Sitting across from her, Danielle couldn't help but laugh at the sheer enthusiasm on Niki's face.
She picked up her fork, carefully slicing a piece of salmon and double-checking for bones before placing it onto Niki's plate. "Slow down, you're going to choke."
Niki nodded, swallowing a mouthful of food before excitedly blurting out, "Mom, winter break is coming up! I want to go skiing!"
"Everyone in my class says skiing is the best!"
Danielle blinked in surprise, then smiled and nodded. "Alright. Once you're one hundred percent better, I'll take you."
"Yes!"
Niki clapped her hands together, her eyes sparkling. "Can we bring Raffy, too? I want to build a snowman with him!"
Danielle's heart gave a slight tug. It was true—Raffy had been staying at the main house for a while now. She wondered how he was holding up.
Setting her fork down, she pulled out her phone. "Of course. Let me call and see if he wants to go."
The line connected quickly, and Bianca's warm voice came through the speaker. "Danielle! Calling this late—is everything okay?"
"Hi, Bianca. I just wanted to see if Raffy was around," Danielle said softly. "Niki misses him and wants to invite him skiing."
"Oh, he's right here," Bianca chuckled. "He was just talking about Niki a minute ago."
"Hold on, let me put him on."
A few seconds later, Raffy's sweet voice drifted through the line. "Mom. Niki."
"Raffy!"
Niki snatched the phone, basically yelling into the speaker. "Winter break is coming! Mom is taking me skiing, do you want to come?"
"We can build snowmen and have snowball fights!"
There was a brief pause on the other end before Raffy answered, his voice bright with laughter. "Yeah, I want to go."
"Yay!"
Niki cheered, chatting happily with Raffy for a few more minutes before reluctantly handing the phone back.
Danielle smiled as she spoke to Bianca again. "Alright, as soon as break starts, we'll come pick Raffy up."
"Sounds wonderful," Bianca replied. "You all go have a blast. I'll stay out of your hair."
After hanging up, Danielle watched Niki sprint around the living room in pure joy. A sudden thought crossed her mind.
Maybe... she could ask Alexander if he wanted to make it a family trip?
The moment the idea formed, she pulled up his contact. She hesitated for a second before pressing call.
The phone rang endlessly, but went straight to voicemail. Danielle gripped the device a little tighter, a wave of disappointment washing over her.
She let out a quiet sigh.

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