something wrong?”
“No,” she responded with a sigh. “My parents are both gone is all. Dad died a couple of years ago, and I miss him most at the holidays.”
Seth had pegged Lisa at about his age, and twenty-eight was way too young to have lost both parents. His heart twisted with an emotion he hadn’t felt in a long, long time: sympathy. “I’m sorry.”
“Me, too.” After a couple of seconds, she appeared to shake off the sadness and asked, “So, do you have any plans after you’re done here?”
“Not really.”
“But you’re not staying in Harland?” When he shook his head, she laughed. “Yeah, me neither. It was great growing up here, but I know every nook and cranny of this place. I want to get out and see some of the world.”
He managed a tight smile that he hoped told her he had no desire to pursue the subject of exploring any part of the world other than where he was currently standing. Thankfully, she switched tracks.
“Your parents must be so proud of you, coming to help out like this,” she said. “Not many people would drop what they were doing to take on this job all by themselves.”
Scooping gravy from the bottom of his bowl, he shrugged. “No big deal.”
“Seth, look at me.”
He dragged his eyes up to meet hers, and she rewarded him with another of her beautiful smiles. So far, he’d noticed six different versions, each one as amazing as the others. Not that he was counting.
“You’re a good guy, and what you’re doing to help Ruthy is really nice. Don’t sell yourself short.”
Her words were like salve to a soul that had taken more than its share of beatings, and he couldn’t help grinning. “Thanks.”
“Anytime. Do you want some more?” she asked, pointing to the bowl he’d scraped clean with the soft bread.
“No, I’m good. Thanks, though.”
Giving him a parting smile, she headed back downstairs. The scent of her perfume lingered where she’d been sitting, and he debated what fragrance it was. He wasn’t much for gardening, so he settled on something flowery. It made him think of summertime when he was younger, when the biggest decision he had to make was where the fish would be biting that day. And which fishing hole attracted the prettiest girls for swimming.
Those were the days, he thought with a sigh, full of simple plans and even simpler pleasures. It was a shame he hadn’t appreciated them more when he had the chance. Pushing the past into the rear of his mind where it belonged, he stood up and got back to work.
* * *
Wednesday afternoon, Seth caught up with Lisa while she was at the lunch counter, filling a long row of sugar shakers. “Are you busy?”
Pausing in midpour, she cocked an eyebrow at him. “Do I look busy?”
“Kinda.”
“Trust me, I’m not. Go ahead.”
“This morning at breakfast, Aunt Ruth told me she wants to change out all the drapes and bedding in the apartments I’m working on. Then she mentioned putting new trim and a feature wall in each one.” He made a sour face. “I know Gus carries all that decorating stuff, but I’m no good at figuring out what goes together. I was hoping you could help me out.”
Glancing up from her task, she smiled. “You don’t trust Gus to be your interior designer?”
“Not a chance. After seeing his store, I’m guessing he’s not any better at it than I am.”
“Well, it’s not like I’m doing anything important here.” Taking off her ruffled apron, she went to the pass-through and yelled into the kitchen. “Taking my break!”
A muffled response came back, and she joined him on the far side of the counter. “I’m all yours.”
Even though he knew the comment didn’t mean anything special, he liked the way that sounded. As they left the diner, Seth noticed how men’s heads turned when Lisa walked by. The attention didn’t seem to faze her, though. She was either oblivious to it or immune. Since her sparkle struck him as being completely natural, his guess was the latter.
“Don’t those garlands look nice?” she asked, pointing to workers suspended in two cherry pickers, stringing long boughs over Main Street. “They’re going to put lanterns in the upswing parts. That’ll be so pretty.”
“Yeah, this place really goes all out for the holidays. You don’t see that much anymore, with money being so tight.”
“People donate the funds to make it happen,” Lisa told him in a proud tone. “It’s important, so we make sure it gets done.”
“Gotta admire that.” As he pulled open the door of Harland Hardware, they were greeted by a unique version of “Carol of the Bells.”
“Are they banging on metal?” Lisa asked Gus, who was filling a rack with work gloves.
“Hammers on anvils,” he replied with a grin. “That’s the name of their band, too.”
Laughing, she shook her head. “Where do you find these albums?”
“Santa brings ’em.” Sliding the last pair of gloves in place, he asked, “What can I do for you two?”
Lisa didn’t answer, and Seth realized she was letting him take the lead. After months of enduring people’s well-intentioned coddling, he liked that she was allowing him to stand on his own. “Aunt Ruth wants some redecorating done in those apartments. Lisa’s here to make sure I don’t pick out anything stupid.”
Laughing, she patted his arm. “Why don’t you hang with Gus while I check out the new stock? When I find some things I think Ruthy will like, I’ll holler.”
“Works for me,” Seth agreed quickly.
After she’d gone, Gus gave Seth a knowing look. “That girl likes taking care of you, doesn’t she?”
Seth’s first impulse was to deny it, but after a second thought he had to admit Gus might be right. Because he didn’t want to consider it any further right now, he opted for an old military tactic. He turned the tables.
“Mind if I ask you something?” he asked as he followed Gus to the main counter.
“Sure. Might not get an answer, but fire away.”
“What’s going on with you and my aunt?”
Looking neither pleased nor angry, the old Marine studied him through narrowed eyes. “What makes you think there’s anything going on?”
Seth knew he’d hit the nail squarely on the head, but he shrugged to keep things casual. “You’re in the diner at least twice a day, and even if she’s up to her ears in orders she always takes your table herself.” Grinning, he added, “There’s a huge mug behind the counter with
