After the Henderson’s party, they had driven back to his house, both of them straining to have a congenial conversation. Finally, Rachel had broken through the pretense with a direct question about his interest in Bryony. She had seen the look on his face when he introduced them. A few well-worded questions had him confessing all. He had never wanted anyone as much as he wanted Bryony Green.

Rachel had listened with compassion and understanding. She said she was happy to find out now, before something more serious started between Cal and herself. She said she didn’t want to be anybody’s second choice, and he shouldn’t settle for less than what he really wanted. Cal had expressed deep appreciation for her understanding. When she said she wanted to turn in for the night, he had offered her the bed, saying he could sleep on the couch, but she had insisted that the couch would be fine for her. She was used to napping on one at work during her breaks.

“You know,” Rachel said as she brought two mugs to the table. “I sensed you were backing off, and I should have been more thoughtful, but you’re such a keeper, Cal Forster.” A bit of vitality crept back into her voice.

He reached out and took her hand. “Thank you, Rachel. So are you.”

They worked together to prepare breakfast, and by the time they returned to the table, Rachel had completely recovered her usual joie de vivre. As they ate, they talked like old friends, compared notes about favorite sites in and around Cleveland, and discussed Cal’s father.

Cal Sr. had come around to resembling the man he had been after he stopped drinking and before he retired. He lived every day as if the world mattered to him and he to the world. Cal realized his father did not need his son to ease the disappointment in his life. Rachel and her gang of aides and nurses had done that. The relationships these women provided had saved him.

“Enough about him,” Rachel said as she sopped up the last of her egg with a bit of English muffin. “Let’s talk about you.”

“What about me?” Cal asked.

“What are you going to do about Bryony?”

“I’m not sure,” Cal answered. “She said she needed to focus on her own life. Basically, she indicated that I was a bit too much for her.”

Rachel laughed. “You’re too much for anybody, Cal, but worth the effort.” She stood and gathered their plates. “Besides, I saw the way Bryony looked at you.” She carried the dishes to the sink, calling over her shoulder, “Try again.”

“What about you?” Cal asked. Given the rapid shift in her mood and the content of her shared thoughts, he assumed he was safe in asking. “Any prospects out there?”

“Not really,” she answered.

“Have you tried a dating app? ‘Awesome widow seeks equally awesome life partner with whom to share life’s adventures.’”

“I don’t need awesome,” Rachel said. “I’d settle for a reliable boyfriend. Preferably someone under the age of seventy who does not currently require my professional services.”

Of course! Cal should have seen this all along. Rachel had never been meant for him. “Mind if I set you up with my friend, Rudy?” he asked.

Snorting a laugh, Rachel answered, “What have I got to lose?”

Thirty minutes later, they hugged in the driveway. Cal handed over a thermos of hot coffee, and Rachel left with a wave and no ill wishes. He felt nothing but relief that there was no mess to clean up there, not with Rachel, not in his own heart.

He only had the time it took to walk into the house, though, to be summoned to assist with someone else’s mess.

Todd called, his voice frantic.

They agreed to meet in the parking lot of a cafe on the edge of town.

Once there, Todd laid out the story of what had happened when he showed up for work, on time, at the coffee shop that morning. It didn’t take a shrink to help him reflect on how Bryony questioning him had reminded him of what had happened to his brother. He felt guilty, even though he was innocent. The young man had remarkable insight.

“I did not take the money or the merchandise,” he said. “And I locked the door when I left last night.”

Cal continued to ask questions to help him focus.

“If only I’d been less volatile,” Todd said. “Do employees ever recover from saying, ‘Screw you,’ to their bosses?”

“No worries, pal,” Cal said, and recited the many times he had been almost as blunt.

After another round of processing fear that his reaction had cost him his job, Todd decided on his own to return to BeanHereNow at closing time and discuss the situation with both Bryony and Lillian.

Before they parted, Todd turned his phone on, checked his texts, and found an apology from Bryony. She had sent it before Cal and Todd had started talking.

All shadows of remaining hopelessness disappeared from Todd’s face.

Cal offered to go to the coffee shop right away and smooth any remaining ruffled feathers related to Todd’s reactive behavior. Then, he sent him off with a hearty clap on the back. Todd grinned and loped off to his car.

Having given Todd a helping hand, Cal needed to do the same for himself.

The windows at BeanHereNow were steamed on the inside, and the tables half full of customers. Most were hunched over their phones or computers.

The interaction Cal was about to have with Bryony scared him. He stood on a precipice, ready to fall, hoping there would be no hard landing.

Bryony met him halfway into the customer seating area.

“Have you talked to Todd?” she asked, her voice low, urgent.

Cal took her elbow and led her to a little table off to the side, one they had used in the past.

“He’s fine. He’s embarrassed about his reaction,” Cal said.

“He has every right to be angry. I was wrong.” Bryony blushed but maintained eye contact. “I am so sorry, Cal. I let you both down.”

“I appreciate you acknowledging the importance of your position.” Cal put his hand over hers, and she didn’t pull away. “In the long run, this will be a great lesson for him.”

Bryony lowered her eyes. “I can’t believe you’re being so understanding about this. I was horrible to him.”

“You’ve been great for Todd, and he appreciates you. He wants to know if he still has a job.”

“Yes!” Her head flew up, and she locked eyes. “He wants to come back?”

“I told him to drive a hard bargain, to make you work hard for forgiveness. A raise might be in order.” None of that was true. He was trying to make her laugh.

Tears filled her eyes, and she looked down. “I’m sure we can arrange something.”

“Now.” Cal gave her hand a little squeeze. “Can we talk about us for a minute?

“Us?” Bryony looked up again.

“Bryony,” Cal began. “Todd didn’t steal anything, but you have.”

“I have?”

“You’ve stolen my heart, Bryony. I know you said you needed time to focus on yourself, but do you think you could let me do that with you?” He took his hand away from hers to search his pocket and pulled out the object that had been digging into his thigh for the past hour. He had found it in a dresser drawer at his father’s house last weekend. He held it out now, his high school class ring. “Will you go steady with me?”