His house was modest but comfortable, at least to him. It had an open-plan living area with wooden floors and large windows that let in the afternoon light. Bookshelves lined one wall, filled with well-worn gardening books and cookbooks. The furniture was sturdy and inviting, chosen for comfort rather than style because that was the kind of man he was.
“This is lovely,” Estelle said, her eyes taking in every detail.
“Thank you,” Leo replied, suddenly self-conscious. “It’s not fancy, but it’s home.”
A soft meow interrupted them as a fluffy orange tabby cat sauntered into the room, tail held high.
“You have a cat!” Adara exclaimed, dropping to her knees as the feline approached.
“That’s Snuggles,” Leo said, feeling a flush of embarrassment at the name. “He showed up on my porch as a kitten during a snowstorm. The name just... stuck.”
Snuggles?his bear groaned.Did you have to tell them that part? It makes us sound soft.
We are soft,Leo replied.At least with the people who matter.
To his surprise, Estelle looked charmed. “Snuggles,” she repeated, as if testing the name. “It suits him.”
The cat approached Adara cautiously, sniffing at Fizz before rubbing against the little girl’s knee. Adara giggled, looking up at her mother for permission.
“You can pet him if he allows it,” Estelle said. “Gently, remember?”
Adara nodded solemnly and extended her hand, letting Snuggles sniff her fingers before carefully stroking his head. The cat leaned into her touch, purring loudly.
“He likes me,” Adara whispered, awe in her voice.
“He has excellent taste,” Leo said, glancing at Estelle with a smile. “Would you like to see the greenhouse now? We could pick some vegetables for dinner.”
“Can Fizz come?” Adara asked, standing up with the stuffed dragon still clutched in one arm.
“Of course,” Leo replied seriously. “Dragons are always welcome in my greenhouse.”
Estelle shot him a look that told him the double meaning was not lost on her.
Leo led them through the kitchen and out the back door, where a stone path wound through a small but well-tended garden to a glass structure nestled against the tree line. As he pushed open the greenhouse door, warm, humid air enveloped them, rich with the scent of soil and growing things.
“Oh,” Estelle breathed, stepping inside.
The greenhouse was a riot of green leaves and heavy fruit and vegetables. Tomato vines loaded with fruit climbed trellises along one wall. Herbs grew in neat raised beds—basil, thyme, rosemary, mint. Lettuces in various shades of green and purple filled another section.
“I grow heirloom varieties,” Leo explained, moving to a row of tomato plants. “These are Black Krims. They’re sweeter than store-bought tomatoes.”
“It’s like a jungle,” Adara whispered, eyes wide as she took in the greenery all around them.
Leo kneeled beside her. “Want to help me pick some tomatoes for dinner?”
Adara nodded eagerly.
“Here,” Leo said, showing her how to gently twist the ripe fruit from the vine. “Like this.”
Adara’s face scrunched in concentration as she carefully followed his example, her small hands cradling the tomato as if it were made of glass.
“I did it!” she announced proudly, holding up her prize.
“Perfect,” Leo praised, producing a small basket. “That’s one of the best tomatoes I’ve seen all season.”
He glanced up to find Estelle watching them, her expression a mixture of tenderness and something more complicated—wistfulness, perhaps, as if she were finally allowing herself to picture a future she’d been too afraid to imagine until now.
“Would you like to try?” he asked her.
