Chapter 28
Spring Return
The first Boston pilot meeting took place in April.
Lucy walked into Cedar Street carrying a laptop instead of three binders.
Priya applauded.
"Technology has changed you."
"I still have one binder."
"There she is."
The meeting included library staff, two neighborhood businesses, a local school, and Ben representing the firehouse volunteer program.
Lucy stood at the front of the community room and presented.
Ben watched her.
He had seen Lucy organize chaos.
He had seen her exhausted, furious, worried, and laughing so hard she could not speak.
But this was different.
She was bigger now.
Not in importance.
In possibility.
And loving her had not made her smaller.
That mattered to him more than he could explain.
After the meeting, they walked through the courtyard.
The trees were only beginning to bud.
"You were impressive," Ben said.
Lucy smiled. "You keep saying that."
"You keep being impressive. It's inconvenient."
She slipped her hand into his.
"I missed this place."
"It missed you."
"Did you?"
Ben stopped walking.
Lucy looked up at him.
"Terribly," he said.
There was no joke in it.
Lucy's expression softened.
"Good."
"Good?"
"I missed you terribly too."
Ben kissed her beneath the bare branches that had held lanterns in October.
Spring had changed the courtyard.
Not erased it.
Changed it.
He was beginning to think that was what good love did too.