“Now, she might be busy,” he warned the kids. “And if she is, we’ll just take this pizza right home and visit with her another day.”
“Okay,” Travis said.
“Can I knock now?” Mae asked.
“Sure,” Ransom told her, trying not to smile at her enthusiasm.
Mae gave a nice, hard knock and a moment later the door opened to reveal Hailey.
She wore jeans and a t-shirt and her golden hair was up in a ponytail with soft tendrils falling down aroundher shoulders. When her blue eyes met his, they lit up prettier than any of the Christmas lights on the shops in town.
“Hey, guys,” she said happily to the kids. “It’s so nice to see you.”
“We brought you a pizza,” Mae said excitedly.
“This is my favorite type of visit,” Hailey said. “Come on in. Hopefully, you can stay and help me eat it.”
“Yes,”Travis told her. “Definitely.”
“Uh, where are the dogs?” she asked.
“They’re at home,” Ransom told her right away. “Don’t worry, they won’t be joining us.”
She gave him a sheepish smile of relief, and he felt his heart throb helplessly.
What am I doing here?
“Here you go,” he told her, handing over the box. “I have something else for you in the truck.”
“Oh wow,” she said. “You didn’t have to do anything for me.”
“It’s my pleasure,” he told her, his voice sounding gruffer than he meant it to.
He welcomed a moment alone outside in the cool air while she led the kids into the house.
Go easy,he warned himself.You’re just trying to be friends again…
But it was going to be hard to be just friends when the sight of her sent his heart thundering.
He grabbed the first box of paint cans and carried it up to the porch, grateful for the chance to do something physical instead of so much thinking and feeling.
By the time all his purchases were safely stacked onthe porch, his blood was pumping and the nervous energy that had been buzzing in his chest was calmed.
He headed inside and was welcomed by the sound of the kids’ laughter.
Following it to the kitchen, it was hard not to feel a little nostalgia. After all, that room was where he and his mom and sister had shared a lot of laughter over the years.
“Wow, look at that amazing cheese-stretch,” Hailey was saying as she pulled a slice of pizza from the box and put it on Mae’s plate.
“Cheeeeeeese-stretch,” Mae echoed, giggling.
“Is that a real thing?” Travis asked as Ransom stepped into the kitchen.
“I’m not sure,” Hailey said, handing him a plate with the next slice. “But I think it’s useful to say. Like,This pizza has an excellent cheese-stretch.”
“How does it compare to New York style pizza?” Ransom asked her. He knew every region thought their pizza was best, but he’d always been convinced that Pennsylvania, with its large Italian population,hadto have the best pizza.
“I have literally no idea,” Hailey said sadly. “I never had a single slice of pizza while I was there.”
