I laughed and carried the chocolate pie into the bedroom with two forks.
We ate it directly from the box while sitting against the headboard.
Ellie gave Captain Pancake a full moral defense for sitting on customers.
I told her about the fan pickles Rachel had confiscated in Dallas.
She nearly choked on pie when I described the rhinestone pants.
At some point, my phone buzzed in the other room.
Once.
Then again.
I did not move.
Ellie glanced toward the door.
“Work?”
“Probably.”
“You need to check?”
I looked at her.
Her hair was messy. Chocolate marked one corner of her mouth. She wore my T-shirt and had one knee beneath the sheet.
“No.”
The answer felt easy.
I wiped the chocolate from her lip with my thumb.
She kissed it.
Then she looked at the pie.
“One more bite.”
“You said that four bites ago.”
“I’m very committed.”
“I’ve noticed.”
Outside, the tide moved softly against the beach.
My phone stopped buzzing.
For the first time in longer than I could remember, the silence did not feel empty.
It felt full.
Eight
Ellie
