“Yup.” I click the buckle into place.
He observes for a second before laughing under his breath. “You know we’re just driving up the lane, right? You probably don’t need to buckle her in.”
I shoot him a look. “You never know.”
He stops smiling. “Fair point.”
I glance down at Emma, fully buckled and looking back at me, a plush animal rattle in her lap that she doesn’t do much with yet, but it’s there if she changes her mind.
Cody grabs the car seat for me. I take the diaper bag and we head outside. The sunlight hits like a spotlight.
“Hey—” I call after him, squinting against the light. “Put the hood up.”
He pauses, halfway to the truck. “Huh?”
“The canopy thing,” I say, waving my hand. “She’ll get sunburnt.”
He glances down at the seat like he’s offended on Emma’s behalf. “Sunburnt? She’s barely seen the sun for more than twelve seconds.”
“I don’t care,” I scoff.
He doesn’t argue, just pulls the canopy forward with one hand.
“She’s got my ex’s skin,” I say. “She’ll burn if you even mention UV rays to her.”
Cody just laughs and clicks the seat into the base, then attempts to hand the toy laying in her lap for her to hold. I can’t help but smile.
Chapter 23
Cody
The table’s full, like it always is on Sundays. Plates are being passed in circles, people talking over each other. Mom’s trying to keep the noise somewhat manageable while Dad goes on about the same hunting story from ’98 as if Wesley’s never heard it before.
Ella’s putting food on Cora’s high chair so she stops crying, and Jesse’s telling Mason about a fishing trip he wants to take next year.
Karissa’s sitting beside me, quiet and slightly tense, which I can tell by her shoulders. She’s smiling, though. Even laughs once when Addison serves Wesley an absurd amount of zucchini while he wasn’t looking, her mischievous snicker giving it away.
Emma’s up in my parents’ room, napping in a Pack ’n Play Mom set up for her. The monitor buzzes quietly in the background.
Mason looks past me to Karissa. “Hey, this is random, but one of my coworkers’ moms owns a bakery. A coffee shop place in Minot, right on Main Street. She’s been looking for part-time help for a while now.”
“Missy’s?” Ella asks. I forgot she lived somewhere right there for a little while until she and Jesse got married.
“Yup.” Mason nods. “Her daughter’s heading off to college in August, so the other apartment upstairs will be half empty too. She lives there full-time but said she’s open to renting it out if the right person came along.”
I glance at Karissa. She’s frozen, a roll halfway to her mouth. Her eyes are wide. Beaming.
“You’re serious?” she asks.
Mason shrugs. “Yeah. I told her I’d ask. She’s real laid-back. Would probably love having someone up there to keep her company in the evenings. You interested?”
Karissa nods, fast. Too fast.
“That would be perfect,” she says, voice catching. “I’ve been scouring the apartment listings.”
Mom offers a warm smile, a glisten in her eye.
I don’t say anything. I don’t know what to say. I just watch her. Because I’ve seen Karissa quiet. I’ve seen her overwhelmed. I’ve seen her guarded. I’ve seen her at her lowest. But I’veneverseen her like this—hopeful, happy. It looks amazing on her.
