Page 10 of When Love Is Lost and Found

"I'm sorry," I say, realizing he's right. "Have we met before?"

"No," he says, "but I know who you are."

I don't say anything, waiting for him to continue.

"You're Jimmy's fiancée," he says. His gray eyes are locked on mine. "He kept your picture in his locker."

"I see," I say, smiling. "Jimmy loved that picture."

"Jon!" Noah's little voice sounds cranky, and it quickly snaps us out of whatever this is.

"I'm sorry, Buddy," Jon says. "Let me get you out of there."

I step aside and let Jon pull Noah out of the car.

"Oh my," Jon says, "you're getting so big!"

"I wanna be as tall as you," Noah says when Jon puts him down.

"Oh, I think you'll be taller than me, Bud."

"You're already tall for your age," I say.

"Is your luggage in the trunk?" Jon asks.

"Yes," I say, "I only have one suitcase, and the other is Noah's."

"Which one's yours?" he asks, looking into the trunk. "The blue one, or the one with Woody Woodpecker on it?

So he has a sense of humor.

"That one is mine," says Noah, pointing at Woody.

"This must be yours," he says, handing me a small wooden keepsake box with my name engraved on it.

"Yes, that's mine."

His eyes rest on mine for a few beats before Noah tugs at his shirt.

On the outside, the house looks like a charming white colonial from a past era, with a raised wrap-around porch, but the inside is filled with modern furnishings and top-of-the-line appliances.

"Let me give you a tour of the house," Mrs. Linder offers. "All the bedrooms are on the second floor."

At the top of the stairs, there's a den furnished with a large comfortable sofa, a coffee table, a loveseat, and two chairs. We first walk down the hall to the left to look at Noah's room. The colors are yellow, ocean blue, and forest green, and there's a hand-painted, floor-to-ceiling dinosaur-themed mural on one of the walls.

"Noah is going to love this room," I say.

"He's really into dinosaurs right now," Mrs. Linder says, "So we figured, why not? We'll paint the walls a different color or theme once he grows out of it."

Next, we go to the room next door.

"This is your room," says Mrs. Linder. "There's a full bath with a tub and a walk-in closet. I know you like to read, so there's also a small seating area with a comfortable armchair and table."

"This is perfect," I say, taking in my beautiful surroundings—the king-size bed with an antique wrought-iron headboard, the luxurious garden-themed decor, and pretty floral bedding.

"Feel free to change anything you want in here," she says. "We can paint the walls a different color if this doesn't suit you."

"No," I say, looking at the soft, muted color on the walls. "I mean it. This is perfect. Green is my favorite color."

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