“You’ve been moping for a week,” Margaret said softly. “You want to tell me what happened?”
Lila sighed and leaned back against the couch cushions. “There’s nothing to tell. He left.”
“Without saying goodbye?”
“Without saying anything,” Lila whispered.
Margaret frowned. “Well, that’s not very gentlemanly.”
“No,” Lila said, her voice cracking. “It’s not.”
Her mother reached over and brushed a stray curl from Lila’s face. “Sweetheart, maybe there’s more to it. Maybe he had to leave suddenly.”
“Please, Mom.” Lila shook her head, tears stinging her eyes. “Don’t try to make excuses for him. I should’ve known better. I barely knew the man. A few weeks of pie and coffee-shop banter and suddenly I thought…” She broke off, pressing a hand to her eyes. “I thought there was something real.”
Margaret hesitated, then spoke gently. “Sometimes the heart gets ahead of the head. That doesn’t make you stupid, just human.”
“Well, I feel stupid,” Lila said flatly. “And I’m not going to do it again.”
“Do what?”
“Fall for someone who never planned on staying.”
Her mother’s sigh was quiet and sad. “Oh, honey. You can guard your heart all you want, but love has a way of sneaking through the cracks.”
Lila gave a humorless laugh. “Then I need better caulking.”
That earned a chuckle, but it faded quickly. Margaret stood and smoothed her coat. “I brought your favorite, apple crumble. You don’t have to eat it now.”
Lila nodded, her voice small. “Thanks, Mom.”
“Anytime.” Her mother stopped at the door. “Don’t shut everyone out, okay? People care about you.”
When the door closed behind her, the silence returned, only now, it felt heavier.
The next afternoon, Lila braved a trip to the grocery store.
The town was buzzing with pre-Thanksgiving chatter. Neighbors comparing recipes, kids tugging at carts, the scent of cinnamon pinecones wafting from an end-cap display.
She was halfway down the baking aisle when she heard a familiar voice.
“Oh, Lila!”
Lila turned to seeMrs. Jonesapproaching, a basket on one arm, with a face full of concern.
“Hi, Mrs. Jones,” Lila managed, forcing a smile.
“Have you heard from TJ?” Mrs. Jones asked.
Lila’s face fell.
“Oh, listen to me. Of course you haven’t. He up and flew out of here without so much as a proper goodbye. I could wring his neck for that.”
Lila blinked, caught off guard. “He didn’t tell you, either?”
“Barely a day’s notice,” Mrs. Jones said with a huff. “Something about loose ends in Cornwall and being gone a few weeks. To New Zealand, I suspect. I was hoping he’d at least stay through Thanksgiving. The boys were too.” She sighed and patted Lila’s arm. “He’s a good man, just… restless. Always has been. But that doesn’t make it easier, does it?”
Lila shook her head, her throat too tight to answer. There was no use denying she had a thing for TJ. Half the town probably knew.
