Page 43 of When Love Is Lost and Found

When the doors open, I feel Jon's warm hand on the small of my back as we file into the elevator. I turn around once inside and glance at Jon waiting for him to step inside, but he doesn't budge.

"Are you coming?" I ask.

"I think I'll take the stairs," he says. "I'll meet you up there."

When the doors open on the fifth floor, Mr. Linder says, "This is our stop. You, Jon, and Noah are on the seventh floor. Here's your key."

On the seventh floor, Noah and I exit the elevator and walk down the hall to our room. Just as I'm turning the key, we hear the door to the stairs open.

"Wait for me!" exclaims Jon, turning the corner. He's not the least bit out of breath when he reaches us.

"Did you miss me?" he asks without a hint of guile. His smile is broad and disarming, and his teeth are white. His handsome face beckons me to stare.

"I think I need longer than that to miss you," I say, turning the key to my room.

He takes the room key out of his pocket and opens the door to the room next to mine.

We smile at each other before I walk into my room with Noah in tow.

"I want to go with Jon," says Noah as soon as I shut the door.

"I know you do," I say. "Let me unpack, and then we'll take your things to his room."

The knock on the adjoining door startles both of us.

"That's Jon," I say. "Go ahead and open it, Sweetie."

When Jon walks in, I realize I lied earlier. I do miss him when he's gone. My attraction to him is comingled with guilt, and it's settled in the pit of my stomach like a heavy stone. Jimmy hasn't been gone for a year yet, and here I am, swooning over someone else.

"Hi," he says.

"Hi."

There's something unspoken happening between us, and we both know it.

"Jon!" exclaims Noah. "I wanna see your room."

"Sure, Buddy, but it looks exactly like this one."

"We should put some of his clothes in your room," I say.

"Can I jump on the bed?" asks Noah, following us into the room.

"Let's put your things away first," I say, placing the Woody Woodpecker bag on top of one of the beds.

When there's a knock on the door, Jon looks at me and says, "That must be Mom."

"Hi, you guys," she says, walking into the room. "Who wants to go fly a kite in Central Park?

"I do!" says Noah, bouncing on the bed.

"Do you two want to join us?

"Yes, I'll come with you," I say.

"You have the afternoon off," she says. "If you'd rather do something else, please feel free."

"I'd like to take some pictures from the Brooklyn Bridge," Jon says. "I'd love it if you came with me, Sharon."

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