Her eyebrows lift -- so much for her attempts at subtlety -- but she does relax a little at his reassurance. She can't imagine last-minute shoppers will be happy to hear he won't be whipping up anything unique over the next few days, but she also doesn't think they have much right to their hypothetical disappointment. It's not his fault if his would-be customers have abysmal time management skills.

With a soft sigh of resignation, she prepares herself to head back inside. There'll be a sitter to deal with, and dogs to let out, and a daughter who will want to hear everything before she consents to being tucked in. But Thomas catches her hand, and she turns back to him with a faintly quizzical smile.

"The day won't end just because we go in," she points out. But it has been a lovely evening, and she's inclined to be indulgent. So she steps back toward him, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.