"Don't sound too thrilled about it," Ellen replies, shooting him a look that he can probably feel as she narrows her eyes at him. The relationship between Matt and the dog is a tentative one at best, but it'll be close to ruin if they come out and find the hut completely torn apart.

She catches a glimpse of his hand and moves to take it, gingerly holding his fingers to raise his knuckles up towards the light. "Oh, Matt."