And so Ethan turned on the television while they ate. She was surprised when he turned on a home renovation show instead of the sports channel.

When the show ended and the dishes were cleared, it was time to go over the plans for the egg hunt. Hannah reached for her backpack and pulled out a notebook where she’d written a bunch of notes about the festival.

“Where do you want to start?” he asked.

“How about we find all of those order forms that she said were in her desk?”

Ethan nodded in agreement.

She followed him to the aforementioned desk. He sat down in the small, short chair that made him look like a giant. Hannah couldn’t help but smile at the way his knees stuck up as though he were sitting in a kid’s chair.

“What’s so funny?” he asked.

“Oh, nothing. Except that chair was definitely not made for you.”

“Tell me about it.” He pulled open the first desk drawer. It was crammed full of papers and recipes his aunt had clipped from the newspaper or a magazine. Oh boy! This was going to take some time.

“Why don’t you start on one side,” Hannah said, “while I search the drawers on this side.”

“Sounds like a plan to me because we don’t have all night.”

“That’s right. We have to get you moved into the apartment.”

“And I have to get up early. I have a supply order to pick up and some walls to mud.”

“Hmm…that sounds fun. Why do you throw mud at the walls?” She sent him a teasing smile.

“I wish it was that fun. No, I have to cover the seams in the drywall. And then when its dry, hopefully in a day or two, it’s going to need to be sanded.”

“That sounds like a lot of work.”

“It is. But if you want smooth walls, it’s what needs done.”

“Maybe I can help you. After all, how hard can sanding be?”

He shrugged. “But won’t you be busy with your baking and then working on the festival plans?”

“I’ve read your aunt’s entire binder and been on the phone with the event coordinators for the Bloomin’ Tulip Contest and the jelly bean relay. They’ve told me Birdie got them everything they needed before her accident.”

“Oh. Okay. You can help in the bakery, if you want. I can show you what to do.”

And then a thought came to her. “What if we help each other? That way it’ll keep things from getting too monotonous.” When he opened his mouth to argue, she added, “And I recall you telling your aunt that you’d help me with the festival.”

His lips pursed together as though he were trying to think up an excuse to get out of it, but then he surprised her by saying, “Okay. You’ve got a deal.”

Just then Peaches, who was sitting beside them, barked her agreement. And they both laughed.

“I guess it’s unanimous now.” Hannah withdrew a stack of clipped pages. “I think I found some of the papers we’re hunting for.”