"Oh, dear girl."
She could feel Missus March's hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry. You can't hurt them."
It took Seaton a moment to calm her anxiety.
Her ex-husband and her mother were masters of passive aggressive behaviors.
If the groceries had belonged to either of them, they would have laid into her.
Missus March didn't do that. She stood there beside her, gently rubbing her back. "It's really okay, Seaton. It's just some cans. Nothing to worry over."
It took an embarrassingly long time for her to relax and pick up the cans that had hit the ground.
Seaton kept her gaze on the ground as she retrieved the cans and stacked them in the trunk. "Here I am," she sighed, "trying to help and I made a huge mess of it."
Missus March's voice softened. "Seaton, sweetheart..."
"I'm okay." Seaton squeezed her eyes shut, but tears leaked out at the corners of her eyes. "I'm okay."
Turning her head away, she wiped her forearm over her eyes and then the heel of her hand.
When she believed she'd wiped away her tears, she stood and gathered the cans into her arms. Turning, she tried to avoid the older woman's eyes. "So, where can I put these?"
Seaton knew that her voice wasn't as easy as it should be. Her face must hold at least a hint of strain.
But Missus March helped her pretend that it didn't exist. "Come," she grinned, "I'll open the door and if you don't have anywhere to head off to at the moment, maybe you'll let me cook you lunch. It'll be nice to catch up with you."
Seaton's instinct was to excuse herself and head back across the street, but she knew how silent her house would be now that she was on her own.
Yes, there were times when silence was golden.
And then there were times, like this, where silence... silence made her home feel empty.
"Okay," Seaton nodded. "I'll stay for dinner, if you let me help you with things around the house."
Missus March brightened at the idea. "Wonderful!"
The elderly woman walked at her side up to the porch and deftly opened the lock on her front door before swinging it open and standing aside for Seaton to pass by.
"There are things on upper shelves that give me a conniption every time I think about getting them down."
Sutton scuffed the bottoms of her shoes on the mat before the door before stepping in. "Happy to help."
And she was, because there were people who welcomed her into their lives.
Those people she was happy to help.
Just to feel their smiles like sunlight, she would gladly help them.
Her life had been pretty dark for a long time and she wanted to lean into that light.
CHAPTER 2
CADDO
He'd often wondered when he was in high school why he wasn't named Murphy, since Murphy's Law had always been a close companion during his teen years. There were a few broken bones that he could have done without. Yet, the lessons he'd learned during that time was immeasurable.
