6. Cora

6

CORA

T he week passed quickly for Cora between teaching and getting Sylvester settled in.

Much to her surprise, Jared did come by each day after school. He would usually be waiting outside, doing some small task when they pulled up.

She had gotten used to watching Sylvester greet him and the two of them piling into the house after her, waiting by the counter while she fixed a snack, which Jared always declined the first time she offered and then wolfed down once she encouraged him.

So far, she hadn't been able to convince him to stay for supper. She wasn't sure if that was a disappointment or a relief. After all, she'd told him maybe they could work something out about the fishing hole, and they had said no more about it. He'd simply made himself a fixture at the house, fixing the windows, then knocking out a dozen other small tasks, and now he was planning out what order to paint the rooms in.

In a way, feeding him would feel like at least she was giving him something in return that didn't involve tearing down the fence that kept Sylvester safe, or… well, whatever other favors a strapping man like Jared might expect from a young widow.

Cora didn't think he didn't expect anything like that, or she wouldn't be letting him in at all. But it had been so long since she considered herself single, that she wasn't really sure what courting looked like nowadays. She was pretty sure it didn't involve home improvements, but it was so hard to know.

Maybe I'd better check out that BeeBop app, she thought to herself on Saturday morning as she puttered around the kitchen, waiting for Sylvester to come downstairs.

He took a lot of pride in showering and getting ready on his own these days, and most times he did a great job.

Today was important though. They were going to be spending the day with his grandmother at Cassidy Farm, a local tourist farm that Ginny promised had fun things for kids.

Cora adored her mother-in-law, who had been so kind and sweet from the first moment a very nervous Cora had been presented to her. And even now, Ginny was sensitive to Cora's worries about Sylvester.

While most grandparents would sweep the boy off for a day of fun, Ginny seemed to know instinctively that taking Sylvester to a new place without his mother would be exceptionally hard on Cora—especially if it was a place like a farm where there could be allergy triggers.

Cora was glad to be going with them, but she still felt honor-bound not to do or say anything today that would impact Ginny's enjoyment, or make her regret her generous decision to include the whole family.

I won't get in the way of their fun, Cora coached herself as she heard Sylvester's footsteps on the stairs. I'll just keep an eye on him.

She knew she could be an uptight sort of person, always worrying, especially when it came to her Sylvester. But his asthma was truly frightening, so she was okay being a stick in the mud if it kept him safe. It was just her way.

Losing Arthur didn't help either , the little voice in the back of her head whispered.

But she tried hard not to think about that.

"Are you excited to see Grandma Davies?" she asked when Sylvester poked his head into the kitchen."

"Very," he told her, nodding his head up and down with a big smile on his face.

"I'll scramble you up an egg," she told him, thinking he might as well have something sensible in his belly before their outing, which was sure to include some sweet treats.

"I'll make the toast," Sylvester said, delighted that he could prepare part of the meal himself. "Did you know that Long John Silver was based on a real person?"

"I didn't know that," Cora said. "A pirate?"

"A poet," Sylvester said. "And he only had one leg because he had a disease and they had to cut it off, but everyone said he was super strong. Miss Sullivan told me."

Cora smiled. Maggie Sullivan was Sylvester's new second grade teacher. Cora had met with her earlier in the week to talk with her about Sylvester.

Maggie had taken notes about his asthma, but been so much more interested in hearing that he was a voracious reader. The two of them had chatted for a long time and Cora felt really good about Sylvester spending his days with Maggie.

And now Maggie had taken the trouble to tell him about someone who had suffered a health concern like he did, but who had inspired a famously swashbuckling book character. It made Cora's heart ache with joyful gratitude.

The eggs in the pan went a little blurry in front of her eyes at the thought. But the sound of the toaster popping up had her blinking the tears away before her son could see them.

"I can't wait to go to the farm," Sylvester said, as he spread jam on their toast. "Do you think Jared will be there?"

"Oh, that's not his farm," Cora told him. "It belongs to a different family. But I'll bet he'd be glad to talk to you about what you see today, the next time he's here."

"Okay," Sylvester said, looking a little disappointed. "Maybe he knows the other farmers."

"I'll bet he does," Cora said. "Trinity Falls is pretty small, and he's lived here all his life."

"Just like Dad," Sylvester said. "Until he went away to college."

"Exactly like that," Cora said.

"Did Jared go to college?" Sylvester asked suddenly .

This was a tricky question. Cora very much wanted her son to have every opportunity and she hoped he would go to college, if she could swing it. In the city, most people who could afford to go went. But things were different here. And besides, she didn't want him to be a snob, or think that everyone had to go to college to have a happy life.

