Page 56 of Heartstring

“I know, right? It seems like only yesterday she’d nap for three hours straight, and now she runs around the house with more energy than a person her size should have.”

I pat his back in sympathy.

“Dude, who’s the guy with the long blond hair? I think I’m in love,” Seymour says a little too loud as he comes over to us, pointing at Fletcher, who’s with Harrison at the other end of the hall.

“Milo, let me introduce you to my brother-in-law, Seymour.” If Milo is shocked by the news I have a brother-in-law, he doesn’t show it. I don’t owe anyone my story, but I care enough about Milo and Ellis to tell them the truth about how I came to live in Stillwater. Especially if Seymour decides to stay longer.

Seymour holds out his hand to Milo. “Nice to meet you, Milo. You live around here?”

“Yes, he does. With me.” Ellis wraps his arm around a blushing Milo’s shoulders. “Blond guy, that’s Fletcher. Also very much not single.”

“How about the big dude?” Seymour asks.

“He’s with the blond guy.”

I laugh at Seymour’s disappointment.

“Ty, do you even know any single guys?” he asks.

“I sure do, but if I ever want to get rid of you, it’s in my best interest to not point them out.”

He punches my arm, and off he goes again toward Arlo’s boyfriend, Levi. Ellis and Milo stare as Seymour unabashedly flirts his way through the volunteers that have come to the kitchen today to help distribute the goods we’ve purchased for all the people in need.

“So…” Milo starts. “Brother-in-law?”

I rub the back of my neck. I guess now is as good a time as any. “Yeah. My husband died four years ago before I moved to Stillwater.”

Milo touches my arm. “I’m so sorry, Tyler. Why didn’t you say anything?”

I shrug. “It’s hard talking about Porter. He came into my life at the right time. We were friends for a long time before we started dating, and it wasn’t long after we were married that he got sick. It’s not the most upbeat topic to talk about over drinks at The Academy, is it?”

“So what’s Seymour doing here? You and him…?” Ellis asks.

I laugh. “Oh no, we’re just friends. I love him, but he’s like the little brother I never had. And plays the part perfectly, down to being super annoying and inconvenient.”

They both laugh.

“Why Stillwater?” Milo asks.

I shrug. “I grew up in California, on the outskirts of LA, in a town not too different from Stillwater. After Porter died, I needed to move away. A friend of mine grew up here before he moved, so he told me I should give it a try. I found the soup kitchen building for sale after a couple of months, and the rest, as they say, is history.”

“We’re glad you picked us,” Milo says.

I pat his shoulder. “Me too. Right, I should go. You guys all loaded?” I ask.

“Yeah. We’ve got the car full of grocery boxes. I’ll take them while Milo checks in on Sara. I think Fletcher and Harrison are delivering the small portable heaters.”

“Awesome. I’ll see you later then.” I wave them goodbye and get in the van.

It takes most of the afternoon to deliver all the blankets. Mostly because I keep being offered coffee and cookies. While the refusal of the coffee is accepted, I end up returning to the kitchen with boxes of homemade cookies.

I walk through the double doors of the kitchen to the hall where Cathy stayed behind to help Julius, the owner of Bittersweet, the coffee shop on Main Street. No event is complete without a serving of his coffee, that’s for sure.

“What have you got there?” Cathy asks.

“Enough cookies to put Stillwater into a diabetic coma.”

Julius throws a tea towel over his broad shoulders. “Don’t let Liv see you with those.”