Page 46 of New Hope

“I was smiling and laughing too. River and Hannah have been great friends to both of us. They’re both such bright and positive people, you can’t help but be happy when you’re around them.”

Mike’s smile was soft along with his next words. “Is it possible that Ellie finally started being happy again because she saw that you were?”

“But—”

“No. I’m not finished, so just listen. You’ve spent the last year worried sick about your little girl. It’s true that she’s been through a lot. She was hurt, her heart broken when her mother abandoned her, and she needed you to help her. I still think your decision to move away from there and start fresh was the best decision you could have made. But, Ford, Ellie wasn’t the only one who was messed up by what happened. You were hurt the same as Ellie, but unlike her, you also were dealing with anger towards your ex-wife, the stress of becoming a single parent, and worries over how to help your daughter.”

“Yeah, I know. But what does this have to do with my situation now?”

Mike rolled his eyes like he thought I was being deliberately obtuse. “It has to do with it because while you’ve been keeping an eye on Ellie over the last year, she’s been keeping an eye on you. Kids notice things, man. They’re a lot more observant than we give them credit for. She saw how upset you were, how stressed and withdrawn. She’d already lost her mother and she probably felt like she’d lost you too, even though you were still there physically. But then you moved here and met River and Hannah. The two of them worked their magic and Ellie finally saw you starting to come back around which in turn, made her feel safe and allowed her to start breaking down her own walls.”

I chewed the inside of my lip, giving his words careful consideration. Was Mike right? Had Ellie needed to see me happy again so that she could be happy herself? Suddenly, I pictured the awe on Ellie’s face that day at the apple orchard when she saw me laughing at something funny River had said. Looking back, I could remember other occasions where I’d been laughing or even just smiling as the four of us ate dinner together and I’d look over to find Ellie watching me, a smile playing on her own lips. “Shit! You’re right.”

“Excuse me, can you repeat that please? Only this time, say it into the camera and be sure to enunciate.” Mike whipped his phone out of his pocket, pretending to record me.

I snatched it out of his hands, laughing. “Shut up, asshole. You were right this time, but I’m sure it was a fluke.”

He wore a smug smile. “Doesn’t matter. Point is, I was right, and I will never, ever let you forget it.” His face sobered then. “All kidding aside, I really think Little Bit will be fine with you and River being together. All she cares about is that you’re happy and she can see that he makes you happy.”

I nodded. “You’re right. I need to talk to River first, make sure he’s ready to say something to Hannah too.”

“The sooner the better. You don’t want them finding out from someone else.”

“Luckily, we’ve only told a few people.”

Mike snorted. “Haven’t you learned anything yet? There are no secrets in a small town. Speaking of which, we better get inside and order some lunch. I’ve seen the blinds move in that window no less than four times since we got here which means the townsfolk are already watching. The longer we sit here, the more they’re going to start thinking something’s going on between the two of us.”

I gave him a horrified look. “We’re friends and we work together. No one would think we’re anything more than that just because we’ve been sitting in a car together. Would they?”

“Probably not, but they will when they see me holding your hand while we walk across the parking lot.”

“You’d better not!” I warned, but the wicked glint in his eyes told me he absolutely would. “Asshole,” I muttered as I climbed out of the car. I could hear him cackling as I speed walked toward the diner, my hands tucked firmly inside my pockets.

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