Page 9 of Merry Little Midlife Matchmaker

“Very cool,” I said, leaning over his shoulder to watch him snap a tiny piece onto an array of other pieces that I thought would turn into the engine. “Do you ever try to do them without following the instructions?”

“Sometimes,” he admitted. Levi was a year older than Zach, but the two boys had never really gotten along that well. Zach enjoyed action and sports, like Levi’s brother Jacob. Jacob was nine years old, but he often dominated his brother.

I’d watched Aaron try to coax Levi into enjoying football and baseball and fishing, but the boy never really took to it the way Jacob did. And Aaron didn’t really enjoy finicky things like LEGOs, so there was a growing disconnect between them. Emilyseemed content to let them figure it all out, but she also seemed to slightly favor Jacob. It was easier to get along with the kid who was gregarious and charming over the one who preferred quiet solitude.

I knew how that felt. I’d been the youngest and the only girl, and I often felt like the odd one out. Instead of retreating the way Levi did, I’d coped by making myself pleasant and accommodating. Days like today, I wasn’t sure if that had been the right approach.

“What do you think about coming downstairs to say hi to everyone?” I asked.

My nephew shrugged a shoulder. “Maybe.”

“I’ll let you mash the potatoes.”

Levi’s lips curled into a tiny smile, and he shot me a quick glance. “Okay,” he said, and slid off his chair and followed me out. We hung out in the kitchen for a while, and I made him a fancy mocktail with a maraschino cherry that put a big smile on his face. When Zach came stomping in from the backyard and invited Levi out to play catch with the rest of the kids, Levi slithered off his chair and ran out behind my son.

A pleasant warmth filled my chest as I watched the kids through the back window. Sure, sometimes I felt a little neglected and invisible, even with my own family, but wasn’t it worth it for moments like this?

FIVE

SEAN

Growing up,Aaron’s house had been my second home. My mom and I had been invited to every Thanksgiving and Christmas event at their place for three years before she died, and those were the happiest holiday memories I had. As I sat on the couch and listened to Kyle and Aaron talk about the game, along with the chatter of a couple of aunts, uncles, cousins, and the pleasant small talk Emily made, some of the tension that had crept back into my body over the course of the week dissolved.

“Grant’s a good guy,” Aaron told me when he heard who I was working with. “His wife co-owns the Four Cups Café with a few other women. Great pastries there.”

“Jen, the baker, was on TV!” Emily cut in, beaming.

“I remember that,” I said. “Couldn’t believe Heart’s Cove got put on the map.”

The conversation shifted to football, and when a commercial break came on and I tipped my empty beer bottle to my lips for the third time, I heaved myself off the sofa.

“Oh, someone can get that for you,” Aaron said, glancing around. “Where’s… Babe, would you mind?”

“Sure,” Emily replied, but I waved her away.

“I should check where Mikey’s gone,” I told her.

“Oh, he’s probably fine,” Aaron said.

“I’m sure Lizzie’s keeping an eye on the kids,” Emily added.

A frown tugged at my brows. Lizzie hadn’t seemed bothered by the way her family treated her, but something didn’t sit quite right with me. I’d been a single dad for a few years now, and I knew how much work it was to look after one kid, let alone half a dozen. Besides, Mikey was my responsibility. The kid was the best thing I’d done with my life, and I wanted to make sure he was doing all right on his own. The past couple of weeks had been full of change for both of us.

I brought my empty bottle to the kitchen and slowed when I saw Lizzie standing by the back window. The sunlight glistened over her lips and highlighted the generous curves of her body. She had a soft look on her face as she looked out the window, and it struck me for the first time that she was a truly beautiful woman.

I’d never seen it before. Or at least, I hadn’t seen it like this.

Her features were soft and rounded. Her cheeks were full and her lips were plush. Her hair had been pulled back to reveal the small gold hoops dangling from her ears. Everything about her was ethereal and soft, like she’d been made for a different time—a different world—and transported here by mistake.

It stopped me in my tracks. Staggered me. She was soft as an unfurling flower, and I hadn’t even bothered to notice until that exact moment. Seeing it now made me want to slow down and see what else I’d missed. It made me want to delve into this thumping in my chest and figure out exactly why that calm, peaceful look on her face filled me with such yearning. It made me want her to look atmelike that—like I was everything she needed to be happy in life.

Hearing me, Lizzie blinked away from the window and turned to face me. Her usual smile returned to her lips, although I thought it looked a little strained.

“Here for a refill?” She moved to the fridge.

“Checking on my spawn,” I said, and glanced out the window. The kids had set up a game and were running around and laughing. Mikey had a wide, beaming smile on his face that I hadn’t seen in a long time.

“He’s doing all right without you,” she answered with a wry grin, exchanging my empty bottle for a full one. “It always stings when that happens.”

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