Levi’s brows pulled together. “Wait, your husband died?” he asked, suddenly afraid he was stating the obvious. But Levi had met Tilly’sex-husband, and he didn’t remember hearing anything about both his fatherandTilly being widows.
She waved him off with a sweep of her hand. “Of course not,” she said. “But if you wish for something hard enough, it can happen, right?”
The small gathering of people laughed.
“You set her up for that one, Levi,” Hope commented. “But then again, she baited you.” She sighed. “So he doesn’t think we are a bunch of theoretical mourners—ornon-mourners—do you feel comfortable sharing the actual reason you’re here?”
Tilly sighed. “I’m lucky. I don’t know yet what it’s like to lose someone close to me. But the man I love losthiswife about a decade ago, and I’m just trying to understand him better by talking with all of you.”
Levi’s chest squeezed. Wow. He wasnotexpecting that, the love part or that she would give up her Saturday mornings to learn more about his father from people who’ve experienced something close to what his father experienced in losing Levi and Matteo’s mother.
“Does my father know you do this?” Levi asked tentatively, and Tilly nodded.
“He and Matteo used to come together, when Hope first got here.” Tilly shrugged. “One day Denny asked if I wanted to come along, and I’ve been coming ever since.”
Levi’s throat tightened. His father and Matteo did grief counseling.Together.And Levi had no idea. Suddenly, despite being back in Summertown for the first time in years, he felt a million miles away.
“They still attend,” Hope added, directing her attention to the still-stunned Levi. “But only on occasion, when they feel like they have something to work out.”
The air in the otherwise spacious room felt thinner, like he couldn’t fill his lungs enough to form words. So he nodded, letting everyone know he’d heard what Hope had said, but that was all he had in him at the moment.
“Why don’t we go around the circle from Tilly,” Hope suggested. “Clockwise, so we can give our new member a few minutes to get ready to share.” She smiled encouragingly at Levi, and he forced what he hoped resembled a smile in return.
Around the circle they went, Old Man Wilton explaining what a wonderful woman his wife was and having been perfectly content to live out the rest of his years with the animals on his farm—until he’d wandered into Mrs. Pinkney’s sweet shop with a hankering for one of her almond-coconut clusters just before closing, and she invited him to dinner.
“I was tired of eating alone,” Old Man Wilton told them. “Turned out she was too.”
Dawson Hayes grunted something about losing his father. The woman next to him—Levi was pretty sure she owned the candleshop—had recently lost an aunt. Another claimed to be from Middleton, the next town over and sometimes Summertown rival. She was mourning her twenty-year-old dachshund named Oscar…as inMayer Weiner.
Everyone there so readily shared a quick snippet about the person—or pet—they missed. Tilly Higginson was the only one there to support a loved one who’d experienced loss. And finally, it was Levi’s turn.
All eyes were on him, which shouldn’t have mattered. He’d stood up in front of five classes of judgmental teens the day before and barely flinched when he went over the syllabus with his health class and had to mention the wordprophylactic. Hell, on NCAA football game days, he didn’t even notice the ESPN cameras anymore. But this was…a lot.
“Whenever you’re ready, Levi,” Hope told him when he still hadn’t uttered a sound.
He drew in a breath and opened his mouth, but he was upstaged by a metal crash and clatter just outside the door. The whole group rubbernecked in the direction of the disturbance.
Levi caught sight of a familiar running shoe and purple spandex-clad leg as the disturber tried to flee.
“Haddie?” he called.
Hope was already out of her seat and striding toward the door where a folding chair—one Levi remembered passing as he strode through the door—now lay toppled in front of the entryway.
“Hello,” Hope said as a pink-cheeked Haddie spun back toward the door, a chagrined smile on her face. She lifted the chair and setit back in its upright position beside the door and let out a nervous laugh.
“I wasn’t…” Haddie started. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.” She shrugged. “Figured I could just lurk for a bit before deciding whether or not I wanted to come in.”
Hope held out a hand, and Haddie shook it. “You’re welcome to lurkinside,” Hope assured her in a reassuring tone. “We still have a few more chairs to fill.”
Haddie’s eyes met Levi’s, then darted away just as quickly.
What was Haddie even doing here? Had she followed him? He wasn’t sure that was even possible, considering her running shoes weren’t in their usual resting spot beside the front door when he’d left, which meant she’d already been gone. But then…why?
Haddie untied the hoodie around her waist and shrugged it over her shoulders, shoving her hands in the kangaroo pocket as she let Hope lead her inside. She chose a chair that was neither near Levi nor in his direct line of sight, but it didn’t matter. Her presence was suddenly true north, and Levi the needle of a compass with no choice but to follow.
“Feel free to introduce yourself and tell what brings you to the group,” Hope encouraged after taking her own seat again. “Or you can get your bearings while Levi does his introduction since it’s technicallyhisturn.”
“She can go first,” Levi blurted out. “I’m totally okay with that.”
