The second compliment made me a little uncomfortable. Not that he’d crossed a line or anything, but I liked it when he called me beautiful and it instantly made me feel guilty. It felt like maybe we were flirting, which then felt like cheating, but I knew it wasn’t. James was gone and had been for months now. Andthathit me like a ton of bricks. I was free to flirt again. I was free because I was no longermarried. But I didn’t want to flirt with Seth. I wanted to flirt with my husband. I wanted James back.
The awkward moment was saved by two young boys about age four screaming and crashing into Seth with toy swords.
“Whoa!” Seth called out and reached down to pick one of them up by the legs, expertly tossing him over his back so that the kid was hanging upside down.
The boy squealed with delight, and the other little one pouted. “I want a turn! Give me a ride, Uncle Seth!”
Seth motioned for me to step inside, and I did. Then he proceeded to run in circles while the little one he carried cackled wildly. The sight brought a smile to my lips.
“Are you Ella?” A female voice called my attention to the right, and I spun to find a woman in her mid-twenties with reddish brown hair smiling at me.
“I am!” I told her, holding out my hand.
She shook it. “I’m Sarah, Seth’s sister-in-law. Mother to these rugrats.” She pointed to the twin boys.
If Maggie or Seth had told her anything of my saga, it didn’t show. She wasn’t currently looking at me like I was a pathetic pregnant widow, so that was good.
“I hear that age is tough,” I told her.
She smiled. “Truthfully, every age has its moments, but as they get older, you get more sleep and it gets easier to function.”
I laughed. “I need about ten hours a night to be sane.”
She grinned, “Same.”
We fell into an easy conversation. She seemed to only know that I was a new neighbor who worked for Seth anddidn’t have a family to spend the holidays with. We talked about our favorite TV shows, baking, and all the animals I had on the farm. She got a kick out of my stories about Honey.
I met Seth’s younger brothers. They were all handsome and friendly. Derek was married to Sarah. He was a lawyer who lived in Connecticut, and the other brother, Mark, was a single fireman who lived in Montana. We were in the kitchen where Maggie was cooking, and Seth was setting the table when the conversation turned to my relationship status.
I’d forgotten to put my ring on this morning when I’d lotioned my hands. Sarah asked if I had a boyfriend, and my mind blanked.
“I’m…” I didn’t want to say it; I hated the wordwidow, and she’d been so easy and fun to talk with. I didn’t want to put a damper on the whole holiday. “Single,” I said and watched as Maggie shared a small look with Seth over by the stove.
Well, I wasn’t going to say married and have Sarah ask where my husband was. That would have gotten awkward quickly. But I regretted not saying widow the second the words left my mouth. Now, I looked like a fool in front of Maggie and Seth!
“You’re single?” Sarah exclaimed. “Well, you gotta go to the single twenties and thirties night at church. That’s next week, isn’t it, Maggie?” she asked. “I saw the flyer around here somewhere.”
The stack of forks that Seth had been holding slipped from his hand and clattered to the plate. My gaze flicked over to him, and he was rigid. Maggie gave a nervous laugh but confirmed that it was indeed next week.
Oh gosh. I’d dug a hole now.
“Oh… Well, I’m not reallysingle,”I amended.“Well, I am, but…” The room spun as anxiety washed over me. I hadn’t really had to say the W-word to a person I’d just met before.
Sarah looked confused, and Seth swooped in beside me.
“Unfortunately, Ella and I are in the same club.” He widened his eyes at his sister-in-law, and her face fell.
“Oh, Ella. I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
Thank God for his tactfulness and grace. I was clearly not prepared for this kind of talk.
I just nodded, unsure of what to say. I’d liked chatting with her before she had known I had some tragic past.
“Food’s ready!” Maggie broke the uncomfortable silence, and I sighed in relief.
We all gathered around the large table. Maggie, Seth, his two brothers, his sister-in-law, the twins, and two guys from work. It was a nice meal with all the fixings. I was starved, not used to eating for two, and quickly downed a full plate before grabbing seconds.
“Maggie, this is all so good,” I told her.
