Page 48 of Sven

“Hi,” Alice said as she pulled out the high chair. “I got this in case you brought her.”

“Thank you,” she said as she got Winnie situated.

“Can I get you a coffee while you get settled in?”

“Oh, sure! A vanilla latte would be great.”

Soon, Winnie was all settled with a fabric book to play with, and Alice had returned with their drinks.

“So, you have to tell me, what is it like working for Sven?”

“Oh. He’s great. He’s a really good dad,” she said, stifling a smile.

“That’s amazing. Even with her dark hair, she looks so much like him,” Alice said, smiling at Winnie.

“She does.”

“How are you liking New York?”

“Well, besides the cold, I like it.”

“Well, it is the first day of March, so we should only have a couple more cold spells. How’s living with Sven?”

Natalie stopped and took a long sip of her coffee, and Alice gave her a knowing smile. “Nothing like that. He’s good. He’s been calling every night to talk to Winnie. I tried to talk to himabout his game the other day, but sadly, I don’t understand much when I watch it.”

“Do you want to watch a game together? Being the daughter of a coach, I know more about hockey than I care to.”

“That would be wonderful! Do you want to come over tomorrow?”

“I’ll be there.”

Natalie smiled as she took another sip of her coffee. Having another friend in the area would be a good thing. It would give her brain something else to focus on, which she sorely needed.

18

Natalie

Natalie was on the floor, playing with Winnie, when a call came in. She had her laptop set up because, every night before his game, Sven had called to say good night to Winnie.

“How’s my sweet girl today?” he asked, talking to Winnie, who reached for the computer.

“Say hi to Daddy,” said Natalie.

“Da-da-da-da,” she said, wiggling out of Natalie’s grasp.

“Here,” she said before putting Winnie and the computer on the couch, out of her grabby reach.

“I’ll be right back,” said Natalie, standing to go get her water bottle.

“Winnie, did you just pull up? Natalie, did she just pull up?” he asked before she heard Winnie squealing and hitting the keyboard.

She turned, and sure enough, there she was, standing, holding onto the couch.

“Look at you!” she said.

She peered at the camera, and she was surprised. She expected to see him smiling, but he looked upset.

“How long has she been doing that? I can’t believe I missed it.”

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