Oh that was handy. Torie nodded, beaming. "I'll have to go when you return." She warned. Her ten minutes was nearly up, but this was a good opportunity to stash the ribbon without it being obvious. This had been a good decision after all. Now she was going to have to figure out what to tell the other ladies when she returned to the sleepover. She could hide the reading in her pockets, but did she tell the truth about where she'd gone? What would the rest of the girls think about her choice? Did she care? It would be a split-second decision, if they even asked. She would have proof she'd gone somewhere, the ribbon and the stories if she needed them.

Speaking of the ribbon, Torie loosened it all of the way, tucking most of it between the cushion and arm of the chair she'd been sitting in. Her braid loosened over her shoulder, but did not come obviously undone.

Standing as he returned, her smile softened a little. "I'll be certain to get them back to you." Torie pulled the shawl tighter around her shoulders and took the offered book. "And thank you for the warm reception. I do appreciate it." Her assumption that this would have been a safe space was even further cemented by her newfound knowledge of him. The more she learned about him, the more delightfully intrigued she was.