"Yet you do most mornings," Maddox muttered, and I couldn't help but giggle.
He dispensed the whipped cream over her pancakes so that it formed a swirl. Then Sofia sprinkled chocolate chips on top.
Maddox nudged a bowl of cut-up strawberries toward Sofia's plate.
Sofia lifted her fork to cut into the stack.
"Coffee?" Maddox asked me.
"Yes, please." I grabbed a plate, stacking it with a little of everything. "I love breakfast at your house."
"You should come more often," Sofia suggested.
I cut into my egg and then asked, "What are you guys doing today?"
"I'm sure we'll stop by the light trail tonight again. Sofia enjoyed working it."
I nodded at the memory. "It was so much fun."
He gave me a pointed look. "I have a feeling we'll be busier tonight."
"We should go shopping for Christmas," Sofia said between bites, her lips covered in chocolate and whipped cream.
"We should go to Christmas Town first," Maddox agreed, piling his plate high with food.
Sofia nodded. "They have a lot of cool stores."
I smiled. "She's right. It is really cool."
"We can go there," Maddox said.
Conversation turned to Sofia's holiday concert at school. Breakfast with them beat eating alone at my tiny table.
My phone buzzed. "This is Angela. She owns the ling—" I glanced over at Sofia who was listening intently. "One of the shops in town. I'd better take this."
Maddox pointed down the hallway. "You can take it in my office."
I ducked into the room across from the guest room I'd stayed in before. I barely registered the dark paneling before answering the call. "Hello."
"Eve? There's a problem." Angela's voice was panicked.
My stomach lurched. "What happened?"
"There's a leak in my shop."
"What do you mean?" I asked as my heart pounded harder.
"I was trying on a new product in the dressing room?—"
I bet that was a nice perk of her job, pretty lingerie at her fingertips.
"When water seeped under the door," Angela said as if she still couldn't believe it.
"Did you call Hudson?" He was the Sterling brother that was on call for plumbing concerns.
"He's here already."
"Can I talk to him?" I asked, not sure what I should do in this situation.
