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“Honey, your daddy had to go see the doctor. Have you ever been to the doctor, Chloe?”
The little girl nodded and plucked her white cat out from under her arm and held it up to her ear. Then she held it in front of her face and spoke to it. “I’ll ask her. Princess Sweetie Pie wants to know if Daddy has to get a shot.”
“He might.”
Chloe winced. “Poor daddy.”
“I know,” Elle said. “Nobody likes to get shots. But you know what I do like?”
Chloe shook her head and looked at her expectantly.
“I like ice cream. Do you?”
Her curls bobbed as she nodded. “So does Princess Sweetie Pie.”
“I’m sure we have enough for three. Want to go in and get some?”
Elle lifted Chloe and Princess Sweetie Pie from the car seat and set them down on the gravel walkway. She took the little girl’s hand and led her to the back door. They walked straight into the kitchen.
Gigi was in there waiting for them. Elle had called to let her mom and Gigi know about the accident. This wasn’t how she’d thought the day would go. She had fully intended to come home and give Gigi a firm talking to about skipping out on the luncheon meeting with Daniel Quindlin and tell her—again—that she needed to stop trying to push them together. But suddenly, being there with Daniel when the call came seemed like divine intervention. If not for the attempted lunchtime fix-up, she wouldn’t have been there to pick up Chloe and to help Daniel and Aidan.
Who would’ve thought she’d ever hear herself say that? But suddenly everything that had gone on before seemed unimportant right now.
“You must be Chloe,” Gigi said, squatting down in front of the little girl as best as her knees would allow her to do. “You can call me Gigi.”
Chloe looked small and unsure, standing stoically in the middle of the kitchen, hugging her white cat.
Even though Elle had planned on giving her grandmother a pass...for the most part...it didn’t mean she couldn’t let her know that she was wise to her matchmaking plan.
“Your hair looks pretty, Gigi,” Elle said, as she took two containers of ice cream out of the freezer. Even though Gigi took pride in looking her best, it was perfectly clear that she hadn’t had a thing done to her hair today.
“Well, thank you, honey.”
“It was awfully nice of Kate to work you in on the spur of the moment like that. Is that a new style?”
Elle smiled a knowing smile and arched a brow at her to drive home her point.
Gigi didn’t even have the good grace to look sheepish. Instead, she stood up and patted her hair. “Yes, your sister does such a good job, and she’s so good to her Gigi.”
The part Gigi didn’t say, but mentally telegraphed to Elle was, You should follow Kate’s example.
Now wasn’t the time to hash it out. Gigi must have realized it, too, because she changed the subject.
She walked over to Elle and took one of the half-gallon containers out of her hands. “How are things?” she asked, cautiously lowering her voice.
Elle was certain her grandmother wasn’t asking about the lunch. “I’m not sure,” Elle answered. “I was going to text Daniel after I got Chloe the ice cream I promised her. Would you like to join us for ice cream, Gigi?” she said a little louder, infusing the invitation with the tried-and-true enthusiasm of an elementary school teacher for Chloe’s benefit.
Gigi answered with an exaggerated smile that she directed to Chloe. “I’d love to. Chloe? May I join you? I’d love some ice cream. In fact, we might as well splurge and go all out. Chloe, what would you think about making ice cream sundaes?” Chloe looked confused. “You know, ice cream with chocolate sauce and sprinkles and whipped cream. And I’ll bet if Elle looks in the fridge, she’ll find a brand-new jar of maraschino cherries.”
Chloe brightened up a little bit. “I like cherries and sprinkles on my ice cream.”
“Well, then that’s what we will have,” Gigi said. “You go on over there and you and your cat get yourselves settled at the table and I’ll help Miss Elle put the sundaes together.”
“Maybe we should wash hands first since she just came from school? Gigi, will you please help her with that?”
