Page 3 of Seeing You

She was crying again.

Levi’s arms went around her as he rested his cheek on the top of her head. “This is why I normally let Jade do all the talking. I’ll bet she never made you cry,” he said miserably.

“No, but…to be fair, she was really hormonal during the pregnancy and cried enough for all of us.” Pulling back, she tried to smile. “And then Calvin was born and she’s just always happy and glowing…”

“Maybe I should spend more time here,” he murmured. “When we’re home and he’s crying, she’s not so glowy.”

“Oh, stop.” She playfully smacked his chest before stepping away and grabbing some napkins for her face. “You guys are so freaking adorable and in love that sometimes I want to hate you, but I can’t because I love you both so much. Sometimes it really sucks to be me.”

“What can I do? Tell me what I can do to make things better? Do you want me to introduce you to some of my friends? I already said I’d talk to Mom, so…”

“I’ll definitely take you up on letting you talk to Mom, but…not…just…don’t introduce me to anyone. That’s always awkward and…I don’t know…I want it to happen organically. I want to meet someone on my own and see if there’s a spark and…take it from there.”

It had happened once; she just had no idea why it never happened again.

“There’s nothing wrong with that, but I hate to see you like this. For all you know, you might meet someone at Iris’s wedding. I mean…you never know when you’re going to meet your person. I walked in here late one night, and Jade literally fell into my arms. After that, I was hooked. And look where we are now!”

“Sickeningly in love. Yeah, we get it,” she mumbled.

“Billie…”

“What? I’m just trying to lighten the mood.” She let out a long breath. “I get what you’re saying, and I promise to think about it. And I’m sorry for getting so emotional on you. I think we both know that sort of thing never happens, so…sorry.”

“No apologies necessary. I just hate thinking of you feeling like this and being here all alone. I can stay until Cora…”

She held up her hand to stop him. “I’m fine. Really. The last of the muffins should be ready to come out, and then I have toget the case set up. I’m going to be too busy to be sad. Plus, Cora is always super chatty in the morning, so I’ll be too distracted to think about…stuff.”

And yet he still hesitated.

“Levi, go! Go take care of your family! I’ve got work to do, and you need to get Silas up for school. I love you, but…go!”

Grinning, he came over and gave her a loud, smacking kiss on the cheek. “I’m just gonna grab a couple of muffins for me and Jade and then I swear I’ll leave.”

And he did.

Locking the door behind him, she went and pulled the last of the muffins out of the oven and set them aside to cool. Next, she began setting up the trays of all of today’s bakery items to place in the display case. Once it was done, she stepped around the counter to make sure everything looked okay.

Smiling, she nodded. “Damn, I’m good!”

By the time she stepped back around the counter, she could hear Cora at the door. Waving, Billie went back to the kitchen to clean up and moved the muffins onto racks now that they were cooler.

“Good morning, sunshine!” Cora called out as she came through the kitchen door. “Just tell me where you need me, and we’re good to go!”

“You are a lifesaver. Seriously. I hated the thought of Jade trying to come in when she hadn’t slept all night. Calvin’s usually fine to come with her, but it seems like the poor little guy’s having a rough time.”

“I know. It breaks my heart. I had already planned on staying and watching him after I got Silas off to school, but I think Levi’s going to work from home today. He called me on his way home, so you have me for as long as you need me. Are we calling anyone else in?”

“We’ve got Candis and Shawna coming in at eight, so I just figured I’d ask if either of them can stay longer today. If not, then I’ll make some calls.” Shrugging, she added, “And if we still can’t find anyone, I’ll stay.”

Cora was already shaking her head. “Absolutely not. You can’t spend your whole life here, Billie. We’ll figure something out.” Reaching for a clean apron, she put it on and tied it. “And…just a little FYI, I have a very handsome, verysinglenephew who’s about your age. If you’d like me to introduce you…”

She was going to strangle her brother.

“That’s very sweet of you, Cora, but…I’m good. Thanks. Let’s go turn on the lights and get the day started!”

“Great!” She was halfway out the door when she said, “Milo is forty and a pharmacist. Just think about it!”

Yeah. She was definitely going to strangle her brother.

---