Page 51 of The Summer We Mended
“People don’t always know what to say,” Lily murmured.
“No, they don’t,” Tom agreed.“Sometimes all you want is for someone to say, ‘That sucks’ and sit with you for a while.”
Lily let out a breath.“That sucks.”
Tom smiled, looking at her with eyes that understood more than they spoke.
They sat there for a while, sipping their coffee, watching bees buzz around the lavender at the edge of the walk.
“So what do you do?”he asked eventually.“Besides taming wild porches?”
Lily glanced over her shoulder at the oversized planter vases she had made by hand years ago.“I’m a potter.I used to teach classes, mostly in the summer.Haven’t done that in a while.”
“You thinking of picking it up again?”
“I don’t know,” she said.“Maybe.”
Tom nodded.“You should.There’s something healing in making things with your hands.I’ve always believed that.”
“You sound like Margot,” Lily said with a smile.
“Margot?”
“My oldest friend.Lives across town.She’s been trying to drag me out of my shell, with mixed results.”
“Well, if you ever want another set of hands, maybe someone to fix a railing while you throw a pot, I’m around.”
Lily studied him.“You really like fixing things, don’t you?”
He shrugged.“I like helping things hold together.Houses, people… myself.”
She nodded slowly.“Thank you.I’ll think about it.”
Tom stood, gathering the tray.“No rush.Just a neighborly offer.”
Lily stood too.“I’ll return the mug.”
He winked.“Or keep it hostage.Gives me an excuse to come back.”
As he walked down the steps and back toward his house, Lily found herself smiling.
Inside, she washed the mugs and placed the second one carefully on the counter.She stared at it for a long time.
“Who was that man?”Anna asked as she and the kids walked into the house.
“New neighbor.He brought over some coffee and banana bread.”
Lily felt guilty, felt like her daughter was judging her, but Anna only smiled.
“That’s great, Mom.It’s a big deal that you’re out meeting new people.”
“I didn’t really have a choice.He came over bearing coffee.”
“He knew how to get a woman to stop and talk to him, it seems,” Anna teased.
Lily only smiled and nodded.A month ago, she would have done everything she could to avoid an interaction with that man.Mostly because she probably would’ve looked like a swamp goblin coming out for air.She didn’t even think twice about talking to him, and she knew that Anna was right.That was a big win for her.
Maybe tomorrow, she could venture to the market or spend a little extra time in the studio.She didn’t need to have it all figured out today, but she did need to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
