Page 8 of New Hope

“Right now. Come on.”

Before I could say a word, Hannah raced off. With a shake of my head, I followed. I was used to chasing after her. From the day she’d been born, my daughter had been a little ball of energy. I lost sight of her for a few seconds as she zigzagged to avoid a group of parents who were standing around talking. Quickening my steps, I spotted her near the classroom door with the same little red-haired girl I’d seen her with before. “Daddy, this is Ellie. She’s shy but I told her you were nice.”

The little girl peered up at me, her bright green eyes sparkling like emeralds in the sun. I squatted down, hoping to appear less intimidating. The poor girl already looked like a deer in the headlights. “Hi, Ellie. It’s nice to meet you. It sounds like you and Hannah had a fun time together. Did you like your new school?”

Ellie nodded shyly. Hannah gave me an imploring look. “Can Ellie come over and play at our house?”

“Not today, baby girl. It’s Friday. You’re spending the night at Nana and Papaw’s so I can work tomorrow, remember? But maybe another time if it’s okay with her parents. Plus, I’m sure they’d want to meet me first,” I explained.

Suddenly, a pair of legs appeared behind Ellie. “Excuse me, I’m Ellie’s father.”

My eyes darted up at the sound of the gruff voice and for a few moments, I forgot about everything except the gorgeous man in front of me. Ellie’s father was strikingly handsome with short, dark hair, a strong jawline, and skin the color of warm honey. He looked like he was around my age—in his late thirties or early forties—but his broad shoulders, defined biceps, and trim waist made it clear that he took care of himself.

He stood rigid, placing a protective hand on his daughter’s shoulder. His gaze was sharp, assessing, and I suddenly realized that I’d been so busy staring I had forgotten to respond. I stood quickly and thrust my hand out. “Hi. It’s nice to meet you. I’m River, Hannah’s dad. She wanted me to meet Ellie. Apparently, our daughters are in the same class and have become friends.”

Some of the tension seemed to drain out of him with my explanation and good grief, if I’d thought he was handsome before, it was nothing compared to how he looked when he smiled. His hand felt rough against my own as we shook. “It’s nice to meet you. I was hoping Ellie would make a new friend today so that’s great to hear. My name is Ford, by the way.”

“Excuse me, sir.” He looked down as Hannah tapped him on the arm. “Can Ellie come to my house to play sometime? I already asked my daddy and he said it was okay as long as he got to meet you first and now, he has. Not today, because I have to go to my nana and papaw’s, but soon.”

Ford’s eyes widened as they met mine, and I knew exactly what he was thinking. Most people were surprised when they first met Hannah. Bold, bright, and outgoing, Hannah could be a bit precocious at times, but her warm, friendly nature drew people to her like moths to a flame. My father swore she was exactly like my mother. The woman had never met a stranger and my daughter was turning out to be the same way.

His lips twitched, but to his credit, he hid it well. He dropped down on his haunches, so he was at eye level with my daughter. I liked that. Too many adults tended to talk over kids’ heads, never really speaking directly to them. “Thank you very much for the offer, Hannah. I’m sure Ellie would love that. She and I will talk about it this weekend and maybe we can set something up so you girls can play soon.”

Hannah threw her arms around her friend, squealing and hugging her tightly. “Did you hear that, Ellie? They said yes!” Ellie looked a bit overwhelmed at first, but a smile began to slowly sneak across her face.

Ford chuckled as he stood back up. We watched our girls as they began chattering about all the things they’d do when they got together. Well, Hannah did most of the chattering while Ellie listened. “You’ve got quite a girl there.”

I smiled. “Thanks. She can be a bit of a handful at times, but for the most part, she’s pretty great.”

“I can see that. I’m grateful to her for being so kind. It’s good to see Ellie making friends. I worry about her.”

“I’m sure. It’s never easy to be the new kid, but Hannah will make sure she feels welcome here.”

Ford flashed me a smile, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Well, we better get going. I still have a lot of work to do at our new place.”

“Of course. It was a pleasure meeting you. We’ll have to get our girls together soon.”

“Definitely.” He shook my hand again, then turned and scooped Ellie up in his arms, his eyes lighting up as he beamed at his daughter. She let out a surprised gasp then hugged him.

“Bye!” Hannah called as they turned to go, waving at Ellie who waved back over her father’s shoulder. Hannah twirled around, dancing over to me, and slipped her hand in mine.

I gave it a gentle squeeze as I looked down at her. “You ready to go, baby girl?”

She smiled up at me happily. “Yeah. I can’t wait to tell Nana and Papaw about Ellie. Did I tell you that she likes purple like I do?”

“You did not.”

“Yep. She doesn’t like carrots though, but I told her it’s okay to be different,” she replied sagely as we headed to our car.

I helped her climb into the car and buckle up then kissed her on the tip of her nose. “How did you get to be so wise, huh?”

Hannah shrugged. “I don’t know. It just happened.” I was still laughing as we drove away.

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