her surprise, Ruthy stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Thank you, honey.”
“It’s just food.”
The older woman looked confused, then gave her a sad smile. “That’s not what I meant. I’m grateful to you for being nice to my boy.”
Intrigued, Lisa asked, “What was he exactly? I mean, we see lots of veterans in here, but none like him. What happened to him?”
Ruthy didn’t respond, and she tried again. “He was a Navy SEAL.” Nothing. “Black ops. No, wait, he was a spy.”
“I really can’t tell you,” her boss confided while she banded a stack of twenties for the deposit. “I don’t know.”
“But he was military. I could tell that as soon as I laid eyes on him.”
Ruthy’s eyes flicked up to her, then back to the money she was counting.
“Has he always been so frustrating?” Lisa asked, feeling a little frustrated herself.
Finally, her boss stopped fanning bills and looked directly at her. “Seth is a wonderful, caring man who’s been through things you and I couldn’t begin to comprehend.”
Of course, Lisa thought with a mental forehead slap. Post-traumatic stress disorder. That explained his odd reactions to everyday occurrences, his hesitation with her when she was just trying to be friendly. He came across as cold and withdrawn because his emotions were literally frozen inside him.
“That’s so sad. I don’t know much about PTSD, but I could do some research online. Maybe if I understood it better, I could—”
“PTSD,” Ruthy scoffed, which was very unlike her. “That’s the least of his problems. Seth has lost his faith.”
“In what?”
“Everything. Anyone he hasn’t known his entire life, and even some people he used to know well.” Her voice had started to tremble, and she firmed her chin in an obvious attempt to keep back tears. “He thinks God deserted him.”
Lisa couldn’t imagine the closed-off handyman confiding that to anyone, not even his adoring aunt. “Seth told you that?”
Eyes glistening with sorrow, she nodded. “We were all together for Thanksgiving at my sister’s house. He was so sulky, barely talking to anyone, looking mad at the world. I couldn’t bear to see him that way, so I kept at him until we got down to the real problem.”
Frowning, Lisa said, “I remember when Matt was like that. It was awful knowing my big brother was so lost.”
“Lost,” Ruthy repeated. “That’s the word for Seth right now, but I’m not leaving it that way. I asked him to come here, hoping a new place would help him work through his troubles and get back to the way he used to be.”
Lisa smiled. “Does Santa know about you?”
“You’re distracting me.” Waving her away, Ruthy turned the stack of money over to begin counting again. But her pleased expression revealed how she felt about the compliment. “And that food is getting cold.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Lisa took the tray and turned toward the steps. “I won’t be long.”
“Stay up there and see if you can get him to take a break. I don’t want him wearing himself out,” she added in a worried tone.
“What makes you think he’ll listen to me?”
Ruthy laughed as if she’d just heard the world’s funniest joke. “Oh, honey, there’s not a man alive who wouldn’t drop whatever he’s doing to talk to you.”
“Not Seth,” Lisa grumbled. “He’s immune to my charm.”
As she headed upstairs, behind her she heard Ruthy mutter, “That’s what you think.”
* * *
Hearing light footsteps on the stairs, Seth expected it to be his aunt coming to check on him. When he glanced up from the oak plank he was measuring for a cut, he was shocked to see Lisa instead. Flustered by her unexpected visit, he stood up so fast he knocked his head on the sharp corner of the wall.
“Are you okay?” she asked, hurrying toward him.
“Yeah.” Rubbing his head, he added, “Just a klutz.”
While she looked up at him, he hoped she didn’t think he was a complete moron. To his relief, she smiled. “You’ve been working really hard up here, so I thought you might be hungry. I left the tray on that table in the hall so the food wouldn’t get sawdust in it.”
He’d been so focused on what he was doing, he hadn’t thought about food at all. The mention of it made his stomach rumble. “Actually, I’m starving.”
“Then I guess it’s a good thing I showed up when I did.”
Was it good? He hadn’t known her long, but he’d really enjoyed the brief time he’d spent with her. Lighthearted and chatty, she made him forget about everything but how much fun he had listening to her talk.
Then again, she probably had that effect on every guy within ten miles. Seth wished he could just relax and let things happen between them naturally, but he was painfully aware he couldn’t let himself get too attached to anyone in particular. He’d come a long way, but he didn’t think he was ready for a sassy handful like Lisa Sawyer. He knew for a fact she wasn’t ready for him.
That left them at friends, he supposed. For someone who felt adrift in his own life, there were much worse places he could find himself.
“It’s pretty dusty in here,” he said. “You don’t have a mask, so you should really stay out in the hallway.”
“Okay.”
After he’d closed the door behind them, she asked, “Should I get out of your hair, or would you like some company while you eat?”
In reply, he pulled up a wooden chair and brushed off the plaster dust that had accumulated while he was putting up Sheetrock in one of the rooms. When he motioned her to it, she smiled and sat down. “That new floor you’re putting down in there looks nice.”
“The old one was pretty beat-up,” he agreed as he pulled up another chair and started in on his stew. Humming appreciation, he said, “Aunt Ruth’s a great cook, but this has always been my favorite. Thanks for bringing it.”
“There’s plenty more if you want it. She always makes way too much.”
“Then she takes the leftovers to that shelter in Kenwood,” Seth added.
“That’s our Ruthy,” Lisa said fondly. “Feeding the world one mouth at a time.”
After swallowing some sweet tea, Seth said, “You really love her, don’t you?”
“Since I was a baby. She’s my godmother, and she insists I picked her the first time she held me.”
“She was a friend
