I swallow.
The letter presses against my ribs, trying to be remembered.
I haven’t talked about it out loud yet. Haven’t said the words. But they’re there, folded and unfolded so many times that the creases feel permanent.If you ever find the place you can breathe again…
I wrap my hands around my mug a little tighter.
Dottie watches me. “You’ve really got her eyes,” she says softly. “Same way of looking at things, like you’re taking mental notes.”
I smile, even though my throat feels thick. “She taught me how.”
“I’m sure she did,” Dottie replies. “She had opinions about everything worth loving.”
“That kind of woman leaves a mark,” Ivy says gently. “I didn’t know your grandmother, but I bet she loved this town.”
I nod, because if I try to explain what it feels like to carry someone like that inside you, I might not stop.
Dottie straightens at last, smoothing imaginary wrinkles from her skirt. “Now let me get a look at that baby.”
Eventually, the afternoon starts to thin out.
The triplets are bundled back onto their stroller. Pickle is bribed with a treat and a promise. Ivy hugs me like we’ve known each other longer than forty-five minutes, which somehow feels correct. Lani presses a pastry into my hand “for later,” like she’s afraid I’ll disappear if she doesn’t anchor me with carbs.
Zane rises from his table the moment I stand. “Ready?”
“Yeah.”
Outside is colder than it was earlier, or maybe I just notice it more now that the café’s warmth is behind me. The town square hums softly. Voices, footsteps, a dog barking somewhere down the street. Normal sounds. Reassuring ones.
We walk back toward The Hollow, and my shoulders aren’t around my ears.
I feel steadier.
Zane gives me a sidelong glance, his expression easy but curious. “So, Ivy and the kids, huh? They seem… energetic.”
I laugh, shaking my head. “That’s putting it mildly. But they’re good people. Like a whirlwind of chaos and love all at once. You’ve got to see it to believe it.”
He nods, his lips twitching slightly in amusement. “Sounds like my kind of crowd. Maybe I should introduce myself next time.”
I grin, feeling the tension ease a little. “You should. You need to be more involved in the community now that you live here and own the bar.”
Zane’s eyes soften slightly, that calm about him making me feel less like I’m standing on shaky ground. “Yeah, it’s a lot to take in. But sometimes… the right people make the rest of it feel easier.”
Something pulls my attention sideways.
Two blocks down.
Parked at the curb like it belongs there.
My stomach drops.
The truck.
Same dull paint. Same shape. Same wrongness.
My steps slow without my permission.
“Zane,” I say quietly.
