She said I needed to talk to Eve, but I didn't feel like I could. Not yet.
Sofia ran into the room. "He fixed it!"
"Did he now? That toilet's been running for years. Did you know that he'd turn it off at night so it wouldn't wake us up?"
"Why didn't you ask me to take a look at it?" I asked Mom.
Mom rolled her eyes. "It was Dad's job to fix. I just can't believe it took so long for him to do it."
"What's Grandpa doing now?" Mom asked Sofia.
"He said he had to clean up."
Mom chuckled. "I suppose that's why you hightailed it out of there."
Sofia giggled.
"It sounds like you were a good helper, and I'm sure Grandpa enjoyed the company. I'd say he earned his brownies."
We talked for a while longer while Mom poured lemonade and cut the brownies. Dad joined us when he was done in the bathroom. It was a nice afternoon.
I wished I could have spent it with Eve, but she had to work.
How could she have time to see us if she was sleeping in her office? I still couldn't believe she was doing that. It showed that she went all in on work and not us.
Maybe it was bad timing with the pipe bursting and Christmas quickly approaching. But this was the time of year that you were supposed to spend with loved ones. And Eve was busier than ever.
She took on more work than she needed to, and that was frustrating. She should delegate tasks, hire more help, and let others clean up their messes. But instead, she took everything on herself.
It was commendable, but it took away from spending time with Sofia and me.
We ended up staying for dinner because I felt unsettled, and it was easier to let Mom cook for us. Dad played a game with Sofia while I helped Mom clean the dishes.
"What are you going to do about Eve?"
"I don't know. I have to think about it." My first thought was to distance myself from her. No more visits to her office or invitations to come over at midnight.
"I know you'll do the right thing."
"I don't know what that is anymore."
"I wonder if you're scared that she'll leave you, or that she’ll replace you with her work.”
That made me pause. "Why would you think that?"
"It's a natural fear after you've lost a loved one. You'll be afraid to lose other people in your life. You might leave them first, so you don't have to go through that pain again."
I hadn't thought about it like that before. Maybe I should talk to my new friends about that or even my therapist. I wasn't going to solve this issue quickly. I needed time to think.
"Maybe scheduling that bed-and-breakfast trip before Christmas wasn't the best timing. Maybe you set yourself up to be disappointed."
Is that what I'd done? I had wanted it to be a test of sorts, and I couldn't be disappointed because what I suspected would happen did. She didn't really want to be with me. She wanted to work.
"You should be fair to Eve and yourself. Give this a chance. Be honest with her."
Sofia joined us. "I won!"
Dad followed her more slowly into the kitchen, snagging another brownie from the plate. "We should play another round so I can redeem myself."
