Page 62 of Chocolate Cherry Cabin

She was still feeling warm and fuzzy from Santa’s visit at the day care earlier, and her head was drifting in the clouds over Saturday’s date as well. Even though Louis had totally meddled. Again. Man, that had been so embarrassing and awful. And maybe she was too much of a softie to have forgiven him already. But before he’d left, one of the little ones had crawled into his lap and gone to sleep. Seeing him cuddling the small child while still playing with the others had done some irreversible ovary twitching and iceberg-in-her-heart thawing.

Before he’d left the day care she’d asked him if he might want kids.

His reply had been, “Might? No. I definitely do.”

She’d never really considered having more children, or even remarrying, but in that moment her brain and hormones had gone wild, her imagination building a future that surely was never going to happen. Her and Louis with kids? Not so likely.

But she was starting to wish that it could happen.

“What did you do yesterday?” she asked her boys. It was late in Sweetheart Creek and early there. It felt so odd that they were ready to start their Tuesday while she was just putting an end to Monday. “Where are you?”

“We’re outside! Gammy’s still sleeping!” Thomas said, coming close enough to Calvin’s phone that Hannah could see the shadowy circles of his nostrils.

“We’re outside the hotel,” Calvin stated.

“We ate ice cream!”

“Yesterday,” Calvin said. “And we went to a museum.”

“We ate ice creamatthe museum,” Wade declared.

Hannah’s heart warmed at his enthusiasm. It looked like her sons were having a good adventure.

“I learned how to say thank-you in French,” Thomas told her. He said something that sounded almost correct, while Calvin winced.

“We’re working on our French,” he explained.

“That’s great.”

As Wade and Thomas filled Hannah in on all they’d been up to, Calvin listened with a slightly odd look on his face.

“What’s up?” she finally asked him, when the boys went digging through their bags to find the museum map. “How were your meetings?”

“Good. And I just wanted to say that I really appreciate your support, Hannah. My mom didn’t think you’d be up for me taking the kids on this exploratory trip, and it’s been really great. We’re bonding.”

“I’m glad.”

Thomas popped into view of the screen. “I wore out Gammy.” He disappeared again, asking, “Where’s the map?” His brother muttered something and the two began bickering.

Calvin mumbled something to the boys, then said to Hannah, “Anyway, I really appreciate that you’re up for an international move, and how family-focused you are.” His smile was warm and kind. She used to do anything for that smile.

Hannah eyed the notes she’d taken about the education classes and the costs of entering college in January. It was all very doable if she got a student loan, maybe a scholarship or two, as well as a few more hours at the day care. Assuming she didn’t have the cost of moving to France—even though Calvin had said he’d cover most of it—and that she was accepted into the program.

“The meetings have been positive?” she asked.

“They have.”

“When will you know if the project is the right fit?”

“Three to four weeks. It’s all up in the air at the moment. It could be longer. Maybe less.” He gave a carefree laugh, obviously unbothered by the unknown and how it was leaving his entire family in limbo.

The winter semester at the college started in two weeks, but Hannah could take the first several classes toward her degree online, meaning she could be anywhere in the world. Although starting school while navigating a family move to a foreign country might be taxing.

“I heard a rumor about you,” Calvin said, his lips quirked in a bemused expression.

“A rumor?” Hannah’s mind immediately went to Louis. Had someone seen them kiss? The song “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” started playing in her head.

“I’m not sure what to think of it.” Calvin was watching her through the screen and she felt on the spot, like there was no way to hide or distract him from talking about the kiss.

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