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“Oh, these are the best,” she declared. “They’re worth every single calorie I’m consuming.”
“I’m glad you’re enjoying them,” I told her.
Wearing a look of satisfaction, she insisted, “There’s nothing better.”
I cocked an eyebrow, because there were a couple of things I could think of that might be just a bit better than eating some food, even if it was a favorite food.
Ellery saw my reaction, but either she didn’t pick up on what I was doing, or she refused to argue her point. When she took another bite, moaning again, I had to admit that perhaps watching and listening to her eat would be a close second.
Once the light turned green and we started moving again, I said, “So, let me tell you about Avalon and Damon.”
“Oh, yes. Sorry, I completely forgot until you just said something,” she replied, her mouth full of food.
My lips twitched. I loved that she had managed to get so consumed by what she’d been doing that she forgot anything else had existed.
For the remainder of the drive to the ski resort, I told Ellery about what had happened between Avalon and Damon and how their relationship came to be. While she was horrified by a lot of what she’d learned, I think there was a part of her that liked knowing that she wasn’t the only one who was going through something tough. I think, if nothing else, it gave her a bit of hope that she could make it through to the other side of this mess, too.
We finally made it to the resort, and we’d decided to stay in the truck to finish eating our lunch before we went snowtubing.
“Can you tell me something?” Ellery asked after we’d both taken a bite of our sandwiches.
“Sure. What do you need?”
She shrugged. “I feel like we’ve been talking a lot about me for the last couple of weeks. I really enjoyed hearing the story about Avalon and Damon. It was a nice change, even if I hate knowing all that she went through. But I was just thinking that I’d like to know a bit more about you.”
I took that to be an even better sign that things were progressing the way I wanted them to. It was nice to know that Ellery was showing an interest in me, even if all I wanted was to gather up all the little bits and pieces that made up the woman she was. If she wanted scraps of the man I was, I’d happily give them to her.
So, I revealed, “I’m one of six kids.”
Surprise washed over her. “Six?”
I nodded. “Yep.”
“Wow. Are you all close?” she asked.
“We get along well, if that’s what you’re asking, but I don’t get to see them nearly as often as I’d like, because they don’t live close,” I explained.
Sympathy consumed her expression as she asked, “Where do they live?”
“They’re still here in Pennsylvania, but they live about three hours west of here,” I told her.
“And your parents?” she pressed.
“They live there as well.”
Ellery took a few seconds to process my words as she continued to eat her sandwich. But then she asked, “So, how did you wind up being the only sibling who ended up in Steel Ridge?”
I popped the last bite of my sandwich in my mouth, chewed, and swallowed. Then I explained, “Jake and I were good friends. We served together in the Marines, and just before we finished our service, we learned about Harper Security Ops. It was the obvious choice for the both of us, and I’m incredibly happy doing what I do every day.”
She smiled at me and said, “That’s really great. Not everyone gets to do what they love every day, so you’re very lucky.”
Being here with her now, those words couldn’t have been truer. “Yeah. I agree.”
After she finished her food, we got out of the car and walked through the lot toward the entrance. As we did, she asked me about my siblings, interested to know their names and who was the oldest. I answered all her questions, loving having the opportunity to spend this time with her.
The conversation surrounding my family ended once I paid for our passes. But that was because Ellery and I had focused our attention where it needed to be, on the two of us.
I loved having the chance to learn a bit about her, and there was no question I wanted to learn more, but for now, for today, I wanted to see her having fun. I wanted her to let down some of her guard and just let loose for a bit.
