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I can’t help but chuckle at his self-deprecating humor. It’s endearing.

“Well, first things first, and I’m assuming you don’t mind me organizing things, we need to make a guest list. Who are the people you want to surround yourself with, the ones who have been there for you through thick and thin?”

Dan furrows his brow, lost in thought for a moment. “I guess there’s my brother, James. He’s always had my back. And maybe some of the guys from the boat club, the ones who knew Rebecca…”

His voice trails off, and I can see the pain flicker across his face at the mention of his late wife. Instinctively, I reach out and place my hand on his, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“That’s a great start,” I say softly, my thumb tracing circles on his skin. “And what about Chloe’s friends? I’m sure she’d love to have some of her classmates over for the party, and you could get to know their parents.”

Just then, Chloe bounds down the stairs, her face alight with excitement. “Did I hear something about a party?” she asks eagerly.

“Rachel here has convinced me to throw a housewarming,” Dan explains, still sounding a bit hesitant.

“A housewarming party? For me?” Chloe practically squeals with delight.

“For us, actually,” he corrects.

“Whatever. A party! Oh my gosh, that would be amazing!”

She spins around the room, already bubbling over with eagerness. “We could have a DJ and dancing! And snacks! Ooh, what about a sundae bar?”

Her enthusiasm is infectious, and I can’t help but grin. This is exactly the reaction I’d been hoping for.

“See?” I say to Dan, my smile triumphant. “Told you she’d be thrilled.”

Dan shakes his head, but I can see a smile tugging at his lips. “Alright, alright. I can see I’m outnumbered here.”

“Yes!” Chloe exclaims, rushing over to hug him tightly. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! This is going to be epic. When can we have it?”

As I watch their embrace, a thought occurs to me. “Hey Dan, what kind of budget are we looking at for this shindig?”

He waves a dismissive hand. “Don’t worry about that. We’ll make it work.”

I raise an eyebrow. “I appreciate the sentiment, but parties can add up fast. Why don’t we keep it simple? We could do a potluck, have people bring dishes to share. And I can pick up some balloons, streamers, that kind of thing. Doesn’t have to be fancy to be fun.”

Dan looks at me, a mix of gratitude and something else I can’t quite place in his eyes. “I appreciate it. But if we’re going to do it, let’s do it properly.”

“Okay then. Let me get some quotes and put together a plan.”

“Whoa, whoa. I’m not expecting you to organize everything. I can manage?—”

“Tell me, Dan,” I interrupt him, “when was the last time you threw a party? No, scrap that. When was the last time you even attended a party?”

He laughs, “Oh, come on. A keg in the corner, popcorn, beer pong, some sodas for the kids… how hard can it be to organize a few drinks?”

“What you’ve just described is a fraternity bash. That isnota party. Look, trust me on this. Leave it with me and I’ll wow you.”

“I feel like I should contribute at least.”

“You are contributing! You’re paying for it. But please, I need this. I need a project to work on, otherwise I’ll just be sitting in my motel room having an existential crisis while I wait for the ash cloud to pass.”

“Well, okay then. When you put it like that.”

“Thank you. But we still need a date. Any birthdays coming up, or significant dates?—”

Dan’s eyes widen as a thought strikes him. “You know what? Let’s do it this weekend. Why wait?”

I nearly drop the pen I’m holding. “This weekend? But it’s Wednesday! We’d need to pull everything together in just a few days and?—”