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"She filled me in on what you guys have been up to today since you were basically going to hang up on me." Jeff raised a brow at Katie.
"Sorry," Katie mumbled.
"I know you were excited to get back to your fort, so I'll let it slide this time."
"Thank you."
"I miss you, baby girl."
"I miss you too, Daddy."
"Daddy look!" Noah interrupted and snagged the phone from Katie. "We're making the epicest fort."
"That looks like fun, bud. Make sure you remember how to build it so you can show me when I come home, okay?"
"Okay. When are you coming home?"
"When we know it's safe and I don't have to worry about my family getting germs from me."
"Typical daddy, always keeping everyone safe." Noah sighed, obviously mimicking things he had heard the adults say and sounding far wiser than his four years.
"It's my job."
"I know."
"Okay then. Go make your fort and give Claire a kiss for me when she wakes up."
"Will do. Love you."
"Love you too, partner." Noah handed the phone back to Katie.
"You guys have fun and be good." Jeff winked at her and she giggled.
"Yes, Sir. I love you."
"I love you, too."
She hung up the phone and put it in her back pocket, feeling thankful that she didn't have that heavy feeling she usually had after talking to Jeff these days. Talking to him and not being able to see him or hug him was hard. Usually after a phone call, she wanted to bury herself under the covers and have a good cry, but Rose’s attempt to distract her was working, and right now, she couldn’t wait to get back to fort-building.
"Good job, guys," Rose said when the entire living room had become a fort. "The outside is done. Now we get to work on the inside."
"The inside?" Katie scrunched her nose and stared up at Rose quizzically. "What goes on the inside?"
"Well, that depends on what we want to do in our fort. It's very big, so we have lots of options."
Katie tapped her chin thoughtfully as she considered and Noah copied her pose. "Can we have a tea party?"
"If we’re very careful, I suppose we could."
"Can we make cookies?"
"In a fort? Noooo," Rose answered with a chuckle. "But if you'd like, we could make cookies in the kitchen and eat them in the fort with our tea. Or, in the interest of having more time to enjoy our fort, we could just eat the cookies I've stashed in the cabinet above the refrigerator," she said with a mischievous grin.
"Could we make cookies tomorrow? And still have cookies today in our fort?" Katie asked, driving a hard bargain.
"No promises, but maybe if you're good," Rose answered.
Katie looked slightly miffed but she conceded. "Tea and store-bought cookies in the fort today. Can we also watch a movie in the fort?"
