She got to work chopping tomatoes for the sauce, feeling better the moment her hands were busy.
“Thanks,” Ransom said, glancing over after a minute. “I appreciate it.”
“How’s everything going?” she asked.
But that was clearly the wrong question. He wasn’t really ready to open up yet. She could literally see him shutting down.
“The kids are adapting really well,” he told her. “They’re tough as nails. And I’m figuring it out.”
“You’re clearly killing it,” she told him, gesturing all around them. “You’ve got this place looking like a home. I remember when it looked more like summer camp.”
“We sure made a lot of s’mores around that fireplace,” Ransom said, smiling down at the sizzling peppers in the pan.
“Well, seeing how everything looks now, I guess planning Christmas won’t be as hard as I thought,” Willow said. “It’s nice and warm, and you’ve got the kitchen up and running.”
Mom and Aunt Rhonda were planning a visit for the holidays, which had given Willow a surface excuse for stopping by. The two women were anxious to see Travis and Mae. And Aunt Rhonda’s doctor had approved the journey. So Willow and Ransom would be hosting the holiday together at his house.
“It’s actually not as hard to heat as you’d thinkbecause of the roofline,” Ransom said. “I’m pretty sure I have the bedroom situation figured out too.”
Willow listened as he laid out his plans for where Mom and Aunt Rhonda would stay, and then they discussed food, dividing tasks and meals between them.
“This is a lot for you with the kids,” she realized out loud as he added ground beef to the pan. “Do you want me to just handle the food?”
“I’m fine,” he told her curtly. “You think because I’m a man I can’t handle kids?”
You think because I’m your little sister I couldn’t serve in the military,she wanted to lob back. But she bit her tongue.
“Not at all,” she told him. “I think because you’re a single parent you’re busy, and I’m here now with nothing to do, so I’d like to help.”
He sighed, then looked up at her.
“Sorry,” he said. “I guess I’m still figuring this out.”
Her heart went out to him, and for about the millionth time she wondered how Cassie could have justleftthe minute he got home. They had been divorced a while, but Willow figured that surely she could have helped the kids transition to life with their dad before heading out with her new guy.
Having been raised by a single parent, she knew that Ransom took it hard that his own kids were now in the same boat. But she didn’t think he had much to worry about. Their own mom had been amazing, better than any other two parents, in Willow’s opinion. As long as Ransom did his best to follow in her footsteps, the kids would be just fine.
She wanted nothing more than to tell him all that, but she couldn’t think of a way that didn’t sound forced.
“It’s weird being home, isn’t it?” she heard herself say instead.
Her plan was to avoid talking directly about her own service, since she knew the idea of it had put him so much on edge. But it was an innocent enough question for him.
“Yeah,” he replied. “But it’s mostly good. I honestly don’t have a lot of chances to worry about it. The kids are the best medicine I guess.”
“That’s really nice,” she told him, meaning it.
They worked on, talking more about the kids and their lives. He even asked about her new apartment, and she was happy to tell him all about it. The conversation was light and easy, and she tried her best not to think about it for fear of ruining the good vibes.
In no time, the lasagna was assembled, and he was putting it in the oven.
“Let’s have a look at this pie,” he said with a smile as he headed over to the table.
The pie was pumpkin, his favorite, and she had ordered it in advance because Thanksgiving was over.
“Is that…?” he asked, opening the bag and taking a big whiff. “No way.”
“Surprise,” she said with a goofy smile. “They made it just for you.”
