Page 24 of When Love Is Lost and Found

"Make sure you call us at least every couple of weeks," she says. "We want to know how you're doing and that you're safe."

"I will. I promise."

***

"Mom, this lasagna is delicious," says Jon during dinner. "I missed your cooking so much. Now that you're here, I'll have to hit the gym more often."

"Thank you," says Mrs. Linder. "Now that the family is all back together, I have a reason to start cooking and baking again. It just wasn't the same without you. I missed you, Sweetheart."

"I missed you too, Mom."

"He's right, Lizzy," says Mr. Linder, using a nickname I hadn't heard before. "This lasagna is amazing."

"I know it's your favorite," she says. "Oh, before I forget, we just found out that there's a special dinosaur exhibit at the American Museum that ends this month. It won't be back until next summer. Who knows if Noah will still like dinosaurs a year from now? He might lose interest, so we're taking him with us next weekend."

"Would you like me to go with you to watch him?" I ask.

"We were hoping we could all go together," Mr. Linder says, glancing at Jon, who just put a big bite of lasagna in his mouth.

"Mmm?" Jon asks, raising his eyebrows and pointing his fork inward at his chest.

"Yes, you," says Mrs. Linder, "and Shay and Noah. All of us."

"That sounds like fun," Jon says. "Count me in."

I'm the employee, so I don't get a vote, but I think it'll be fun, too.

After dinner, Jon takes Noah upstairs to play while Mrs. Linder and I clean the kitchen.

"You know," Mrs. Linder begins as we stand together, washing and drying the dishes. "We didn't think you were serious about moving to New York with us."

I look over at her, and she quickly reads the look of surprise on my face.

"You didn't want me to come with you?"

"That's not what I mean," she says. "We thought you'd back out at the last minute."

"Why?" I ask.

"You're a young woman with your whole life ahead of you. Most teenagers want to spend the summer with their friends after graduating—parties, the beach, part-time jobs, and making plans for their future. Not moving cross-country with complete strangers. We expected you to quit before the move."

"I always planned to come with you. Quitting never crossed my mind."

"We were actually surprised when you showed up at the airport."

"I thought my willingness to move was the main reason you hired me."

"It was one of the reasons," she says. "But not the main reason. Once Noah met you, we knew we'd made the right choice. Even if it was temporary. He really likes you. You're so patient with him. You never once corrected him when he started calling you Shay. You hug him, you hold his hand, you're very nurturing. You love him like a sister would. And he has learned so much since you started watching him. You're a great nanny and a gifted teacher."

"I honestly didn't think you liked me." Hearing myself say it out loud makes me regret even thinking it.

"I didn't think you liked me," she says, smiling and chuckling a bit.

"I'm sorry," I say. "Maybe I was standoffish at first, and then later, I didn't know how to fix it."

"You were so wonderful with Noah from the start. Your face lit up almost as much as he did when you were together. In the end, we figured you were still mourning the loss of your fiancé and decided to give you your space."

"Thank you, Mrs. Linder," I say, not knowing how else to express my gratitude.

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