The pieces didn’t click in Tim’s brain until after she was out the door; he’d barely seen her silhouette just for a second, but the way she moved was so familiar.
Mace Tyler.
He almost rose to chase after her. Give her a hug, maybe dunk her in the old claw-foot bathtub that served as a horse trough in front of the Zani’s General Store. But his mom and her friends were so glad to have him among them that he stayed put. It was nice to know Mace was around, he’d missed her the last few times and was sorry for that.
It had always been a pinch that he hadn’t been there more for her in the years since Stephen’s death. Hell, he even remembered when she was born. Stephen became a big brother at the age of four and had very seriously asked Tim to help him so he didn’t mess up. They’d made a spit
