Page 66 of Love and Other Lost Things

Jane ran for the door, swinging it open, and found Hannah standing on the porch along with a little girl of about six years old.

Jane’s shoulders relaxed. “Hannah! Hi.”

“Hi,” Hannah said, giving her a tentative smile and nervously adjusting the beanie hat she’d tugged over her hair. “I’m sorry to just show up like this. I don’t have your number anymore.” Hannah lifted her mitten-covered hands in a shrug. “I wondered if you were free to grab some coffee or something? I’d love to catch up a little before you leave town.”

It was so like Hannah to reach out and make a gesture of friendship, even though Jane didn’t deserve it. Jane’s gaze drifted to the girl by her old friend’s side, and a wistful smile tugged at her lips. She looked so like how Jane remembered Hannah as a girl. “You must be Amelia.”

The girl nodded shyly.

“I recognize you from your photo, and because you look exactly like your mom.”

“I really wanted you to meet her,” Hannah said, smoothing a wayward curl from her daughter’s forehead.

Behind Jane, a voice drifted from the living room. “Mommy? Who’s at the door?” A second later, Scarlett appeared in the hallway, clutching her cast to her chest.

“Did she say…” Hannah’s eyes grew wide. “You have a daughter, too?”

So much for keeping Scarlett a secret. Jane wasn’t worried about Hannah spreading rumors all over town. Far from it. But every connection with someone she’d cared about from her past was making it harder to think about leaving without a trace again.

Hannah was still standing in the doorway, though, and the words were out of Jane’s mouth before she could stop to think about what she was saying. “Would you like to come in?”

“Only if you’re not busy.”

“We’re not. My mom just made coffee and pancakes.”

Hannah and Amelia stepped inside and hung their coats on the rack. Hannah turned her attention back to Scarlett. “I guess I didn’t need to ask if this is your daughter. I see the resemblance.”

“This is Scarlett,” Jane said.

Hannah’s face broke into a huge smile. “Hi, it’s so lovely to meet you. How old are you?”

“Nine.”

“This is my daughter, Amelia. She’s six.”

“Scarlett,” Jane explained, “this is my old friend Hannah. I’ve known her since she was a little older than you.”

“Like you knew Dr. Nik?”

Hannah’s eyebrows rose. “You met Nik?”

“At the hospital.”

Hannah’s green eyes drifted over Scarlett’s cast.

“Scarlett,” Jane said. “Why don’t you take Amelia into the living room and show her your Legos?”

Scarlett eyed the other girl. “Do you know how to play Uno?”

Amelia shook her head.

“Come on, I’ll teach you.” The girls headed into the living room.

Hannah beamed. “It’s sweet to see our daughters together, isn’t it?”

Jane peeked in at Scarlett and Amelia as they settled on the couch. Scarlett was attempting to shuffle the pack of Uno cards Nik had given her, and then she began counting them out. “You get seven and I get seven,” she explained patiently to Amelia.

Jane realized now how lucky she was to grow up in Linden Falls, where kids could roam freely—even if Dad had kept the whole town in his grip. Jane had been allowed to hang out with friends and participate in local activities. It was new to her to see suddenly how much protection that had offered her, how she’d been able to avoid the sort of isolation that many kids in her situation would have experienced. Kids like Scarlett.

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