She looked down at it, then at the cobblestones between her boots, and when she spoke again her voice was only a little lower than before.
"Don't worry. I know this is a secret. I won't tell anyone."
"I know you won't." He gave her a warm, easy grin and meant it. His eyes had already dropped to the box. "What's that?"
"Oh." She blinked, then held it out toward him with both hands. The shy smile came back with a little more effort behind it. "Cookies. They're for you. A token of appreciation for all the work you do."
He lifted the lid.
Golden rounds lay in tidy rows with sugar glittering across their tops, still faintly warm. The smell of butter and vanilla rose out of the box and hit him so hard that his stomach actually clenched.
"Nellie, you're a lifesaver." He took one and bit it in half. It was crisp at the edge, soft and almost creamy at the center, with a hint of lemon at the back of it.
He closed his eyes.
