Seth didn’t ask why. He could guess. His family had been bugging him for a while, telling him that it was time to get back to the business of living. Now Gavin assumed he had. But Seth wasn’t sure he was capable of moving on, despite how it might appear.

Purposely changing the subject, he said, “So why are you here? Don’t you work today?”

“Mom’s having a meeting with the teachers over lunch to get ready for the school play and the big Christmas party, so I came into town to pick up some sandwiches for them. On the way back, I stopped to grab a coffee at the Daily Grind and saw Lois Ivey there.”

Seth refrained from grimacing at his mother-in-law’s name as he selected a box of cereal from the cupboard. “And?” He didn’t plan to tell Gavin what’d happened with Shiloh’s mother if he didn’t have to.

“She was meeting that guy we saw at The Blue Suede Shoe who was asking about Tia on Saturday night.”

Seth froze. “What?”

“She was there with that guy—Kouretas or whatever his name is. I saw them at a table in the far corner and thought it was kind of weird. How would she know him?”

Seth could answer that. She’d run into him at the gate yesterday. He’d probably convinced her to take his card, and she must’ve contacted him afterward. “Did she see you?”

“I don’t think so. That place is always packed. And they were deep in discussion.”

Seth poured the cereal. “Thanks for letting me know.”

“What could they have to discuss?” Gavin asked. “Lois doesn’t know Tia is staying here, does she? Even if she does, it’s none of her business. Maxi can invite whomever he wants to stay at his place. Her daughter has been gone for three years. She can’t expect you to spend the rest of your life alone.”

The matter-of-fact way Gavin addressed something that still cut Seth deeply was part of the reason he typically steered clear of the subject with his family. They didn’t understand why he couldn’t just pick up and move on, and he was tired of having them prod him.