“It was a hard one for you, wasn’t it?”

I looked up to see Tracy standing in the doorway, watching me. I hadn’t even heard her come in.

“What?”

She moved deeper into the room, sad understanding on her face. She didn’t go to her normal seat. Instead, she leaned against the wide doorframe that separated the little kitchenette from the meeting space, groaning a little as she shifted and maneuvered until she found a comfortable enough position for her back. Once she’d done that, she looked back at me with a sympathetic smile. “The first few years after my sister died were rough, and I had other family members around. LeMarcus and I had just started dating. Hell, I don’t know how he put up with me.”

“I guess he loved you.” An old ache moved through my heart even as I said it, memories of the last time I’d seen Wylie surfacing briefly. We’d been together for several years, and when I’d needed his support the most, he’d been emotionally absent on me. Maybe that wasn’t fair.

“What is it?”

Under the warm concern in Tracy’s eyes, I felt some of my inner resolve crumbling.

The past week had been hard. I’d spent Thanksgiving morning and afternoon volunteering at a shelter. I’d started helping out there a couple of months ago after one of the group members mentioned they’d been doing some volunteering and it had helped them.

It did help, easing some of the emptiness inside me, but nothing was going to fill it, I’d come to accept. After my shift at the shelter, I’d showered and gone into the sports bar. I’d volunteered to work so those with families wouldn’t have to. Several other girls had done the same, either those who didn’t have family around or just wanted the extra money. By the time I’d gotten home, I’d been exhausted and should have fallen into a deep sleep, but still, I just lay there, feeling the ache of loneliness spread through me.

“I was seeing somebody when my parents died,” I said finally, the words coming slowly.

Tracy cocked her head, waiting. “And…?”

“I thought we were going to marry. I could already see my life spread out in front of me…I liked what I saw.” Biting my lip, I looked down at the chair I’d just placed. “That probably sounds silly. I turn twenty-five in a few weeks. Why would I already be so focused on settling down and all that, right?”

“It’s only silly if that’s not the way you wanted it,” Tracy pointed out. “But that wasn’t the case.”

“No.” I tightened my hands on the chair, as the memory of flames shooting high into the sky danced across my mind.

Her voice was so soft as she finished for me, “Then the fire happened. And everything changed.”

Wordlessly, I nodded.

Tracy’s ballet flats were all but soundless as she walked across the floor to me, but I sensed her approach. Looking up, I found her holding out her hand. I accepted it, and she led me over to the couch by the window. Once we sat, she patted my hand and let go. “I’m going to go out on a ledge and say that this boyfriend of yours couldn’t understand how everything had gone and changed…for you. Because while he realized you’d suffered a loss, he probably hadn’t ever gone through something so devastating. He probably has no idea how deeply this can impact a person.”

“No.” I linked my hands in my lap, staring hard at the floor as I remembered the confused look I’d see on his face so often. “Both his parents are still alive. They’re…nice. But emotion isn’t their thing. I guess he comes by it honestly.”

“Guys and emotion aren’t always an easy mix anyway,” Tracy said wryly. “If his mom is somebody who represses hers too…well, this sounds harsh, but you probably dodged a bullet, Tish. If he wasn’t going to let himself be there for you emotionally, then you were—are—better off without him. Even if you’re struggling through this by yourself right now.”

I managed a weak smile. “I hope so.”

She took my hand once more and squeezed. “You’re going to be okay, you know. You’re strong. It just takes time.”

It wasn’t until Tracy went into her ‘new-person’ talk that I realized an unfamiliar face was there.

I’d spotted Amber earlier and forced myself to say hello to her, but beyond that, I’d been quiet, my thoughts turned inward, not at all focused on the people around me.

I spotted the new guy sitting off to my right. Even though he was—technically—in the circle, it was pretty obvious he had closed himself off and had absolutely no desire to be there.

Once Tracy was done introducing herself and letting all of us do the same, she looked back at him with a polite smile and arched a brow.

He was quiet for several long seconds, long enough to make me wonder if he was even going to reply. Finally, in a low, flat voice, he said, “Sean.”

That, and nothing else.

