Page 61 of Library or Lattes?

“Well, thank you so much, Theo, that would be a great help. The beams are water-damaged, from an old roof leak. Problem is, we can’t get them all replaced right now, so I’ve been trying to think of how I could patch things up for a while.”

Theo stared intently at the beams, then burst into conversation. “We could sand them down, add wood filler, paint to seal, and maybe even put in temporary supports?” he offered.

“Where did you come from?” Pop looked delighted.

“Why don’t I heat up the pizza we got?” I asked. But Pop and Theo started talking and just didn’t seem to stop. I slipped into the kitchen, put the pizza in the oven anyway, and watched them over my shoulder. Pop was smiling like he’d won some kind of prize, and Theo was gesturing with his hands a lot (when he wasn’t holding the ladder).

Then Pop came into the kitchen to look for something in his toolbox.

“Pop,” I said quietly. “I’m so sorry … about storming off, and about everything.” I looked up from the oven and Pop’s eyes were soft. I stood up to face him.

“Willa—”

“And I’m sorry I quit the coffee shop, I know that money helped with …” I gestured vaguely at the ceiling and the whole crumbling house. “I know it made things harder.”

“Willa, sweetheart, that’s not what I meant. You shouldn’t have to worry about things like that. I was just stressed. It’s not your responsibility to keep this house standing.”

“I want to help.”

“You are helping. By focusing on your future.” He reached over and hugged me and everything was better.

When Pop headed back to the beams, I put the warm pizza on plates and Theo took a break to join me in front of the fire.

He sat beside me, leg against mine, his hand in his dark hair. “It’s weird. I just love all this practical stuff.” He leaned back, no tension, no snark, just genuine happiness.

“I’m glad our dilapidated house could be of some service.” I laughed, looking around at Mom’s worn quilts draped lazily over chairs, photo frames filled with pictures of Mom that definitely weren’t straight, random tools. Our messy collection of mismatched things was somehow exactly right.

“Where’s this?” Theo picked up a framed photo of me and Mom at the carnival.

“Where’s this?” I pretended to be outraged. “Don’t you recognize that square? That’s right here in Oak Falls, at the carnival that comes by every summer. Me and Mom, we were teacup veterans.”

It was nice to see through someone else’s eyes. When I was alone, I just felt sad.

“She’s really pretty, your mom. You look just like her.” Theo stared at the photo like he was committing it to memory.

“Yeah, Pop tells me that.” I looked at the photo. At Mom’s smile, and the way her eyes crinkled at the corners. “I can see it in the pictures, I just wish I had more memories of what she was really like …”

“Well, she looks like she could light up a whole room too.” Theo gave me a smile. “When did she … Sorry, I shouldn’t ask. Hadley was telling me your mom passed away?”

“Oh, it’s been a really long time. I was only three.”

Theo put the photo down and took my hand in his, bringing it to his lips and kissing my knuckles.

“That must have been tough. And I was going on about my mom and dad getting divorced …”

“We managed.” I smiled as Pop sat down with a groan.

“Anything else I can help with?” Theo asked.

“I think probably Willa’s had as much as she can take of beam chat for tonight.” Pop smiled. “She tells me you’re helping her with her application?”

“Well, I’m not much help really. They’ll be lucky to have her in London.”

My face flushed.

“They sure will.” Pop smiled again. “And this London, do you think it’s somewhere that a middle-aged man from Oak Falls might like to visit, if his daughter happened to be living there?” My stomach flipped, just hearing Pop say it out loud. Like it could be real.

“Oh, for sure. I could write up full itineraries of all the things such a man should see.” Theo played along.