Brooklyn obviously agreed.
“Hey, Brook,” Ashlyn said. “This is Slate. He’s helping me with deliveries today.”
“Hi,” she said shyly.
“Hi,” Curtis said, copying his mom. He walked over to Slate and grabbed his pants leg. “Up!” he demanded.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Brooklyn said, reaching for her son. “He has a thing with being carried recently. It’s been hell on my back.”
“It’s fine,” Slate said. “If you’ll take this?” he asked, holding the box out to Ashlyn.
She grabbed it and watched as he bent over and picked up the little boy. He sat him on his hip and grinned. “Hey, Curtis. You been a good boy today for your mama?”
Curtis seemed mesmerized by Slate. He put a hand on his face and patted his beard.
Ashlyn swore her ovaries clenched at seeing Slate holding the little boy. She might’ve just told him that she wasn’t ready to have kids of her own, but seeing him with Curtis was already making her rethink that decision.
“Come in,” Brooklyn said, picking up little Briar and gesturing inside her house. “The place is a mess, but I’ve learned to just go with it and try not to be too embarrassed. Having two toddlers definitely doesn’t make it easy to keep a clean house.”
“It’s fine,” Ashlyn reassured her. “And we can’t stay today. I’m behind schedule because I took a long lunch to meet up with Slate. But you’ll love the food. Elodie outdid herself today with the meals. She made veggie pockets, which sound completely plain and boring, but somehow, like usual, she was able to make them gourmet. She thinly sliced red and green peppers, put some onions, mushrooms, zucchini, lettuce, and tomatoes inside a focaccia pocket. Then she added brie cheese and this delicious horseradish mayonnaise. Trust me, even if you don’t think you like some of those ingredients, you’ll change your mind when you taste them all together.”
“It sounds amazing,” Brooklyn said.
“And I know Trey isn’t a huge fan of veggies, so I grabbed a lemon pepper chicken breast for him. Oh, and the seven layer dessert bars are to die for. I recommend you have a glass of milk handy when you eat them,” she suggested with a grin. “It’s a perfect pairing.”
“I can’t wait to try everything,” Brooklyn said.
“I’ve also got some Pull-Ups in the car,” Ashlyn said. “Someone came by and donated them, and I figured you could use them.”
“Oh, yes, thank you so much!”
“If you take him, I’ll go get them,” Slate said.
Ashlyn immediately reached for the little boy. Curtis was smiling, happy to have another adult paying attention to him. In contrast, his sister seemed satisfied to hang out in her mother’s arms.
As soon as Slate was off the porch, heading back to the car, Brooklyn said, “Giiiiirl!”
Ashlyn laughed. “I know, right?”
“I remember you said you were dating someone, but damn.”
“Yeah, he’s great.”
“If the things you’ve said about him are true, he’s more than great. You need to hang on to him, Ash. He’s gorgeous, considerate, and he was great with Curtis.”
“We’re not serious,” Ashlyn protested.
Brooklyn raised an eyebrow. “Does he know that? Because the way he keeps his eyes on you says differently.”
“Of course he does. That’s just how he is. He’s very…intense.”
“Uh-huh, keep telling yourself that.”
Ashlyn opened her mouth to protest, but Slate returned before she could say anything else.
“Here you go. Can I bring them inside for you?”
“Yes, please,” Brooklyn said with a smile, stepping out of the way and raising both eyebrows at Ashlyn the second Slate turned to place the box of Pull-Ups just inside the door.
She just smiled at the other woman.
“Thanks again for the meals. I can’t wait to try them.”
“Of course. I’ll see you on Friday,” Ashlyn told her, leaning over and carefully placing Curtis on the porch. When his mom opened the door, he ran into the house with a screech and didn’t look back.
“Jeez, he’s on a roll today. Thanks again, and I’ll see you Friday,” Brooklyn said as she headed inside to wrangle her toddler.
When they got back into the car, Slate was smiling at her.
“What?” Ashlyn asked.
“Nothing.”
“Come on, what?” she cajoled.
“You looked good with him.”
She knew exactly who Slate was talking about. “I could say the same about you. I stand by my earlier statement, you’d make a great dad.”
“She’s nice, but she’s struggling,” Slate said next.
“I know. I wish I could do more for her.”
“You’re doing more than a lot of people are. And I noticed you didn’t tell her that you bought those Pull-Ups.”
Ashlyn shrugged. “She’s proud. And it wasn’t a big deal for me to pick up a pack at the store when I was there last.”
“I regret not doing this before now,” Slate said.
“Doing what?” Ashlyn asked as she started the car.
“Coming with you. Seeing the people you help. If I had, I might not have given you such a hard time about the deliveries.”
His words meant a lot. “Thanks.”
“I mean it. They clearly care a lot about you, and you obviously worry about them. They’re lucky to have you in their corner.”
“Well, you’ve only met one client,” Ashlyn said, almost embarrassed by his praise. “They aren’t all as friendly as Brooklyn and her kids.”
“Bet they’re still appreciative though,” Slate said. “Where to next?”
The afternoon passed quickly. It was nice to work side-by-side with Slate. As Ashlyn warned, not all her clients were overly friendly, but they all seemed glad to see her and grateful for the food.
It was close to five o’clock when she pulled up in front of the last house. “I saved James for last,” she told Slate. “He’s gonna be super excited to meet you and will probably want to talk about the Navy. Is that okay? Do you need to get back?”
“It’s fine,” Slate said. “I’ve heard you talk about him so much, I feel like I already know him. You want to grab dinner after we check back in with Lexie at Food For All?”
Ashlyn nodded. “Sure.”
“Hearing you talk about the veggie pocket sandwich and lemon pepper chicken all day has my stomach growling.”
She laughed. “Come on, I’m sure James is waiting for us. He has a chair right by the window in front so he can see all the people coming and going in the neighborhood.”
This time when they walked toward the door, Slate held her hand as he carried the remaining meal with the other.
James opened the door before they’d reached it. “How’s my favorite girl doing?” he asked with a grin.
Ashlyn dropped Slate’s hand and carefully embraced the older man. His back was rounded with age and his white hair was in disarray on his head. He had scruff on his face from not shaving for a day or so, and there were stains on his shirt. But the welcome she got from him every time she came by was so genuine, his disheveled appearance didn’t even faze her.