Tracy didn’t let it get to her. She just smiled and nodded. “People only talk here when and if they want to, Sean. It’s all about moving at your own pace, when you are ready.” With that, she shifted her attention away from him. “So…I know this was a rough week for a lot of us…”

She went through her normal agenda, and I listened intently while some of the members talked. Others, including me, just sat and listened.

I heard somebody sniffling and looked up to see Amber swiping away at the tears with her fingers. Sliding from the chair, I grabbed a box of tissues and took them over to her. She gave me a grateful smile. On my way back to my seat, I got a better look at the newcomer.

There was something familiar about him. Under the heavy stubble of growth, he had a face that was almost too beautiful for a guy. Once he shaved, it would probably take him from almost to too beautiful, I imagined. His hair was wavy and light brown, shot through threads of both lighter and deeper hues that could have been the result of a highlight job, but somehow, I didn’t see this guy sitting in a chair for a beautician long enough to get that effect.

His gaze flicked in my direction but not long enough for me to get a look at his eyes.

For a second, that irritated me.

I brushed it off as I sat back down, telling myself I didn’t care what his eyes looked like.

Tracy nodded at Tommy, then glanced at me. As she went to speak, though, she gasped, then groaned, her hand flying to her belly. Instantly, almost everybody in the group was on their feet. Tommy and I got to her first.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Tracy said, trying to wave us off. “I just need…”

She went to haul herself out of the chair, but stopped, grimacing again.

Tommy offered a hand, and she scowled but accepted. She waved us off as she gestured toward the hall. “Just give me a minute. And talk…don’t sit around staring at each other.” She softened the command with a smile, but nobody said anything until we heard the bathroom door shut.

“She’s not in labor, is she?” Amber asked timidly.

“Hope not.” Tommy shot a skeptical look at the hallway, then eyed both Sean and Amber. “Either of you got medical experience?”

Sean cocked a sardonic, expressive brow that more than adequately expressed his answer, while Amber offered a dismayed laugh. “You’re kidding, right?”

“He’s kidding,” I said, although I wasn’t as amused as I might have been on other nights. “She’s already given Tommy, Matt, and me the contact numbers in case anything happens, and 9-1-1 is super easy for any of us to dial.”

Amber breathed a little easier.

From the corner of my eye, I could see Sean, and he’d already retreated back into some grim corner of his mind.

One of the members asked Amber a question, wisely ignoring Sean, and the group fell into a casual chat. After a few minutes, I got up to go check on Tracy. I found her standing at the sink in the women’s restroom, bent over and clutching the edge of the counter in a white-knuckled grip. Alarm tightened in my belly. “Should I call 9-1-1?”

She laughed weakly. “No. I’ve been having Braxton-Higgs contractions all week.” At my confused look, she clarified, “it’s basically false labor. I even went into the doctor yesterday, convinced I was in labor. But the baby is just making me suffer.” She managed to smile, but the pain in her eyes was clear. “I called LeMarcus to come get me. I can’t drive hurting like this.” She caught her breath, then blew it out. “And I don’t think I should go back out there, either.”

“Oh.” I bit my lip. “I can let the group wrap up, tell them you’re okay, just hurting. And I’ll ask Tommy if he can help me close down and lock up, if you want.”

“Thank you.” She reached out and squeezed my hand, then went back to clutching at the edge of the sink.

“You’re sure you shouldn’t go get checked out?”

“The doctor told me what to watch for, and if I start to get worried, I’ll go.” Tracy gave me a reassuring smile. “I need a favor. Can you get my purse and coat for me? I’m just going to wait here until LeMarcus arrives. I already texted him. He’s on his way so it shouldn’t be more than ten minutes.”

“Sure.”

I ducked out, and although I heard the animated voices coming from the room as I walked down the hall, everybody went silent when I appeared. Being the center of attention never settled well with me, but I summoned up a smile. “She’s fine. Just having some baby issues. She’s going to duck out a little early, though. Her husband’s on his way to get her.”

“You sure she’s okay?” Tommy asked, his mouth flattening into a firm line.

I cocked a brow at him. “You want to go ask her yourself?”

There were a few chuckles in the circle as Tommy lapsed into silence, an obvious no.

