“Take off the wrapper,” Dove said excitedly.
“Do it carefully because we would all be very sad if you dropped your cupcake,” Dalton advised her.
Ella watched as Dove carefully peeled off the paper. It took her a couple of tries and it ripped at one point. But she managed to get it off without dropping the cupcake. And she only got a minimal amount of frosting on her hands.
“Now what?” Dalton asked.
“I pull the bottom right off,” Dove said.
“Yup,” Dalton said. “Slow and steady wins the race.”
“What does that mean?” Dove asked.
“It means going slowly and carefully is better than going fast,” Dalton told her.
“Not in a race,” Dove said, frowning.
“Don’t you remember the story about the turtle and the hare?” Dalton asked.
“Oh, yeah,” Dove said, brightening.
“So be careful, like the turtle,” Dalton said.
“So I don’t drop my cupcake,” Dove finished for him.
“You have a bright daughter, Ella,” Dalton said. “Sharp as a tack.”
But being compared to a tack made Dovegiggle again.
Ella watched as her daughter managed to remove the bottom of the cupcake and then stick it on top of the frosting without being reminded.
“Cupcake sandwich,” Dove said triumphantly.
Dalton nodded to her and she puffed up with pride.
It hit Ella that Dove had never had the opportunity to be silly with her dad. She didn’t even remember him. And even though her grandpa was amazing, a grandpa just wasn’t the same as a dad.
Is this what it would have been like?
Her mind took her back through the week. She’d caught Dalton telling Dove silly knock-knock jokes more than once, and bringing home funny looking sweet potatoes for her at dinner, and telling her made-up stories about them.
“Now is the real challenge, Dove,” Dalton said, drawing Ella’s mind back to the present. “Now is when we see if you can open your mouth wide enough to take a bite.”
But Dove was already taking a big bite of cupcake.
“Itsh-sho-gooooood,”she said with her mouth full. Her cheeks were rounded out like a chipmunk’s, and her brown eyes danced with glee.
“Dove,” Ella said gently, trying not to laugh. “Remember not to talk with your mouth full.”
“Sh-orry, Mama,”Dove replied, still smiling around her bite.
Ella laughed and Dalton turned to her.
“Your turn, Ella,” he said.
“Oh, I don’t need to do that,” she said. “I was just going to bring mine home and share it with my parents.”
“What?”Dalton said, pretending to be horrified. “The bakery ladyspecificallygave Dove two free cupcakes for you and me. You can’t save it and you can’t share it. It’s a gift.”
