We turned at the same time, and I plastered a smile on my face as soon as I saw her. She looked tired, but she was grinning - I wondered how long she’s been watching the two of us.

I remembered her coy little smile in the car on the way back from the funeral as she asked if I knew him, and wondered how much of this she had planned.

She must have known I’d be visiting regularly - there was no doubt that she would take the opportunity to try and get us spending time around each other if she wanted to set us up.

She, like Dad, rarely found much to like about my boyfriends - not that I could blame her. None of them were exactly the types to charm the pants off my parents.

“Hey, Mom,” I made my way over to her and gave her a hug, holding the glass away from her head so I didn’t end up accidentally dousing her with ice tea. “How’re you doing?”

“I’m okay, honey,” she blinked up at me, the brief moment of sadness in her eyes quickly dissipating. “When did you get here?”

“I came over after work,” I replied, and glanced at Logan out of the corner of my eye. I just…fuck, he was the kind of guy you found yourself forced into paying attention to.

Though he was simply standing quietly behind me, letting the two of us talk, his presence felt almost invasive because I was having such trouble keeping my eyes to myself.

“Were you helping Logan out in the garden?” She took my hands and turned them over, picking at the dirt under my nails.

“Yeah, it’s been a while since I was out here,” I smiled at her. “I should do it more often.”

“Damn right you should,” she dropped my hands and made her way back inside the house. “I see you’ve already helped yourself to some ice tea.”

I followed her in, and looked over at Logan, jerking my head towards the house to indicate that he should follow me.

He dropped the shovel and did as he was told. He was obviously a calming presence on my mother, and I appreciated having him around to comfort her.

Mom had already begun to unpack the groceries when I arrived, and I jumped and started helping her.

Logan leaned up against the doorframe, slightly awkward, as there wasn’t enough room for him to jump in and help. He sipped his ice tea, and the ice cubes bumped up against the glass.

“Logan, thanks so much for your help today,” Mom beamed over at him over the top of the refrigerator door. “But I think I’m all set for today.”

“Anything else I can do for you this week?” He asked, placing his glass down next to the sink after draining the last few drops.

“I need some compost picked up from the other side of the town,” she replied, wrinkling her face up slightly. “It’s quite a drive, but if you...“

“Don’t worry, Mom, I’ll do it,” I jumped in.

“Really, it’s no problem,“ Logan accidentally spoke over me.

“Well, why don’t you both do it, then?” She looked between us. “At least then you’ll have someone to talk to on the drive over.”

Logan and I exchanged a look - a small smile curled at the corner of his lips.

“Sure,” I replied before I had a chance to back out, not taking my eyes from Logan once. “That sounds good.”

“Meet you here tomorrow?” He suggested.

“I finish work at five,” I replied. “You want to meet me there?”

“I don’t see why not,” he bowed his head. “I’ll get the address off Mrs. Tennison.”

“Uh, see you then, I guess,” I watched as he made his way past us and towards the front door, nodding politely at my mom as he went. As soon as the door shut behind him, I turned to Mom.

“Are you trying to set us up?” I demanded, and she shot me an amused look.

“Just because I’m not averse to you spending time together doesn’t mean I’m trying to hook you up,” she replied.

“That doesn’t mean what you think it does, Mom,” I rolled my eyes.

“Well, whatever,” she dismissed me with a wave of her hand. “I just think he’s a nice boy. I appreciate having a male presence in the house.”

“I’m sure you do,” I raised my eyebrows at her pointedly, and she hit me lightly on the arm.

“Stop with your nonsense,” she scolded me. “He’s being very kind, and I’m grateful to have him around.”

“How was he…with Dad?” I asked. Even saying his name was hard, and I saw Mom flinch at the reminder that he was no longer with us.

“He was wonderful with your father,” she replied quietly. “Kind, generous - they would sit and talk for hours. It was strange when I would speak to his mother about him back when you were both in high school - she only had bad things to say about him.“

“He was in juvie,” I reminded her. “For a long time.”

“Even so,” she cut across me. “That family treated him as though he was a bad person and he just acted up to it. I was surprised when he first came around, considering everything I heard, but…he’s a good boy.”

“I never thought I would hear anyone say that about Logan,” I snorted to myself.

“I remember you girls not minding him being a bad boy when you were in high school,” she reminded me. “You didn’t seem to mind one bit, in fact.”

“Yeah, well, we were kids!” I protested futilely.

“Honey, you’re still both kids to me now,” Mom reminded me playfully. “Anyway, help me get the pantry stocked.”

We finished unpacking the rest of the shopping, and then we cooked some dinner together (spaghetti and meatballs, a family favorite) before I texted Ellis for a lift back to my place.

He arrived half an hour later, and I planted a kiss on Mom’s dozing head before heading out the door. I spotted Ellis parked a little way down the street. I hurried along to his car and flopped into the front seat.