He reached out and took her hands. “That’s how you make me feel. Like I’m not lost anymore. Like I know where I’m going. Like everything’s settled into place.” He smiled worriedly, but kept going. “Ever since we kissed that night after trivia, I’ve been carrying your face in my mind all day, hoping that you’re happy. When I’m working and see hummingbirds I think of you, and when I’m driving and see pigeons I think of you, and I know you need time and space to take care of yourself, and I’m not asking you for anything, but I was standing in the airport and suddenly realized I couldn’t leave without telling you how I feel.” He squeezed her hands. “In person.”

She stared at him, then stepped in close and kissed him, holding as tightly as she could, feeling overwhelmingly joyful and at the same time incredibly stressed by the entire day. The conversation with Lili, the running home, the driving, the wrong airport, the driving, and now this. It had been such a lot.

After a minute or so they stepped apart and looked at each other.

“I’m falling in love with you,” said Bob.

“I’m falling in love with you, too,” Laura replied. And then she said, “I’m so sorry,” and threw up all over his shoes.

•   •   •

That evening at dinner Maggie stood and tapped on a wineglass for silence. She got it.

“I’d like to propose a toast,” she said, looking around at everyone. It was a full house, and she felt a lump in her throat. All these people were very dear to her, and several of them were in love with each other, which made for a very pleasant atmosphere.

“To Laura, who arrived to start a fresh chapter of her own life, and managed to bring a lot of new life with her.” She smiled at Laura. “And here’s you thinking you moved here for you, when in fact you clearly came here for us.”

“I’m not sure what you mean,” said Laura.