Cora chuckles. “All grown up and causing me no end of trouble. She’s away visiting friends two towns over. I’m sorry you’ve missed her. She’d have loved to have seen you.”
“And Mark, how’s he?” I ask, referring to the drunk she remarried.
“Oh, sweetie, I kicked that man out a few years back.”
I let out a sigh of relief.
“I should have done it sooner. Trent hated him. But sometimes we have to wait until we are ready to make a change. We can’t force it.”
I let her words sink in, understanding them all too well.
She pats my leg and smiles. “So, tell me all about your life. I hear you moved to London.”
I narrow my eyes, wondering how she knows.
“Yes, I work for my dad’s security company. I love it.”
“And that twin brother of yours, he’s settled down now?” I chuckle. “Yes, Harry’s married now to the perfect girl. He’s happy.”
She takes my hand in hers and gives it a squeeze. “And what about you, are you happy?” she asks, searching my face.
I nod slowly. “Yes. I wasn’t for a really long time, but now I can finally say that I am.”
She smiles a smile that finally reaches her eyes and strokes my hair in that motherly way. “My son loved you with his whole heart. I know he wasn’t very good at saying it, or maybe even showing it. He was a wild one, a free spirit. But the way he looked at you, the way he talked about you, you grounded him in ways no one else ever could.”
A lone tear trickles down my cheek as I listen.
“I loved your son. Very much. And I miss him every day.” I sniff.
“I know you did, and I’m so grateful he had you. But don’t let the love you had for him stop you from falling in love again. It’s okay to fall in love again, Tori. You’re too young, too beautiful, and have so much to live for to let your spirit die with him.”
I close my eyes, the tears now rolling thick and fast. She swipes them away in that tender way only a mother could.
“I’m scared to,” I say, never having admitted those words out loud.
“I know, sweetie. But love is scary. Hell, life is scary. But don’t let the fear win. There is someone out there who wants to love you in all the ways you deserve to be loved. So let him.”
She releases the hold she has on me and takes a sip of her tea as I try to digest the words she didn’t say.
Does she know something?
“I’m sorry about the state of the place. Noah has been away so much, he hasn’t been able to stop by to spruce the place up in a while.”
I blink rapidly. “Noah? He comes to see you?” I say with a stammer.
“Oh yes, Noah comes round when he can. Does odd jobs. Built that shed out there.” She points to what looks like a newly built shed that’s been painted an olive green. “He fixed this porch swing, replaced the doors on the old barn, and so many more things.”
I sit there trying to understand. Noah has been helping Trent’s mom all this time?
“He helps me around the farm, and I pay him with home-cooked meals and motherly advice.” She says it with a wink, and my breath gets caught in my throat.
Oh, she knows.
“I erm…” I am at a loss for words.
“Noah was a very lost soul when you left for London, but he knew it was what you needed. It took him a long time to let go of his guilt, but he got there. I told him what I just told you. Just promise me you will both listen to this wise old woman.”
My heart races, my hands tremble as I try to get a grip on my emotions.
