She loved that he didn’t dismiss their fairy house as silly or childish. Instead, he embraced it and more, was ready to take part in the make-believe.
“I’ll help you carry everything out,” she offered. “We don’t want to keep the fairies waiting.”
“No, we do not,” Matt said, his tone all serious in the best possible way.
They ate in the dappled sunlight, the fairy house standing proudly (if somewhat precariously) nearby. The girls couldbarely contain their excitement as they finished their breakfast, eager to present their creation.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Aria announced with theatrical flair once the last bite had been eaten, “may I present the official fairy house of this beautiful garden!”
Tessa glanced at Matt as he sat enraptured by the show.
“The fairy queen has inspected it,” Lucy added solemnly, “and she approves.”
The three adults erupted in applause and cheers.
“Well, if the fairy queen approves, it must be excellent construction,” Matt said, his tone solemn though his eyes crinkled at the corners.
The girls beamed with pride, and Tessa felt a lightness bubble up inside her—a sensation so foreign that it took her a moment to recognize it as simple joy. It had been so long since she’d felt this kind of uncomplicated happiness. It reminded her of summers with Rachel when they were young, before life had grown complicated, before loss and responsibility had weighed her down.
Those childhood summers had felt endless, filled with laughter that came easily, not the carefully rationed kind she’d grown used to as an adult. This morning had that same quality—a bubble of time outside of real life, where happiness wasn’t something you earned through sacrifice but simply existed, available for the taking.
The realization brought a bittersweet ache with it. This wasn’t her life. These weren’t her children. And Matt... Matt wasn’t hers either, no matter how right it felt to move around a kitchen with him, to share these small domestic moments.
As if summoned by her thoughts, Matt glanced at his watch and sighed. “I should probably head out. Restaurant won’t open itself.”
The spell wobbled, reality intruding on their makeshift morning idyll. The girls immediately protested, but Matt was firm, though gentle.
“Thank you for allowing me the honor of helping build a house for the fairies,” he told them with perfect seriousness. “I hope I can help some more next time I visit.”
Next time. The words echoed in her mind as Tessa rose to walk him out, unable to stop herself from prolonging their time together even by these few minutes.
At the gate that separated Rachel’s front yard from the sidewalk, they paused. Matt turned to face her, and they stood a fraction too close, their bodies doing that strange synchronized sway, as if some invisible force were pulling them toward each other even as they both tried to fight it.
Tessa felt a shy smile tugging at her lips before she could stop it. It was ridiculous how this man affected her after just one day. She stood there, caught in his gaze as Matt’s eyes traced her features with such intensity that she felt he was committing every detail to memory—the curve of her cheek, the shape of her mouth, the way the morning light caught in her hair.
For a heartbeat, she thought he might lean down, might close that small distance between them. Her breath caught in her throat.
Instead, Matt took a deliberate step backward, his hands sliding into his pockets as if to keep them from reaching for her.
“I’ll see you at the restaurant,” he said, his voice deeper than before. “Noon shift, right?”
“Right,” Tessa managed, her own voice sounding strange to her ears. “I’ll be there.”
“I know you will.” He nodded once, turned, and walked away toward town. Tessa remained at the gate, watching his retreating back, the breadth of his shoulders, the confident stride. She stayed there longer than necessary, until he disappeared around the corner, taking with him that strange magnetism that had kept her anchored in place.
When she finally turned back toward the house, she found Rachel watching her from the porch, a knowing smile playing on her lips.
Tessa shook her head firmly as she approached, silently communicating,don’t even startas she climbed the steps.
Rachel’s smile only widened, and suddenly they were both laughing—quiet, conspiratorial laughter that bubbled up from somewhere deep inside, releasing the tension Tessa hadn’t even realized she’d been holding. It felt like relief, like breathing freely after holding her breath for too long.
“What’s funny?” Aria demanded, appearing at the screen door with Lucy close behind her. “Are you laughing at our fairy house?”
“No, sweetie,” Rachel assured her daughter. “Your fairy house is perfect.”
“Then why are you laughing?” Lucy asked, her small face scrunched with suspicion.
Longing stirred within her. How could she possibly explain to these children that she was laughing because she was already counting the hours until she would see Matt again?
