Page 55 of Here With Me

“Mr. Williams, look.” Lottie sat on her knees in a padded, navy pleather chair at the table, holding a flashlight over the old Heritage clock.

He stood up and joined her. “How goes the work on the clock?”

“I really think there’s something in there. I think that’s why the clock doesn’t work. Although, how something dropped into the gears…” Lottie’s tongue stuck out as she stilled and shined a flashlight into the clock open in front of her.

David peered into it. The insides were brass, similar to Otis. No wonder Lottie had tried to connect the two. And the gears all seemed to be in perfect order.

Lottie picked up a pair of tweezers and reached into the clock, squeezing past gears. David flexed his hand—there was no way his would fit in there.

Leaving Lottie to work, David stepped into the kitchen and immediately into Sadie’s personal space. Wow, talk about a tiny room. “Can I help?”

“In my huge kitchen?” Sadie stretched her arms out and bumped him then gently pushed him out. “Thank you, but I’ve got it.”

Sadie stepped out with him, her eyes landing on Lottie. A contented expression flashed across her face briefly before she pulled in her bottom lip and the wrinkles in her forehead deepened.

As David stood next to Lottie, Cuatro stretched up on his hind legs and put his front paws on his arm. He picked him up, and he snuggled into his chest. Cuatro had grown since he’d dropped him off a little over ten days ago. David scratched under the kitten’s chin, and he purred, lifting his head so he could find the perfect spot.

Sadie watched him as she carried three glasses of ice water to the table, the weight of her gaze heavy, endearing. Time seemed to stand still.

David smiled. Hopefully, more smolder than goofy, but it must have worked, because Sadie’s forehead relaxed.

She set the glasses down and turned to David. The spicy scent of her shampoo filled the space between them, and heat built in his chest as she stepped closer. He could reach out and touch her.

Except small paws pushed off David’s chest, forcing him to step back.

He’d completely forgotten he held the kitten in his arms.

David tried to catch the cat, but the small ball of fur star-fished in midair only to land next to Lottie on the table, knocking one of the glasses of water over. Ice and water splashed, and Cuatro jumped out of the way, spraying water over Lottie and David.

Lottie jumped as the icy liquid coated her arm, and she dropped the flashlight and tweezers she’d been holding into the clock.

“Oh no!” Lottie’s wail could raise all the alarms. She stood up quickly, knocking her chair over. “Cuatro! Look what you made me do.”

She reached into the clock and picked up the flashlight, shining it inside the clock again.

“I dropped the t-t-tweezers into the clock. It will never work now.” Lottie threw the flashlight on the floor, ran down the hall to her room, and slammed the door.

David picked up Cuatro and set him on the floor then retrieved the flashlight. The kitten quickly ran down the hall, heading into another room.

Sadie slipped back into the kitchen and returned with a dish towel and started cleaning up the spill. “I’m so sorry about your shirt.”

David looked down at the water splotches across his chest. “I’d say we’re even now, but this is only a few drops compared to the entire glass I dumped in your lap.”

Sadie didn’t laugh, but she nodded as she scooped the ice back into the glass. “Perhaps you’re right.”

David righted Lottie’s chair and moved the clock, making sure there was no water underneath it. When they’d cleaned up the mess, David followed Sadie to the couch where she sank into it.

“I’m sorry.” David sat next to her.

“Not your fault. Lottie’s been having a lot of meltdowns lately,” Sadie mumbled as she sank deeper into the corner of the couch, pulling her knees up to her chest.

“I probably didn’t help matters. We talked about Jeremy on the way up. Grief can be difficult for anyone to handle. Especially a nine-year-old. Little things will trigger the pain.” He placed his arm around Sadie’s back and pulled her closer. She nestled into his side like she belonged. A comfortable silence lingered between them, until she inhaled, and her shoulders shivered.

“It’s just so much more than that.” Sitting up, she wiped at her face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do this in front of you. There’s just so much going on, and sometimes it’s hard to hold it all together.”

She scooted back, and the wall she’d built between them this week started coming back up. He had to stop it. He rested his hand on her upper arm. Rubbing up and down slowly. “You have a lot on your plate with the store. The grand reopening, the money due, and you’re a single mom. You’re allowed to feel overwhelmed. To ask for help.”

Sadie let out a strangled laugh. “If that’s all it was.” She brushed at her cheeks again. A moment passed—it could have been longer—but he waited. His chest squeezed as time ticked by. He wanted her to open up. To let him in, but he couldn’t force it. Couldn’t make her want this relationship. Then, “I found out Doris and Patrick are contesting the adoption.”

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