Steve was on his feet even as she asked, knowing there was no chance of her making it before her phone just sent it to voicemail. Even on two good legs, he could be too late. But he was the few steps down the hall quickly, grabbing her phone and, without a thought, hitting answer on the screen.

He at least had the sense to just tell whoever it was to hang on one second while he returned to the kitchen table to hand it over.

Without a word he moved to start tidying up, giving her some sense of privacy for the call while still being nearby if she needed him for anything. Exactly as he’d done for her earlier. Steve was setting a trend, an expectation, and it was exactly what he’d want to set.

He wanted her to know he was nearby, available, if she needed anything. But he trusted her to take care of herself.