of course! Thought we might make one in Ed’s honor.”
Caroline kicked her legs so quickly they rocked the bench. “Really? That’s sooo cool. Mom, can we help? Pleeease?”
“It’s going to be quite something,” Denver added, drawing Sophie’s gaze to him.
She wanted to turn down Tillie’s offer, and had the woman asked without Caroline already sucked into the excitement, maybe she could’ve come up with a valid excuse. But if the only reason Sophie said no was to avoid Denver, well, that was a pretty crappy reason. She had responsibilities and a race to prepare for, but she made herself a promise when she decided Sunset Ridge was their new home: she would always make time for the things that excited her daughter.
“Can we do it, Mom? Pleeease?” Caroline begged with all the dramatics of a soon-to-be six-year-old girl.
“We could use your help.” Denver slipped an arm around Tillie and squeezed. “Mom didn’t really plan ahead for this one.” The top of her head barely reached his shoulder, but she looked even tinier next to him.Those muscles. . .
“We have exactly twelve days to produce a winning float. That’splentyof time,” Tillie said with an air of seriousness and pride as she hugged her son back. Slipping out of his embrace, she adjusted her purple cat-eye glasses. “But we could use some extra hands.”
“Do it for Malcom?”
Sophie let out a reflexive laugh at Denver’s tactic, and for a moment she forgot all about those odd, pesky feelings. Though the toned, muscular arms in that T-shirt were harder to ignore. Still, for a beat, they felt like just friends again. “Okay, we’ll help.” But the moment was fleeting, disrupted when Denver reached over her shoulder to swat away a mosquito and brushed her bare skin. The featherlight contact sent shivers clear to her fingertips.
“Good, good! I’m glad that’s all settled.” Tillie clapped her hands together. “Come along, Denver. We need to get the wood home.”
“It’ll be a few days,” Denver added.
Sophie couldn’t seem to look him in the eyes. Maybe the answer was to wear turtlenecks and gloves. Their skin couldn’t accidentally touch if hers was completely covered. “Just let us know.”
“Maybe this weekend. We’re still working out the design.”
If it wasn’t for the glow of excitement in Caroline’s eyes, Sophie would regret agreeing to spend more time with Denver.This is for Caroline. That’s all.
“Bye, Tillie! Bye, Denver!” Caroline took back her ice cream cone, returning to it as if she’d never stopped.
