Page 62 of Silver Lining Love

She wasn’t the only familiar face who had shared that sentiment with me. Marybeth Harper, who had been the lunch lady at my elementary school, told me that she was glad I hadn’t forgotten where I came from as she bagged up my groceries. Tammy Lynn, who had been a server at The Greasy Spoon since, and I quote, ‘God was a boy,’ was in front of me at the dry cleaners and shared it must be nice for my mama to have all her kids home where they belonged. At the pharmacy, I’d been informed that Wishing Well wasn’t the same without me by Molly Turner, who I’d shared my first kiss with twenty-three years ago in a tiny closet during a game of Seven Minutes in Heaven in Bryson O’Sullivan’s basement.

Speaking of Bryson, I saw him walking across the grass toward me. Back in D.C., it would be strange if I thought of someone and then they appeared as if I’d conjured them up. But here in Wishing Well, it was a normal occurrence. Everyone knew everyone, and there were only so many places to go in a town the size of a postage stamp.

When I first left to go to college, I remember basking in the anonymity. I loved going to the store and not seeing anyone I knew. I relished going days, even weeks, without running into a familiar face. But, I had to admit, after nearly two decades of living in a world of strangers, being back home felt…nice.

“Hey man! Good to see you!” Bryson gave me a quick handshake and one-armed hug.

“You too.” I glanced over at the lanky teen beside him, who was carrying a soccer ball under his arm.

“Wyatt, this is Milo.”

“Hey man,” I greeted him and then introduced the kids. “This is Alice and Michael, guys this is one of my oldest friends, Bryson and Milo.”

Once the introductions were done, Bryson asked, “So are you back for your mama’s surprise party?”

“Yeah.” I lifted up the dry cleaning. “I’m actually running errands for it now.”

“That’s Miss Dolly’s dress for the party,” Alice explained.

Bryson glanced up at me with a grin. “Your mom has you running errands for hersurpriseparty?”

“Yep,” I confirmed. Dolly Briggs was known for having eyes in the back of her head. She didn’t have to be looking at you to know exactly what you were doing. Nothing got past that woman.

“That sounds about right.” Bryson chuckled as Milo kicked the ball to Michael, who kicked it across the grass. Alice trailed behind the boys as they took off, apparently bored with our conversation. The scene reminded me of my brothers and Harmony always tagging along after us.

I’d heard from my mom that the woman Bryson married was the guardian of her little brother. I assumed that was who Milo was.

“Congrats on your wedding. Sorry I couldn’t make it.” I’d been out of the country for work at the time.

“No worries.”

“How’s married life treating you?”

Bryson got the same dreamy-dopey look in his eyes that I’d seen my father get growing up, and my brothers all adapted after meeting their significant others.

“It’s great, man. Kelsi’s amazing, and I got a bonus with Milo. He’s a great kid.”

“Yeah, he seems great.”

“Looks like you have a couple bonuses, too.”

“Three, actually. They have a baby brother, Benji.”

“Wow.” Bryson’s eyes widened. “Three kids.”

It didn’t surprise me that he seemed shocked. It had been widely known that I never wanted to have kids. Maybe that distinction wouldn’t have stood out so much, except that to most people in Wishing Well, settling down and having a family was the gold standard.

“And you and their mom are toget?—"

“She’s their aunt, actually.” I cut him off mid-question. “She got custody of the kids after her sister and brother-in-law were killed in a car accident.”

Bryson’s expression turned somber. “Oh man, that’s horrible.”

“Yeah, the kids are doing okay, though. As good as anyone could expect. And Whitney’s doing a kickass job. She went from being single and carefree to raising three kids alone overnight after losing her sister, who was basically her only family left.”

Bryson stared at me for a moment. Typically, I didn’t tell people’s life stories, especially Whitney’s. But there was something about being back in Wishing Well, back with people I’d known my entire life, that caused me to overshare.

“Wow, she sounds…amazing.”

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