“Good.” He took the cookies and got out of the store as soon as possible—but not because he was afraid Susan would show up. At that point, he wasn’t even thinking about Susan. He didn’t want his niece to know how deeply her suggestion had affected him. Just imagining himself carrying Atticus up a mountain like Half Dome—showing him what Tobias considered to be one of the most beautiful places on earth, especially on Atticus’s birthday—brought a huge lump to his throat.

He knew it would be more about the spiritual journey than the physical one.

5

I have cookies.

It had been a while since Tobias had responded. Harper had asked him where he’d grown up and had never gotten an answer, so she’d thought he’d lost interest in the conversation. She wouldn’t have blamed him if he had. In her current situation, she wasn’t very entertaining. She was, however, grateful to have someone new in her life who was willing to offer a bit of encouragement and advice—without pressing her for all the dirty details of her divorce. Before her sister had left for LA, Karoline had told her to be careful of the guy who’d given her the flower, that if he popped up again he might turn out to be a reporter looking for the inside scoop. But Tobias hadn’t even asked her why she and Axel had split up. He didn’t seem particularly interested in Axel, which was shocking. Everyone was interested in Axel. Harper was so used to taking a back seat to her famous husband that it felt great to have someone seek her friendship.

The kind you eat? she wrote, trying to understand this random text from him.

Yup. Fresh baked. Chocolate chip topped with
candy bars.

Feeling slightly better to have heard from him again, she sniffed as she curled her bare feet underneath her on the couch, where she’d been letting herself cry while watching old movies. Since the kids weren’t here, she had no reason to hold back, figuring she’d better get it all out while they were gone. Tempting…

They may not be healthy, but they won’t impair your judgment. :) You haven’t broken down and called Axel, have you?

She dashed a hand across her cheeks before responding. Not yet.

Good. Make him come to you.

She smiled despite her tears. It was comments like this that made her trust Tobias, to a degree. So is a cookie my reward?

If you’ll tell me where you’re staying, I can bring it to you. Or you could come to my place. My landlord and his son are on the property, so you don’t have to worry about being alone with a stranger.