Page 23 of Perfect Imperfections

“Really?”

“Yup. I know most people prefer cabernet or merlot, but I can’t palate the stuff.”

Neither could she. She wasn’t a big drinker as it was, but when she had wine, it was usually a Shiraz.

“Come on in.” He stepped back and motioned her inside.

“Thank you. You have a lovely home.”

He grinned, the cheek dent making its panty-melting appearance. “You haven’t even seen it yet.”

“Oh, well, the, um, outside is nice. I just figured the inside would be—”

Her words were cut off as a squeal of delight ripped through the air.

“Ellie!”

Suddenly she was hit with forty-five pounds of pure excited seven-year-old.

“Oof! Hey there, Charlotte.”

“You came, you came, you came!”

The little girl jumped up and down while still locked on Ellie’s legs, causing her to wobble slightly. A firm hand closed around her upper arm, holding her steady throughout Charlotte’s wiggling.

“Charlotte, give Ellie some personal space, okay?” Sullivan chuckled as he stepped even closer, bracing her with his shoulder against her back. “Sorry,” he whispered in her ear as Charlotte dutifully released her tight grip and took a step back. “She’s been really excited to see you.”

A shiver that had nothing to do with the cool breeze blasting from the AC vents washed over her.

“It’s fine,” she squeaked out, not sure what to say. It was fine. She didn’t mind Charlotte’s excitement. Few people were all that excited to see her in her life. Animals, sure, she fed them. But people? Not so much.

“Did you bring sparkling juice?” Green eyes peeked up at the bottle Sullivan held in his hand.

“No, Angel, this isn’t for you. This is grown up juice.”

Her tiny face fell. Ellie’s heart would have been crushed, but she had another gift yet to give.

“I’m sorry about the juice, Charlotte, but I do have something for you.”

Her little frown turned upside down, eyes going wide. “You do?”

Reaching into her purse, she pulled out the small stuffed animal she’d purchased at the Zoo gift shop this morning.

“An elephant! Daddy, it’s an elephant!” Charlotte grabbed the soft toy, squeezing it to her chest in a smothering hug. As she did, the animal let out a recorded trumpet blast of sound. “And it talks! Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, Ellie! She’s the bestest elephant ever! I’m going to call her El.”

“El?”

The seven-year-old glanced at her with the brightest smile in the world. “Yeah, for Ellie the Elephant. Because you gave her to me. Come on, dinner’s ready!”

Charlotte raced off through the house. Moisture blurred Ellie’s vision as tears formed in her eyes. Ellie the Elephant. No one had ever named anything after her before. This kid was seriously carving out a large portion of Ellie’s heart and settling right in.

“Hey.”

She turned at the softly spoken word to see Sullivan had come around to her side and was now staring at her with concern. Blushing from embarrassment, she blinked until the tears disappeared.

“You have a special kid there, Sullivan.”

His expression softened into an understanding smile. “Don’t I know it. Shall we?”

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