Last night, she’d sounded like she wanted to stay. This morning, she was side-eyeing the puppies in her kitchen like she couldn’t get out of here fast enough. I’d basically moved in with her after Cherry’s surgery, and now I was hesitant to leave, since I’d brought this puppy chaos into her life. Maybe Kelly could keep Minnie until these guys were fully weaned.
But what would happen after the puppies were adopted?
29
Phoebe
The next three weeks passed in a blur of puppy-related chaos. There were holes chewed in blankets, pee-soaked floors, and a plenty of super-cute antics that at least partly made up for the mess and destruction. Cherry got her staples out and rejoined her siblings with a clean bill of health, and Holly made her adoption official. She’d be going home on Friday. They all would. Taylor had worked hard to find amazing homes for them.
In the meantime, I’d gone on several job interviews—two in-person here in the Burlington area and three Skype interviews for positions in Boston. One of those virtual interviews had landed me a follow-up in Boston next Wednesday that I’d have to drive down for. The position was exactly what I was looking for, except that it would take me away from Vermont.
Between singing at V and V, doing consulting work for local business owners, and fostering for Taylor, I’d become a much bigger part of the community here than I’d expected to. None of it was what I’d thought I wanted, but I was happy. I’d be relaxed too if I didn’t currently have a puppy chewing on the cuff of my pants.
“Knock it off, Elizabeth,” I said as I removed her little teeth from my jeans, zigzagging my way across the kitchen to avoid puppy paws. The cabin was ready for rental now. I’d finished decorating it this week, and since I kept the puppies gated in the kitchen most of the time, nothing had gotten ruined…at least, not yet.
Once they left, it would be time for me to move out too. My dad was anxious to start renting the place. He was tired of paying utilities and upkeep here without earning anything back, and I could hardly blame him.
Taylor was on her way over, and I was trying to get a casserole in the oven for us, but my furry cohorts were getting in the way. Violet lay on her dog bed in the living room, fast asleep. Now that they were weaned, she was spending more and more time away from them. She’d become a regular presence in my bed at night. Taylor had also become a regular presence in my bed, and I hoped that might continue, even if we weren’t sleeping in this house.
I covered the casserole pan with aluminum foil and bent to slide it into the oven. Blaze lunged at my hair, and I winced at the sharp tug of his teeth.
“You guys are little hooligans,” I muttered as I disentangled him from my hair and stood. “Really cute hooligans, but hooligans nonetheless.” My phone rang, and I turned to grab it from the table. “Hi, Dad.”
“Hi, honey. How are you?” he asked, and I could hear the sound of Boston traffic over the line, along with an echo that let me know I was on speaker in his car.
“I’m ready for these puppies to go to their forever homes, but other than that, I’m great. And the cabin’s ready to rent, if that’s why you’re calling. I’ll have it fully staged and puppy-free for the photographer you hired next week.”
“About that,” he said, and there was something apologetic in his tone that made me stand up a little straighter. “Is Taylor still interested in buying?”
I let myself out of the kitchen through the baby gate and dropped onto the couch across from Violet. “Um, I think she would be. Why?”
“I mentioned her offer offhand to Vivian, and she thinks I should sell.” He sighed, and I fought the urge to roll my eyes. He really was whipped where his new wife was concerned. “Apparently, she’s always wanted a condo in the Bahamas, and we could afford it if I sold the cabin.”
“So now you want to sell?” I rubbed a hand over my brow. This didn’t make sense. My dad loved this house, which was why he’d been so determined to hold on to it. And while I wanted Taylor to have the chance to buy it, I also didn’t want my dad to do anything he’d regret.
“I’ve given it some thought, and I’m not getting any younger, you know? I don’t get up to Vermont as often as I’d like, and dealing with renters might be more of a hassle than it’s worth. Selling to Taylor would be easy and quick, and I know the cabin would be going to someone who will love and care for it the way your grandma would have wanted.”
“Wow, Dad. I don’t know what to say.” I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. This was what Taylor had wanted, and the thought of being able to give it to her filled me with a mixture of happiness and something else…something vaguely sad. As I looked around the living room, I realized this place had started to feel like home over the last two months, and I was unexpectedly nostalgic at the thought of giving it up.
Of course, I’d always been leaving, but as long as the property stayed in the family, at least there would have been the possibility of visiting. Well, if Taylor and I stayed together, that possibility remained. But right now, everything felt upside down and confusing.
“Talk to her, will you?” my dad asked. “And if she’s interested, give her my number. If she’s willing to pay a fair market price, we should be able to negotiate the sale without having to get Realtors involved.”
“Okay,” I said. “You’re sure this isn’t a midlife crisis?”
He chuckled, and I heard the sound of the blinker as he signaled a turn. “It’s possible, sweetie, but I’m sure nonetheless. I’ve got so many air miles saved up, I don’t know what to do with them. A little sun and sand will be good for me, don’t you think?”
“Yeah,” I said, smiling at the mental image. My dad did need to slow down. He needed a vacation. Maybe a condo in the Bahamas would be good for him. “I’ll talk to Taylor.”
“Let me know what she decides,” he said.
“Will do.”
We wrapped up the call, and I sat there for a few minutes afterward, just staring at the phone in my hands. Taylor would get to buy this place after all. Would I stay? Would I go? This wasn’t my house. It had never been, even if it had started to feel like it. And now I’d spent two months fixing it up and dressing it for renters that would never come.
I’d left Boston desperate for a place to hide, a distraction from the stupid meme that had derailed my life, and I’d found it here in this cabin. I hadn’t expected Violet or her puppies, and I certainly hadn’t expected Taylor to come back into my life.
Now, it was time to move on and figure out what came next. The puppies would go to their new homes, and Taylor would move in here permanently. “You and I need new homes, Violet,” I said to the dog.