Page 83 of The Pink House

Maisie’s cornflower-blue eyes took on a distant glow. “Car accident. We’d been married less than a year. He was on his way home from work. When I opened the door and saw the sheriff standing there, my heart just stopped. Even before he told me, I knew Nathaniel was gone.”

Hannah reached over and squeezed her hand.

Maisie returned the squeeze, then expelled a shaky breath. “The worse day of my life.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.” Hannah’s voice thickened with emotion. “You didn’t even have a chance to say good-bye.”

“No.” Maisie blinked back tears. “I’m glad you and Brian had that chance.”

Hannah realized that as difficult as those last few weeks had been, spending that time together had been a gift. “We left nothing unsaid, no matter how difficult it was to talk about.”

“I didn’t have family nearby, but reaching out to friends afterwards helped.” Maisie inclined her head. “I seem to recall you mentioning a friend of Brian’s who was helpful.”

“Charlie. I didn’t connect with him until I moved back to GraceTown. He lives next door to me with his mother.” Hannah held up her hand before Maisie could get the wrong idea. “His mother has MS, and they share the house. That way, he can help her as necessary. I’d do the same for mine.”

“Would you?” A soft look filled Maisie’s eyes.

“Absolutely.” Hannah gave a decisive nod.

“Charlie sounds like a wonderful man.” Maisie sat back in her seat and eyed Hannah. “Tell me about him.”

Hannah didn’t really want to talk about Charlie. His absence from her life was still an open wound. But hehadbeen a good friend to her, and somehow it seemed important that Maisie know that.

“Charlie is really down-to-earth. By that, I mean he’s not into the latest fashions or fancy cars. He likes jeans, T-shirts and his truck.” Hannah chuckled. “Though he’s very accomplished and super smart, he doesn’t feel the need to impress anyone.”

Maisie offered an encouraging smile.

Hannah leaned forward. “What makes Charlie special is that he really cares about people. He’d do anything to help me.”

“A man like that doesn’t come around that often.”

“I just wish I knew what to do about him.” Hannah sighed. The second the words left her lips, she wished she could pull them back.

What to do about Charlie and her growing feelings for him was something she needed to figure out on her own.

“Forget I said anything.” Hannah waved a dismissive hand.

“I’ve found that sometimes,” Maisie said casually, “when I’m struggling to figure out something, it helps to talk things out with someone who has no skin in the game.”

Hannah had to smile.Skin in the gamewas a favorite expression of her father. She hadn’t heard anyone else say it in a very long time.

Still, what Maisie was saying did make a certain amount of sense.

“I loved Brian with my whole heart. When I stood in front of the congregation on our wedding day and promised to love him forever, I meant every word.” Hannah expelled a long breath. “During our marriage, we had our ups and downs, sure, but the love and the commitment to our marriage were always there.”

“Now you’ve started to have feelings for Charlie.”

“Yes. I’ve started to have feelings for Charlie,” Hannah admitted. “I’m not sure what to do with them.”

“I mentioned I was married before,” Maisie said after a long moment.

Hannah gave a cautious nod, not sure where this was headed.

“It wasn’t long after Nathaniel died that I met my honey bear.” Her lips quirked upward. “He was about as different from Nathaniel as he could be. Nathaniel was fun-loving and carefree with an infectious laugh. Honey bear was serious, focused and driven to provide.”

“The name honey bear doesn’t seem to fit that personality type.” Just saying the nickname had Hannah smiling.

“The thing was, he was also kind, loving and seriously sweet.” Maisie’s expression turned dreamy. “I adored him, and he adored me.”

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