Page 19 of When Love Is Lost and Found

"That's right," she says. "What a bright young man."

"What would you like to drink, Noah? I have water, milk, and lemonade."

"Can I have lemonade?" asks Noah, looking at Sharon.

"Yes, you can have lemonade. It sounds good."

The time at Loren's flies by. We spend it talking about her life growing up in Buffalo, her marriage and move to Garrison, the loss of her husband, and her only son.

I notice how Sharon keeps the conversation centered on Loren. She wants to get to know her on a personal level, making her the focus of our visit.

Sharon is sweet, kind, and thoughtful. My parents struck gold when they hired her, and I can see why Jimmy fell head-over-heels in love with her.

"Can I change the subject for a minute?" asks Sharon.

"Yes, of course, Dear," says Loren, "What is it?"

"I closed my bank account back home. I want to open one here and deposit a couple of checks."

"Oh, Honey," says Loren, "You can go to my credit union. I've been banking with them for over twenty years."

"They'll love to get your money," I say, smiling. "I can take you in the morning if you want."

"Just ask for Patrick and let him know I sent you," says Loren. "He'll take good care of you."

"I will," says Sharon. "Thank you both so much."

"Now, I'm the one changing the subject," says Loren. "Jon, I'm assuming you'll be moving in with your folks soon."

"No," I say, "I like my independence, "I'm staying in your guesthouse as long as you'll have me."

Loren's smile is enough to convince me that I made the right decision and that I'm happy to stay.

Sharon glances at me and smiles when I walk her and Noah back home.

"Loren is a great lady," she says. "You chose to stay in her guesthouse because you don't want to leave her alone."

I nod and smile in response. When her gaze lingers on mine, I realize I could look into her eyes for the rest of my life and never get tired of it.

Chapter 5

Sharon

I'm staring. Again.

"I think what you're doing is very sweet," I say. "Loren is lucky to have you as her tenant."

"I'm lucky to have her as a friend," he says.

As we step into the house, we're greeted by the sound of clattering pots and pans coming from the kitchen.

"Hey, Mom," Jon says, "can we leave Noah with you for a couple of hours so I can take Sharon to the credit union to open an account?"

"Go ahead," she says, eyeing the refrigerator's contents before taking out a package of ground sausage, a large container of ricotta cheese, and a block of mozzarella. "Your dad is upstairs. If I need help with Noah, he'll come down. Just make sure you're back in time for dinner. I'm making lasagna."

"Thank you, Mrs. Linder. We'll be back as soon as possible."

"Take your time," she says. "I'll put Noah to work, don't worry."

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