“Less awful is a step forward.” Eleanor’s eyes went distant. “Hilda did love that house.”
“I didn’t realize how much,” Meryl admitted. “She wrote everything down. Plans, notes, little sketches. I found them in her journal.”
Eleanor nodded. “That sounds like Hilda. She was always making notes.”
There was a pause, not uncomfortable, but weightier than the conversation around them.
Then Eleanor said gently, “She used to say she wished you’d visited more.”
The words caught Meryl off guard. Guilt came sharp and quick.
“I should have,” she said. “I kept meaning to and then...”
Life, she could have said. Work. Distance. Habit. All the waysnotgoing had once felt easier than going.
Eleanor did not let her dwell there for long.
“But you’re here now,” she said, with the same quiet certainty she had used when she admired the illustration. “And that’s what counts.”
Meryl looked at her.
There was no reproach. Just kindness. She could see why Spencer loved his mom so much. Eleanor was kind, supportive, and open in a way Meryl’s mom never had been.
The conversation moved on, as family conversation does, but the words stayed with her.
By the time the evening began to drift toward goodnights and empty plates and drained glasses, Meryl no longer felt as though she had simply accompanied Spencer to dinner.
She felt, in some quiet and deeply unsettling way, as though she had been let in.
Chapter Sixteen – Spencer
That went better than expected,Spencer’s bear said as they headed back to the truck.
It sure did,Spencer agreed.
He’d even go so far as to call it perfect. His family had been warm, welcoming, and not overwhelming, treating Meryl as if she were already a part of the family. More importantly, Meryl seemed to have enjoyed herself.
Now, driving back to Pine Cottage, Spencer was ready to take the next step. Ready to tell Meryl everything.
Yes. It’s time,his bear said.
Spencer glanced over at Meryl. She was looking out the window, her profile softened by the moonlight filtering through the trees. She seemed more relaxed than she had even a few hours ago. Perhaps relieved, the dinner was behind her.
When they’d entered the restaurant, and she’d realized it was a private dinner rather than a party, he’d been worried she might have bolted. Or at least held it against him.
But she hadn’t.
“So, your verdict?” he asked.
“The food was incredible,” she said, turning to look at him.
“It was,” he agreed. “And my family? They weren’t too much?”
“No. Your family is wonderful,” she said with a nod. “I liked them.”
“And they liked you.” Spencer turned his attention to the winding mountain road, but he could feel her gaze still on him.
His bear rumbled with satisfaction.She fits in with them. She belongs.
