2. Harrison #3
Harrison’s hand went automatically to the front pocket of his jeans, where he still carried his and Penny’s wedding rings, secured with a safety pin to the inside of the pocket.
While he stood there feeling off-balance, Katie marched past him into the kitchen, clearly seeking another task. He let out a breath and followed after her, grateful to trail in her wake this time.
“Anything else?” Katie asked.
Mallory and Mrs. Ying stepped back from each other, Mallory with a slightly guilty look and Mrs. Ying with a knowing smile.
For some reason, it made a tiny bubble of laughter rise up in Harrison’s chest.
He managed to tamp it down, surprised at himself.
It’s just her innocent eyes, he told himself. Like a little fawn in a cartoon, looking startled.
“That’s all I brought over for today,” Mallory said.
“Will you three stay and enjoy it with us?” Mrs. Ying asked. “I just started the kettle. We can make hot cocoa.”
All eyes went to Katie, but she shook her head slightly, telling Harrison it was time to keep moving.
“We have a lot to see today,” Mallory said, reading the signal well. “But thank you. You know I’ll be back next time I have some leftovers.”
“See you tomorrow then,” Mrs. Ying said with a wry smile.
Mallory patted the lady’s shoulder and headed out of the kitchen, leaving Harrison and Katie to follow.
“She’s a keeper,” Mrs. Ying whispered to him as he followed his daughter.
When he turned back, she was busying herself with the kettle.
Harrison was normally annoyed at best when people tried to fix him up. The other hands at the farm where he and his dad worked were endlessly pushing their sisters and cousins on him. Even his mother drove him up a wall trying to set him up with girls from church.
But today it had him feeling amused instead for some reason.
It’s because of the farm, he told himself. I’m just glad to get started on the farm.
All the older folks in the living area stopped their stories to thank Mallory and say goodbye. It was kind of heartwarming to watch her smile and say a few words to each of them.
When she was finished, they stepped back outside onto the sidewalk. The cold breeze and snow flurries felt good on his face after the warmth of Carla’s Place.
“Where are we going now?” Katie asked.
Mallory frowned.
“Exercise classes at the library,” Harrison reminded her.
“Right,” Mallory said, biting her lip.
Katie took off at a quick pace in the direction of the library, leaving Harrison and Mallory to follow again.
It was less than a block away, but as they crossed the street, he noticed Mallory sighing like she was tired or maybe frustrated.
There was no time to think about it though, Katie was already pushing open the door to the library and marching into the large lobby.
Glass doors opened into the collection on the right and what looked like a municipal office on the left. A sign that said Silver Exercise Classes pointed up a small set of stairs.
“Listen—” Mallory began.
But Katie was already jogging up the steps, and Harrison followed.
When Harrison reached the top of the stairs Katie turned to him, a big grin spreading across her face.
He looked through the glass door and saw the room was full of older people slowly doing Tai Chi.
The group was turned away from the doors, but he could see that every head in the room was silver—at least the ones that still had hair, anyway.
There couldn’t be a soul under age sixty in there, including the instructor.
To their credit, the students looked fantastic, all of them strong and flexible, their movements steady.
He turned back to Mallory, who stood at the bottom of the steps, looking at the ground.
Even from where he was standing, he could see that her cheeks were flaming brighter than her hair.
For the second time in ten minutes, laughter bubbled up in his chest, trying to burst out of him.
He frowned and jogged down the stairs again.
Mallory kept her eyes on the floor. He could see she was biting her lower lip again.
He waited for her to speak, but she didn’t.
“I’m guessing that maybe you thought I was a little older?” he offered after a moment.
“You lost your wife,” she grumbled, still not meeting his eyes. “And you said you wanted recipes for your daughter. I assumed she was an adult. I thought she’d be cooking them for you.”
“I will,” Katie said.
“You will?” Mallory asked looking up the steps at Katie, apparently surprised enough that she forgot her embarrassment.
“I made the ladyfingers already,” Katie said, shrugging. “I’m going to try the baklava next.”
“Have you worked with phyllo before?” Mallory asked, her eyes lighting up. “It’s tricky stuff, but if you do it right, the things you can do with it are absolutely incredible.”
“No,” Katie said. “I haven’t used it yet, but I’ve read about it. Seems like there are some tricks to make it work better.”
“Definitely,” Mallory agreed. “If you want, you can use the bakery kitchen to try out that recipe. I’ve got plenty of counter space and some pretty good tools.”
“Yeah?” Katie asked, her eyes wide and the hint of a smile teasing up the corners of her mouth.
“Sure,” Mallory said. “We bakers have to support each other. That’s what my mom always said.”
Katie’s happy expression shut down instantly, like a cloud moving in front of the sun, and Harrison felt a twist in his gut.
“Hey, that’s a really nice offer, Mallory,” he said, jumping in. “We’re both pretty tired from the trip. Maybe we can pick up the rest of your tour another day?”
“I’ll adjust the tour,” Mallory said with a funny smile. “Unless you really wanted to see where the eye doctor’s office is and connect with the community driving service for seniors?”
“I’m good on that,” Harrison said. “Though I’d be glad to give a senior a ride if they need drivers.”
He knew he had no business volunteering what he knew would be minimal free time, but something about the young woman’s sunny smile made it worthwhile.
“That’s really nice,” Mallory said. “Right now, we’ve got a whole bunch of college students pitching in because they’re home on break. But I know the service would love to have one more volunteer to call in the wintertime. I’ll message you the info and the requirements.”
“Thank you,” Harrison said gruffly, trying and failing to tear his eyes from hers. They were as green as the forest and sparkled like precious gems, especially when she talked about helping people.
Snap out of it, he told himself.
“My pleasure,” Mallory said. “It was great to meet you both. Hopefully, we can get together again soon.”
She waved to him and then hurried back up Park Avenue toward the bakery, her bright ponytail swinging merrily, as if to the beat of a song Harrison couldn’t hear.
“She’s funny,” Katie said suddenly.
Harrison turned to his daughter, but she was already making a beeline for his truck, leaving him no choice but to follow.
Today wasn’t exactly turning out the way he’d expected, but he couldn’t bring himself to be mad about it.