"I'm not sure," she said carefully. "But from what he says about the family farm, it's very successful. So even if he didn't go to college to learn how to run it, he learned about farming from someone. I'll bet if you asked him how he learned to farm, he would love to tell you all about it."

"Okay," Sylvester said, nodding to himself. "I'll ask him about it."

"Let's eat," she said, sliding scrambled eggs onto their plates.

A few hours later, Cora was very glad she'd managed to get eggs and toast into Sylvester before they left.

Right now, they were sitting at a picnic table where he had just finished a candied apple and a funnel cake, which Ginny and Cora were picking at too.

"Life is short," Ginny declared. "Sometimes you have to eat dessert for lunch."

Sylvester crowed with laughter, likely a result of all the sugary treats he'd had since they arrived. And the treats didn't stop with the food. He was wearing a new Cassidy Farm sweatshirt under his jacket, since Ginny had worried he might be getting cold, and he had a pack of playing cards with the farm logo on them in the pocket, merely because his grandma had noticed him looking at them while they stood in line for the hoodie.

Cora didn't mind. Children needed a little spoiling from time to time, especially where grandparents were involved. And besides, she didn't dare say a word after she had already said no to the hayride.

Sylvester had been so excited to get in the bed of hay for a trip all around the farm. But she worried that so much hay would kick up his allergies. No amount of fun could be worth the risk of an asthma attack when they were out on a hayride a mile from the road.

But she had promised herself she would say yes to anything that didn't put him in danger today. So hopefully that would be his only disappointment, and it would soon be forgotten.

They had already fed the ducks and even gone through a corn maze. Next up might be feeding some of the farm animals.

"Hey there," a familiar voice boomed.

"Jared Webb," Ginny said fondly. "I hear you've been teaching my grandson how to be handy around the house."

Cora turned on her seat, and sure enough, there was Jared, smiling down at them. His cheeks were flushed from the cold and he looked more handsome than ever.

"He's a quick study," Jared said. "Right, Rocky?"

"Rocky?" Ginny echoed.

Sylvester melted into giggles. He was clearly tickled to death at the nicknames Jared insisted on calling him, especially Rocky, after Jared told him all about the movie that starred an actor who shared his name.

"Hey, I'm glad I bumped into you," Jared said, turning to Cora. "Why don't we use this trip to get your Christmas tree set up? I could throw one in my truck right now and swing over to your place with it."

Cora bit her lip and gazed over at the beautiful cut trees on display by the plant nursery.

Her heart sank. How in the world had this obnoxiously kind man appeared just in time to force her to say no for the second time today?

She could sense Sylvester wiggling with joy beside her.

"That's so nice of you, Jared," she said. "But unfortunately, we can't have a real tree because we aren't sure how Sylvester's allergies will react."

Sylvester didn't make a sound of complaint, and Ginny didn't say a word, but Cora could feel the weight of their shared disappointment.

The trouble was that although she very much wanted to be a fun mom, she was the only parent he had—and it was her whole job to protect him.

"I've got an idea," Jared said, his eyes lighting up. "We got our tree a couple of days ago, and we're planning to decorate it tomorrow. Why don't you guys come by? You can see how Sylvester does with the tree, and if he's okay maybe you could stay for dinner. Mom always does a nice spread, and our friends and family all stop by when we do the tree, so there will be plenty for everyone. "

"Can we, Mom?" Sylvester asked, tugging on her sleeve excitedly.

Well, she certainly couldn't say no a third time today. Not with Sylvester exploding with happiness at the idea and looking up at her with puppy dog eyes, and Ginny smiling beside him.

She glanced up at Jared and almost laughed out loud to see he was wearing the same puppy dog eyes as her son.

"Fine," she said, smiling. "That's a very nice offer, as long as it's okay with your mom. Shoot me a text later and let me know if it's okay with her and what we can bring."

"It's okay with her," he told her. "And she'll say to just bring yourselves. But I'll text you later anyway, so you have no excuse not to come."

" Yes ," Sylvester cried.

Cora tore her eyes from Jared's. But as she turned to Sylvester, she caught Ginny giving her an appraising look.

Does she think something is going on between Jared and me?

The thought had her cheeks heating, which surely made her look even more suspicious.

"You're invited, of course, Mrs. Davies," Jared said. "I didn't say it since we always see you over there anyway."

"Oh, you know I'll stop by," Ginny said with a warm smile, and another glance at Cora. "I wouldn't miss it."

Cora longed to tell Ginny there was nothing between them. But a denial would only make her look more guilty, especially when the question hadn't even been asked .

And if there really was nothing there, then why was she suddenly feeling nervous about meeting his family?

Cora decided that it was just the usual nerves that went along with making a good impression in a new town, and swore she wasn't going to overthink it as she mentally reviewed her closet for the right outfit to wear.