Page 84 of Shadow

“Perfect. I’ll wait here.” Ruthie settled onto the porch swing. Patted the seat. “Sit with me? Beautiful morning.”

Clear sky. Crisp air. Leaves turning gold and red. The kind of November morning that made Colorado famous.

Daphne sat. The swing creaked.

Ruthie pushed with her foot, setting them into gentle motion. “So. The fall dance tonight. You’re coming, right?”

What, did she have a tap on the house? “We’re thinking about it.”

“It’ll be fun. Live music. Dancing. Food. The whole community turns out.” Ruthie’s expression turned knowing. “You’ll get to show off that handsome husband of yours. It’s so cute how you two are so in love.”

Heat crept up Daphne’s neck. “Um⁠—”

“Oh, honey, I’ve seen the way you look at him. And more importantly, I’ve seen the way he looks at you. It reminds me of how David used to look at me.”

“How does he look at me?”

“Like you hung the moon. Like you’re the most important person in the world.” Ruthie sighed. “Young love is beautiful. How did you and Asher meet?”

Daphne wrapped her hands around her mug. The cover story. “I hired him to remodel my house. And then, you know…he asked me out. We finally went to dinner.”

“Beautiful. And then it was true love?”

For a second, her memory flashed to the moment, back at Millie’s—their real meeting, where yes, he’d saved the entire diner from disaster. The way he’d looked over at her. Thanks for the assist back there.

“Yes. We talked. For hours. I thought he was someone special. True love, from the first moment.”

The words just settled over her.

“You two are perfect for each other. I can see it. The way you trust him. The way he looks at you.” Ruthie’s expression turned wistful. “That’s what real partnership looks like.”

Ruthie’s gaze drifted past her, to the mountains. “David died two years ago. Heart attack. Sudden. We’d just bought this place. Were going to spend our retirement here together.” She gave a smile, looked back to Daphne. “But true love like that—it only happens once. You can’t let it go. You can’t take it for granted. You have to hold on with everything you have because when it’s gone—” Her voice broke. “When it’s gone, there’s nothing else like it.”

Daphne stared at her coffee. At the steam rising. At her reflection distorted in the dark liquid. “Yeah. My mom and dad had a love like that.” She looked up, not sure why she was telling Ruthie this. Maybe she felt like an aunt.

Or just safe.

“She was devastated when Dad was killed. Never recovered, really. Never dated again. Never really laughed the same way either. Just grieved until the grief turned into cancer.”

“Oh, honey.” Ruthie’s hand found hers. Squeezed.

And for some reason, Daphne let her.

And couldn’t stop talking.

“She used to wait for him to come home every shift. Especially on day shift. Three p.m. She’d stand at the kitchen window, watching the street. Making dinner. Humming. Waiting.”

Until that one day. Three fifteen. Then three thirty. Then the police car. Then the chaplain. Then Mom’s scream.

Ten years of watching grief consume someone. Ten years of understanding

She looked at Ruthie’s hand on hers. “I was sixteen when he died. My mother died just a few years ago—cancer. I miss her. The way she smelled like vanilla and coffee. The way she’d hum while cooking. The way she’d wait at that window.”

Silence, and then Ruthie squeezed her hand. “Sounds like your mother was a treasure. And that she taught you what true love looks like. Loyal. Patient. Trusting.”

Daphne nodded. Let go of her hand. “I’m sorry. About your husband.”

“I’m grateful for the time we had. For the love we shared. Fifty-two years. Not everyone gets that.” She looked at Daphne with a wry smile. “But no matter how long you get, don’t waste it. Don’t take it for granted. Love like that is rare. Hold on to it with everything you have.”