Ivy toweled off, dug her hair dryer from her suitcase, and for the first time in weeks blew out her hair. Amazing how shiny it looked when she tried. Next, she scrounged up the makeup bag containing a nearly empty concealer tube, powder and blushes reduced to slivers in their cases, and mascara that clumped. Not perfect, but it got the job done.

She pulled on the jeans, sweater, and ankle boots still covered in New York City street dust. After polishing her shoes with her towel, she dug into her makeup bag for her go-to gold hoop earrings. Classics, bought on sale at Macy’s for fifty-one dollars. Earrings on, she fluffed her hair. The total effect wasn’t bad and was kind of refreshing. “Welcome back to the human race.”

After sliding on a leather jacket, Ivy grabbed a scarf from her suitcase, checked Libby’s water and food bowls, and draped her purse on her shoulder. She was running five minutes late, but unless Matthew had changed drastically in the last twelve years, he was running later. Ten minutes was his normal lag time, but waiting twenty to thirty wasn’t unheard of.

She hustled out the door and locked it behind her. There was a truck parked at the end of her driveway, and the driver was loading the freebies into the bed. In the dim light, she could see the man was too tall to be Matthew. As she moved closer to thank whoever this was, he turned. It was Dalton.

She wrapped the scarf around her neck as her heeled boots clicked against the concrete driveway. “You don’t strike me as the kind of guy who needs free stuff.”

As he looked up, his eyes were shadowed by the bill of his ball cap, but she could feel his gaze sharpen. His lips curled into a smile. “I drive by the thrift store on the way home. Easy for me to drop this off.”

“And here I thought there was a demand for vintage hotel furniture, bedspreads, and lamps.”

As he closed the back tailgate and came around the truck, he regarded her. “You’re mighty dressed up.”

“I used to do this on a regular basis.” His appreciation warmed her skin. “But the last year has been a little hectic.”

“Here’s to slower times.”

She grinned. “Compliments always appreciated.”

“I call ’em when I see ’em.” He carefully removed worn work gloves.

Sailor rose up in the truck’s back seat and, when he saw Ivy, wagged his tail. She opened the back door and scratched the dog between the ears.

“Where you headed?” Dalton asked.

“Dinner with Matthew.”

“My ex-brother-in-law?”

“And my ex–high school beau. He wants to talk about a new project he’s working on.”

“What’s he up to now?” Uncertainty dripped from the words.

“I hear your doubt.” She patted Sailor one last time and closed the door.