Page 21 of Home Changes
“Hell of a shot, though,” Chester said. “You launched your cousin’s bike clean over the chicken coop.” They both chuckled, the sound soft and full of memory. And for a brief moment, the fog seemed to lift from Chester’s face. His eyes were sharp. His smile was real, not tight or confused, but natural. Alive.
“I miss your mama,” Chester said after a quietpause. “She always burned the popcorn, but she made it anyway.”
Seth nodded, his voice quiet. “I miss her, too.”
The microwave dinged. He stood and poured the popcorn into a bowl, adding extra butter just the way his dad liked it. Carrying it back to the table, he set it down between them and took a seat across from Chester.
They passed the bowl back and forth in silence, each man reaching in, eating, and chewing with no conversation necessary. Just two souls who had once been oceans apart settling into the rhythm of something that felt like old times.
Eventually, Chester leaned back in his chair with a satisfied sigh. “You gonna tell the neighbors I lost a horse that’s been dead for a decade?”
Seth grinned. “Only if you tell them I cried duringField of Dreamswhen we watched it last night.”
Chester snorted, then shook his head. “That part where the dad shows up? Gets me every damn time.”
Seth’s smile softened, his eyes meeting his father’s. “Yeah, me, too, Pops.”
For that one night, the diagnosis didn’t matter. The wandering, the fear, hell, even the doctors’ appointments … all of it faded to the background.
They just were. A father and a son, passing a bowl of buttery popcorn and sharing the kind of quiet that only came from love that had weathered distance, time, and pain. Just a moment of peace before the storm returned.
CHAPTER 8
Allison wouldn’t lie to herself. Her heart beat just a little faster, and a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth when she saw Seth and Chester pull up in front of the general store.
For the last week, they’d had a routine. Seth brought his father into town around one each afternoon. Chester would sit on the bench with Delbert, carving and talking, while Seth lingered just long enough to make sure he was okay. Gomer parked himself beside Chester like a silent sentry.
Then Seth would head down the street and slip through the alley to her back door.
They’d visit. He always left by two, so she could close up and go for her daily run, but those forty-five minutes? They’d become something she quietly cherished.
There were no expectations with Seth. He didn’t know much about her past, at least, not the parts that haunted her. Those haunting insecurities that had caused her to act out weren’t a memory for him. He hadn’t seen the push and pull of her controlling grip over Ken. He hadn’t witnessed her being a bitch to him. He was a fresh canvas, a breath of fresh air, and with him, she could just be the Allison she’d fought hard to grow into. Did she still slip into the insecurities? Sure, every now and then, but she had a way to climb out of that spiral and stop the need to control events and people.
In those quiet minutes on her wooden back steps, sipping iced tea in the shade, laughing at his jokes or stories about dogs he’d handled, she felt something she hadn’t realized she’d missed until now. Peace. She smiled and stared at him as he spoke. Emotions were forming for her. Emotions that drew her to this man in a way she’d never experienced before. Her heart tripped when she saw him, and she smiled at the thought. It didn’t scare her to open herself up to him, and that feeling was freeing.
She’d started doing her closing chores earlier, just to make sure she had time for him. Even EdnaMichaelson had come in early for her order, which was unusual, but she didn’t mind.
Today, she’d thrown out only a very small amount of food. Most of the sweets had been picked up by the church for Sunday service. The leftovers were still good, but per state rules, she either had to give them away or discard them before the expiration date.
Allison leaned against the front wall of her shop. Her chores were done, her till counted out and prepped for the morning.
She smiled as she watched Seth stand up. The big shepherd stayed curled at Chester’s feet as the older man whittled with Delbert. Chester’s hand gently patted the dog’s head now and then. A sensation of warmth and happiness washed over her. She wrapped her arms around herself and laughed freely. She was falling for that man. Too quick? Probably, but that was a worry for another time. Seth turned and headed toward the alley, just like he always did. Allison flipped the lock on the front door and hurried toward the back, her smile still lingering.
She opened the door and stopped in her tracks.
A girl, or maybe a young woman, stood at the trash can, holding the lid and digging through the contents.
Allison’s hand went to her chest.
“Excuse me,” she said, her voice sharp with surprise. “Can I help you?”
The woman jerked back, eyes wide. She dropped the lid and ran.
Just then, Seth rounded the corner. “Who was that?” Seth asked, stepping up beside her.
Allison shook her head. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen her before.”
“She didn’t look too good, did she?”