“I’m going to get her coat and purse. You all keep on talking.” As I rounded the group, I paused by Tommy’s side and bent down to murmur into his ear.

He nodded and gave me an easy smile. “Sure thing, kid.”

Once I’d returned from passing Tracy’s belongings over to her, I sat down in the group and folded my hands together, tucking them between my knees. Tommy had redirected the group from worrying about Tracy, and Matt was discussing an upcoming date. “It’s weird, you know,” he said. “I always thought my Gayle and me would grow old and die together. And here I am, sixty years old and going on a first date for the first time in more than forty years.”

“You sound nervous,” I said softly.

He laughed, the sound sharp and bright. “Nervous? I think I’ve gone crazy!”

Others joined in and laughed with him. Save for Sean. He was still staring at the floor. Then, as if he sensed my attention, he lifted his head a fraction and stared at me from under his lashes.

I caught sight of his eyes.

It hit me then. Why he looked so familiar.

That intense, bluish-purple.

It was the guy from the sports bar. The one who’d been flirting with me last week.

What in the hell was he doing here?

He frowned at me, his brow winging up, and I realized he didn’t recognize me. My heart slowed a bit, and the nerves inside me settled. Good. That was good.

What did you think, Tish? That he was stalking you?

I smothered a nervous laugh. My imagination could get more than a little active at times, there was no denying that. But as he looked away, clearly disinterested, I forced the tension in my shoulders to relax.

He was here for the same reason we all were.

He’d lost somebody.

There was nothing else to it.

I’d managed to push him out of my mind as Tommy and I finished putting up the chairs. While the big man lumbered into the kitchenette to rinse out the coffeemaker, I turned to do a double-check of the room.

My heart slammed up into my throat as I caught movement in the corner of my eye. The damn thing slowly settled back into place as I recognized Sean. He pushed off the wall and came toward me, looking rich and grouchy and out of place in the worn, quiet church basement where the group meetings were located.

“Is there something you needed?” I asked.

“Yeah.” He frowned, looking a little uncomfortable. “I guess I should have talked to the other woman. She’s in charge, right?”

“Tracy? Yeah. She runs the group. She’s gone now, though. She texted me.”

He scowled. “I need something signed, stating I was here.” A dull red flush crept up to stain his cheeks red.

There had been a member who’d come to the group for three months not long after I started. She’d been ordered into court mandated grief counseling. I didn’t know if that was the case, but I’d seen Tracy sign a document for the woman every meeting, then stamp it.

“Well, I’m not the leader, but I can sign it, stamp the form, and staple one of Tracy’s cards to it. Her cell number is on the card, so if they have questions, they can call her.”

“Good enough.” He pulled a rolled-up sheet of paper out of his pocket and shoved it at me.

In the blink of an eye, his surly expression was gone, replaced by the charming smile he’d given me at the sports bar. “Any chance you’d just sign straight on down to the bottom so I can just skip the rest of this?”

Skimming the paper, I took in what it read, including his full, legal name. Looking back at him, I gave him a cool look. “That would be falsifying a court document, so let’s go with no, Mr. Downing.” I signed it, then left him in the main area while I retrieved the stamp Tracy used from the catch-all drawer in the kitchen, along with her card and the stapler. Once I was finished, I turned it back over to him.

“You don’t recognize me, do you?” he asked, staring at me intently.

I stilled. I could have sworn he didn’t remember me, although now I wasn’t so sure.

“I know you came into the sports bar where I work and flirted with me,” I replied levelly.

Confusion clouded his eyes. Then he grinned abruptly, looking ten years younger. My age, really. Younger, even. “You’re the server from last week. Still kind of bummed you didn’t give me your number. At least I got your name now, though…Tish.” His smile faded, and something I couldn’t name crossed over his expression. “But that wasn’t what I meant. You don’t know who I am, do you?”

“Am I supposed to?” I asked, looking him up and down.

A faint laugh escaped him. “Imagine that.”

While the bemusement drifted over his face, I went to go put the supplies away. He was still standing there, smiling a little as I came back out.

“It doesn’t matter who you are,” I told him. “We’re all here for the same reason…and we’ve all lost somebody.”