A Father's Love

Epilogue: The Market

"Hugh…?"

The beckoning was close; much closer than he had been prepared for. Hugh froze with one hand hovering over a bright green bell pepper, and his heart threatening to beat right out of his chest. He turned his head, just slightly to his left, and their eyes met.

"Lila?"

Her surprise mirrored his, as she was barely holding onto the cellphone between her fingers. An electronic voice was still chattering on the other end, unaware that she could no longer hear a single word.

"Charlotte," she said, speaking slowly. "I'm going to have to call you back."

Without waiting for confirmation, she hung up, and tucked it away in the pocket of her blazer, still in that dark shade of blue Hugh remembered that she favored. He swallowed and let his hand drop and hang at his side. Every part of him had gone numb in an instant.

"Is… is that really you?" She took a step toward him, lips still parted in disbelief.

With every emotion that tried to surge forward, it was a genuine shock that he was able to smile, if only a little. "It is."

"Wha…?" Lila inhaled, then chuckled a little. It sounded forced. "Of all the places…" She brushed a brunette lock behind her ear, where a beeping Bluetooth was lighting up.

Something inside of him, something he thought he'd buried years ago, shifted and knotted at the sight of it. He expected her to touch it, to hold up a finger and turn away; his teeth were already grit as he braced for it.

But she surprised him again; she took the earpiece out and tucked it into her purse. For the first time in a very long time, he had her undivided attention. It left him breathless.

"What are you doing here?" she asked with a slight tilt to her head.

"I–" Hugh struggled to answer for several seconds. Unable to fidget with the basket in his hands, he floundered under her scrutiny and cleared his throat. "I live here now."

He turned on his heel to the produce stand, mind frustratingly blank. He had come to this booth with a plan, wanting to try something new. Now, all he could think of was the past. It was looming over him, lingering a few steps away, as daunting and beautiful as the day they had met.

"That's… interesting." Lila was studying him. She sounded unsure of herself, for once. "When I heard you had sold the house, I would have never thought that you'd end up in such a big city."

He had to grab the shopping list in his pocket to check for what he needed, and grabbed what he could. "I came here looking for work and never really left."

"Oh. I see." Her gaze dropped, just for a moment.

She was anxious. So was he. He has to ignore how his fingers were beginning to ache and how his knuckles were turning white. The breath he took was unsteady before he asked:

"What brings you out this way?"

"Business, as usual." Her laugh was distinctly uncomfortable. "A partner meeting is happening downtown, but I still have a couple of hours before I have anywhere to be. I thought I might stop for lunch."

The seconds began to drag as they caught each other's eye. Hugh swallowed past the lump in his throat and he was the first to look away, feeling around for his wallet.

"You're not busy?" he murmured. "That's a first."

He paid the nearby vendor for his selection of fruits and vegetables before he found her frowning in his direction. Was it guilt that suddenly hunched his shoulders, or was it something else?