The restaurant door opened, ushering in a gust of cool air, a few colorful leaves, and a short woman with spiky magenta hair on the arm of a tall, redheaded man, who looked a lot like Neil, probably because he was his brother. Em stared down her coworker, but Gwen refused to look her way.
“Sorry, Em. All I’ve done is talk about my wife.”
Neil must’ve noticed the face Em was making at Gwen, and assumed it was directed at him for monopolizing the conversation.
“No. I think it’s great that you talk about your wife. Really,” Em added when he cast her a doubtful look.
Gwen caught her eye and gave her an excited thumbs-up. Em pursed her lips at her, letting her know she wasn’t pleased she was here spying on them.
Apparently, Neil didn’t notice. “I don’t talk about her. To anyone. You’re the first person I’ve felt comfortable talking about her to.” He unfolded and refolded the napkin. “You’ve lost someone you love too. No one else understands what it’s like for me. They all think I should be able to turn off my feelings for her and move on.”
“I think they just want you to be happy, Neil.”
“How can I be? I lost the love of my life.”
“You have Mike, and your business. Family who loves you,” she said, sending a knock it off look at Gwen, who mouthed for the third time, How’s it going?
The restaurant door opened again, and this time, along with cool air and colorful leaves, Em’s brother and her best friend breezed through the door. Unlike Gwen, they discreetly snuck a peek in Em’s direction while avoiding making eye contact.
“I know, and I know for Mike’s sake I have to move on, but to be honest, Em. I’m not sure that I can.”
“Or that you want to?” she asked, knowing only too well what that was like.
He nodded. “I knew you’d understand. I can’t tell you how good it feels to talk to someone who does.”
“But Mike understands how you feel, Neil. He’s suffered the same loss.”
He shook his head. “It’s not the same. He loved his mom, sure, but he’s young. He’s got friends, family, and one day, he’ll meet someone and fall in love. But I won’t.”
Neil sounded a little selfish to her, as if he was the only one who was suffering. She wondered if she’d sounded the same to her family and friends, and then she felt bad for judging him. But she also felt bad for Mike. She’d gotten to know him better the past few days. He’d come over after school with Charlie, and they’d helped set up her Halloween display. They were nice boys and good friends, but Em had sensed a sadness in Mike, a loneliness, and wondered what his home life was like. She knew Mike and Neil had a good relationship and loved each other very much, but she was worried about Mike. She knew Josh shared her concern.
“How is the reno going at Seaton House?” she asked, deciding to change the subject instead of mentioning her worries about Mike. She had a feeling Neil wouldn’t appreciate her interference.
“Good,” he said, leaning back from the table when the server arrived with their meals. He placed a bubbling cheese pizza in front of her and a seafood platter in front of Neil.
“You haven’t seen any sign of the box?” she asked as the server walked away.
“No sign of the box or the ghosts.” He smiled, raising his wine glass. “Buon appetito.”
She touched her beer bottle to his wineglass. “So no slamming doors, unexplained shadows, crying women, or rolling red balls?”
“Not that I’ve seen or heard, but I’ve worked in old homes before, and most of what you’re talking about can be explained,” he said, and then he shared his theories about the ghostly sights and sounds at Seaton House.
“Mike and Charlie will be disappointed. They swear Seaton House is haunted,” she said. It wasn’t an offhand remark. She wanted to work Mike back into the conversation in hopes she could convince Neil to talk to him about his mom.
His mouth tightened. “Mike wants to believe there’s an afterlife.”
“And you don’t?”
“No. I don’t.” He pointed his fork at her pizza. “You should eat before it gets cold.”
They didn’t talk much during the meal. Neil savored his while Em wolfed hers down. He talked more during dessert. He’d ordered a specialty coffee, and Em had ordered tiramisu.
He went back to talking about his wife, everything he missed about her, about the dreams they’d had for their future. Em pointed out that Neil could take Mike on the wonderful holidays he and his wife had planned, but he shook his head.
“You know, I’ve started therapy recently, and it’s made a difference.” She’d had one therapy session but Neil didn’t need to know that. He also didn’t need to know how much a role Josh had played in getting her to the place she was now, which was miles from where she’d been a matter of weeks ago. “I think you and Mike would benefit from talking to someone, Neil.”
“I don’t know. I’m not big on that kind of thing.”
“I get it. Neither was I.” She scooped up the last of the tiramisu with her spoon, savoring the final bite before continuing. “You know, just because you smile and laugh and maybe meet someone and fall in love, it doesn’t mean you’re dishonoring your wife’s memory and the love you shared. It doesn’t mean you love her any less. You can still love your wife and make room in your life and in your heart for someone else.” She put down the spoon, wiping her mouth with the napkin. “If you’d died instead of your wife, you wouldn’t want her to be lonely and sad and stuck, would you? I know I’d want my fiancé to move on and have a wonderful life.”
He bowed his head, nodding before raising his tear-filled gaze. “I don’t know how to go on without her.”
She covered his hand with hers and then pushed back from the table. “I’ll be back in a minute,” she said and headed for her brother and best friend’s table.
“Em! What are you doing here?” Bri asked, acting like she was shocked to see her there.
“Stop with the act. I can see right through you.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. We come every Wednesday night for pasta fazool, don’t we, honey?” she asked Cal, who was hiding his face behind the menu, his shoulders shaking.
Bri pursed her lips at him. “Fine. We just wanted to be here for you if you needed us.”
“It’s not as if I’m having open-heart surgery,” she said, and held out her hand. “I need one of your business cards. I’ve got a new client for you. Or I should say, two clients, Neil and his son.”
“So the date isn’t going well?” her brother asked.
“It was more of a therapy session than a date. But it’s okay. The pizza was great, and my tiramisu was amazing. And Neil’s a nice guy.”
In a way, Em supposed it had been as much a therapy session for her as it had been for Neil. She’d realized something important. She didn’t need to move on for only Brad and their daughter’s sake, she needed to move on for herself.
And as the restaurant door opened again, Em’s stomach fluttered and twirled like the colorful leaves on the sidewalk. She didn’t feel guilty or sad when her pulse leaped at the sight of Josh walking into the restaurant. She was grateful that she was no longer stuck like Neil.