“Oh, nothing,” he said. “It’s not my place.”
“Please,” she said, placing a hand on his arm. “If you have insights, I want to hear them. I know you care about her, and you probably have more perspective on her situation than I do.”
“I was going to say she could use a brother or sister,” he muttered. “But I didn’t mean… you know. I’m not trying to say... anything at all. It just popped into my head.”
He was clearly terrified that she would think he was overstepping. And for some reason his unexpected awkwardness forced a laugh out of her.
Dalton’s eyes widened slightly, and then he was laughing too.
“What’s going on?” Dove asked suspiciously as she rejoined them.
“Oh, Dalton was just being silly,” Ella said quickly. “Are you ready for that hot cocoa?”
Dove was very ready for hot cocoa, and a cookie to go with it, before setting off down the sidewalk to check out all the offerings.
“Grandma, Grandma,” Dove sang out as they approached the farm booth. “I got hot cocoaanda cookie.”
“Isn’t that lovely,” her grandmother said from over a stack of sweet potato pies.
The people in line at the booth all smiled and chuckled.
Dalton and Ella’s dad had spent two days baking the pies to sell today. Dalton had the idea, and couldn’t shake it loose. Her parents agreed, but they wouldn’t dream of allowing him to work the booth today when he could be enjoying the celebration instead.
And as Ella reached the booth herself, she saw the little sign her mother had made.
All proceeds from today’s sale to benefit the Homecoming Heroes Foundation
“Oh,” Dalton said softly. “Wow.”
A former Army captain, Erik Anderson, had started the foundation in town this year. The goal was to assist new veterans returning home. Ella knew that Dalton had been involved with it a little. And, after some encouragement, he was supposed to be meeting a few of the men tonight in his first solo outing since he had arrived in Trinity Falls.
Dalton didn’t talk much about his time in the service, other than to tell her about Andy. But she figured his decision to finally meet the guys when heneverleft the farmhouse at night told her a lot.
“Hi, kids,” Ella’s dad said with a smile and a wink from the chair where he sat, keeping her mom company. “Having fun so far?”
“We just got here,” Ella said, walking to the side of the booth to speak with him, without getting caught up in the line. “But it’s already wonderful.”
“You didn’t have to do that,” Dalton said softly, nodding in the direction of the sign.
“It’s our pleasure,” her dad told him. “Besides, it’s what Andy would have wanted, for us to give back in some way, especially after all your help this season.”
“Thank you,” Dalton said, clearing his throat.
“Can we see the fire engine?” Dove squeaked, pointing to the parking lot by the municipal building, where families were lined up for a ride on the big red engine.
“Go on,” Ella’s dad said. “Have fun, and make sure to remember every little thing so you can tell Grandma and me all about it tonight.”
“I’m staying out late tonight,” Dove informed him. “I’m going to see Santa Claus and get candy.”
“Well, if we’re in bed by the time you get home, you can tell us in the morning,” her grandfather replied. “How about that?”
“That’sgreat,” Dove said happily as she ran off.
“That’s our cue,” Ella chuckled, racing off after her daughter.
“Thanks again, sir,” Dalton said to her father as he followed.
The parking lot was alive with kids doing a dancing activity with one of the children’s librarians, MissCaroline, and her husband, Logan Williams. A couple of the library volunteers stood at a set of plastic tables with hundreds of used paperbacks for sale to support library programming, and of course, there was the line for fire engine rides.
