Page 16 of When Love Is Lost and Found

"I'm an only child, so a big wedding was not in the cards for me."

"What about Jimmy's family?"

"They would've been there. They supported our decision to elope and understood our reasons."

When I don't say anything but just stare at her, she says, "What?"

"Nothing," I say, "I just have a hard time concentrating when you're looking at me. Your eyes are gorgeous."

"Thank you," she says, looking away.

She's shy and humble, and she has no idea just how beautiful she is.

"Jimmy once told me that only two percent of the world population has green eyes."

"How did that even come up?" she asks.

"We were talking about you and how hard it must have been for him to maintain eye contact with you."

Now, she's blushing.

"I know a fun fact too," she says.

"What's that?" I ask, smiling because she's smiling.

"Only three percent of the world's population has your eye color."

"Really?" I ask, "How do you know that?"

"Jimmy told me. He researched it when we first met because he said he'd never met anyone with green eyes before. He went to the library and looked it up. The next time I saw him, he told me that green, gray, hazel, and violet eyes are the rarest."

"Well, I'll be darned," I say. "I had no idea."

***

After breakfast, Sharon goes upstairs to check on Noah while I wash the dishes.

"Good morning, Sweetheart," says Mom, walking into the kitchen.

"Good morning. Did you get enough sleep?"

"No," she says. "The older you get, the tougher it is to rebound from a three-hour sleep deficit. What time did your father leave?"

"About an hour ago," I say. "Do you want some pancakes with eggs and bacon?"

"I'll take a fried egg and some toast if you don't mind. Has Shay come down yet?"

"Yes. She ate breakfast and went back upstairs to see if Noah is awake."

"My first interview is in half an hour," she says when I hand her the egg and dry toast.

"Good morning, Mommy!" exclaims Noah, who is being led into the kitchen by Sharon.

"Do you want some breakfast?" she asks, helping him get into the chair beside Mom.

"Yes, please," he answers. "Can I have a blueberry pancake and a chocolate chip pancake?"

"What about some eggs or bacon?" I ask.

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