The next morning, Jesse sipped his coffee at the cramped table in his father’s trailer. The caffeine better kick in soon because he didn’t get much sleep. He stared out the window over the field and pond. The sound of shuffling slippers announced his dad’s arrival.

“Morning, Dad.” Jesse got up and poured a second cup for his father.

“I like it black.” Bracing himself on the table for support, his father slowly sat down.

Jesse smiled. His father took his coffee black—always—yet he reminded Jesse each morning. “How about some toast and scrambled eggs?”

“Sounds great.” His father’s brow furrowed. “Have you seen Mom? I’m worried about her. She’s usually up by now making breakfast.”

“I’ll make breakfast.” Jesse cracked the eggs and scrambled them. The fork clacked against the metal bowl.

The cloudy look in his father’s eyes indicated he wasn’t going to have a good day. Jesse’s stomach pitched. A home nurse filled in the gaps now between his traveling and his sister’s schedule. But they had to speed up their search for a facility. They couldn’t seem to pull the trigger on the one they had found. The idea of letting his father down made him sick.

His father glanced at the wall clock. “We better head to the garage. Lots of work to do today.”

Jesse figured he’d take his father to the garage, just to occupy his time. Jesse could sort through some papers prior to listing the property with a real estate agent. The market for a garage in a small town wasn’t exactly booming.

Jesse’s mind drifted to his run-in with Chip last night. He hated the way Henry cowered in his dad’s presence. And quite frankly, he couldn’t see what Mary Clare ever saw in him, unless it was what he had represented to her: money and security.

A wry smile twisted Jesse’s lips. In the end, Chip had provided neither of those things. Jesse’s mother had left her family in pursuit of those exact same things. Yet she still seemed to be the same person when he talked to her on the phone. Hard to say if she was any happier.

A hollow feeling expanded in his chest, pressing on his lungs.

Could he make Mary Clare happy?

Jesse scooped a piece of butter with the knife and flung it in the pan. He watched the butter bubble on the hot surface. He picked up the pan and swirled the butter around to coat the bottom. He poured the eggs in, then started the toast. His father sat at the table with the newspaper spread out in front of him. He wondered how much his father retained. It amazed him how daily routines stuck even when memories didn’t.

After a few minutes, Jesse slipped the plate of food in front of his father and grabbed a fork from the drawer.

A soft knock sounded at the door. His father stopped with a fork of scrambled eggs halfway to his mouth. Jesse held out his hand. “Eat your breakfast, Dad. I’ll get it.”

Jesse tossed the pan into the stainless steel sink. Wiping his hands on the dish towel, he walked to the door. Through the smoky window, he saw Mary Clare’s profile. She seemed to be studying something off in the distance.

He tossed the dish towel over his shoulder and opened the door. He pushed the screen door open with his foot. “Hey there.” His gaze drifted past her to her luxury SUV sitting next to his twenty-year-old pickup truck.

“Hey.” She lifted a bare shoulder. She had on a blue tank top that matched her eyes.

“Come in.”

She stepped inside the small space. The heat from her body radiated, raising the temperature in the small space.

“I think it’s going to be a crank-the-AC kinda day.” Jesse stepped back to let her pass.

Jutting out her lower lip, she blew her bangs from her forehead. “At least you have air. My mom doesn’t believe in air. It’s stifling at her house.” She lifted her palm. “I’m horrible to even complain. Thanks to her, I have a place to stay.” She frowned. “But I hate being hot.” She glanced past him. “Morning, Mr. Thorpe. How are you?”

“Great. No complaints. Never felt better.” He put his fork down and seemed to study her. “I’ve never had a sick day in my life.”

Mary Clare cut Jesse a sideways glance. She turned her warm smile on his father. “Lucky man.” Jesse invited her to join them and she took the seat across from his father. “Did Jesse make you breakfast?”

His father narrowed his gaze, seemingly trying to process what she was saying. Mary Clare reached up and touched Jesse’s arm and his father followed the gesture. His face lit up. “Ah yes, Jesse made me breakfast. Would you like some?”

“Oh, no, I’ve already eaten. Can I borrow your son? I need to talk to him.”

“Sure.” His father picked up the paper and fussed with the creases before folding it just right. Jesse grabbed a pencil out of the junk drawer in the kitchen and handed it to his dad. Every night, the word puzzle had fewer letters in the empty boxes.

Jesse tipped his head toward the door. “We can talk out back.”

“Have a good day, Mr. Thorpe,” Mary Clare said before she allowed Jesse to take her by the hand. Man, he missed this woman.

Outside, the soft breeze blew the long grass on the field beyond their immediate yard. Jesse sat on the glider and pulled her down next to him. “What brings you to my neck of the woods?”

She bowed her head slightly and her long red hair flowed over her shoulder and rested just above the rise of her breast. “I wanted to apologize. Chip gets all pompous and smug when he feels threatened.”

“Threatened by who? Me?” Jesse smirked. Chip’s an ass.

“Of course. He’s not blind. He sees the attraction and he wants to insert himself.”

Jesse reached out and traced a finger along the crease on her forehead. “I’m glad, because then he must think I’m worth being a jerk over.”

Mary Clare playfully punched the top of his thigh. “I’ll give you his cell phone number. You two can go out on a date.”

“Ha ha.” Jesse leaned over and playfully nudged her shoulder.

“Something else I thought I should tell you.”

“Yeah?” Jesse’s eyes widened.

“I got a job teaching at Blessed Trinity.”

“Really? That’s great. So you’re staying in Mills Crossing?” His mind raced. “That wasn’t part of the plan.”

She shook her head. “No, seems my life doesn’t want to follow any sort of plan. But I thought you should know.”

“I appreciate that.” He wondered where that left him, but he didn’t want to force the issue. It was obvious she had a lot on her mind. And there was the issue of his job out in California. She might be in Mills Crossing, but he would be less and less, especially once his dad was settled into a long-term facility. Someone had to pay for it.

Mary Clare traced the chipped paint on the arm of the glider. “I didn’t want you to think I lied to you when I said I was going back to Buffalo and then ended up staying here.”

“I wish things could have been different. Our timing just sucks.”

“That’s true.” She bit her lower lip and looked at him thoughtfully. “Perhaps it’s just as well. I need to learn to stand on my own two feet.” She sighed heavily. “I wanted to thank you for a great summer.”

Jesse cupped her cheek and brushed his thumb along her jaw line. “I had a great summer, too.” He frowned and stood up before he did something he might regret. “I better get back in to my dad.”

Mary Clare nodded her head briefly. “He’s lucky to have you.”

Jesse wanted to believe her, but feared he was failing his dad.