Mansfield Ellington strode over with a warm smile, setting a te of pastries on the side table. "Of course. Is someone''s little tummy hungry?"


    "Yes!" Evelyn''s eyes were glued to the pastries, unable to hide her excitement.


    Eleanor couldn''t help butugh at her daughter''s eagerness. "Say thank you to Mr. Ellington before you dig in!"


    "Thank you, Mr. Ellington," Evelyn said politely, taking the small roll Mansfield offered her. She took a big, happy bite. "This is delicious!"


    Mansfield watched Evelyn''s satisfied face, his eyes softening with a gentle smile. He settled into the chair across from them. "How was work today? Did Garrison give you any trouble?"


    Eleanor smiled. “Not at all. We had a good talk, and the experiments are on track."


    She noticed Mansfield watching her and, suddenly self-conscious, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and gazed up at the night sky. "You can''t see this many stars in the city. The Milky Way is so clear here."


    He nodded in agreement. "Out here, you can see them every night."


    "Thank you for taking such good care of us," Eleanor said gratefully. She''d felt nervous about bringing her daughter along, but everything Mansfield arranged had been thoughtful and considerate-from thefortable amodations to, like tonight, making sure Evelyn got something to eat when she hadn''t had much at dinner.


    "It''s the least I can do," Mansfield replied sincerely. "You''re here serving your country. I''m just making things a little easier where I can."


    Eleanor smiled, but before she could say more, Evelyn suddenly wriggled in herp and pointed excitedly toward thewn.


    "Mom, look! Are those fireflies?"


    Eleanor''s face lit up with surprise. She hadn''t expected to see fireflies out here. "Yes, those are fireflies! Would you like Mr. Ellington to catch some for you?"


    "Yes! I want to catch them with Mr. Ellington!" Evelyn slid down from Eleanor''sp, bouncing with excitement. Eleanor stood and said, "I''ll go find a jar."


    Soon she returned with a ss jar. Out on the grass, Evelyn was already chasing fireflies with Mansfield. They caught a few and gently ced them in the jar, the little lights winking and dancing in the darkness—utterly enchanting.


    "Wow! Mr. Ellington, you''re amazing!" Evelyn was beaming with joy.


    Watching her daughter delight in something she could never experience in the city, Eleanor felt her own heart lighten.


    After they''d caught nearly a dozen fireflies and the night grewte, Mansfield crouched down to Evelyn''s level. "Remember to be good and listen to your mom, all right? I''m heading out now."


    "Okay!" Evelyn clutched her jar, over the moon with her new treasures.


    Mansfield straightened. "I have a meeting tomorrow morning, but I''ll be free after three. I''lle by to give you both a tour of the base."


    Eleanor nodded. "Thank you. Don''t worry about us-your workes first."


    Before leaving, Mansfield handed Eleanor a military walkie-talkie. "The cell signal is spotty out here. Keep this—you can reach me directly if you need anything."


    A wave of warmth washed over Eleanor. "Thank you."


    "Goodnight, Evelyn." Mansfield bent down and smiled at the little girl.


    "Goodnight, Mr. Ellington!" Evelyn waved her tiny hand.


    Eleanor watched as Mansfield''s figure melted into the shadows, just as her phone began to ring. It wasn.


    She hesitated, but picked up. "Is something wrong?"


    "I just wanted to check-how''s Evelyn settling in at the base?"n''s voice came through.


    "Evelyn, your dad''s on the phone." Eleanor put the call on speaker.


    "Hi, Daddy!" Evelyn called out as she ran over.


    "Are you having fun?"n asked.


    "It''s great! Mr. Ellington helped me catch a bunch of fireflies, and he brought me some yummy bread!" Evelyn said, her voice bubbling with excitement.


    "Daddy, I can''t talk long. I want to go look at my fireflies!" And with that, Evelyn dashed away.


    There was a pause, silence stretching for a few seconds. Thenn spoke, his tone suddenly cool. "It sounds like Major General Ellington is taking good care of you both."


    He hung up just as abruptly, leaving only the quiet of the night behind.