“How very un-American of you,” I tease, smiling and nodding at Astrid as we walk by the burrito stand. I’m not stopping on purpose, even if I have to force my feet to keep moving.
“Hi, ladies. Bye, ladies,” Thor calls out as I jerk him forward.
He really is such a clown.
“All joking aside, Cal, you should steer clear of Ana,” he adds in a more serious tone. “She seems determined to dig her claws into you, and Garner will not take that lying down. They’ve been dating exclusively for over a year, and he’s not letting her go without a fight.”
“Again,” I say, claiming a seat at the team table. “I have zero interest in her or any girl. I need girl drama like a hole in the head.” Even as I say it, my eyes seek Astrid out across the room where she’s now seated at her usual table. Her head lifts, as if she heard me calling her, and we smile at one another from across the cafeteria.
“Think you need to get better at the inner pep talks.” Thor chuckles as he throws his arm over my shoulders. “Seems like your dick didn’t get the memo.”
7
ASTRID
Callan’s mom opens the door and smiles widely at me. She looks pretty in a blue and white maxi dress and flat sandals. “Hi, Mrs. Hunt. Is now a good time to talk?”
“Of course, honey.” She stands aside to let me enter their house. “And please call me Roni.” She closes the door behind me. “If we’re going to be working together, I insist on first names.”
“No problem, Roni.” I grin at Callan’s mom as she gestures for me to walk ahead of her. “I had intended on dropping by yesterday, but we ended up going to the park and then out to a restaurant for dinner.”
“How lovely, and no worries, love. I had a little too much wine on Sunday, so I spent most of yesterday curled up on the couch reading.”
“Sounds like a perfect day.” My nostrils twitch with the scent of baked goods. “Something smells delicious.”
“Your timing is perfect. The scones should be cool enough to eat now. How about some scones with jam and cream and Irish tea while we talk?”
I love scones, and I’ll never turn one down. “I don’t need any convincing.” I’m smiling as I pat my stomach. “I’m hungry just hearing about it.”
I take a seat in the dining room at the large oak table while Roni heads into the kitchen to get our tea and scones. I log on to my tablet as the sound of Roni’s singing reaches my ears. I’m grinning to myself as I open my Pinterest account and scroll through my notes.
“Here we go,” she says, striding into the room carrying a tray with a teapot, cups and saucers, two small white bowls, and plates with the most delicious-looking white scones.
Roni distributes everything and then sits alongside me before slathering her scone with strawberry jam and whipped cream.
“In Sweden, it’s traditional to serve scones warm with butter, preserves, and cheese,” I say, blurting it out before I can stop myself. A veil of sadness washes over me. “Mormor, my grandma, used to bake them for me every time I visited, and we’d sit in hersolromdemolishing them while she told me stories of all the wild things Mom got up to when she was younger.”
“You must miss her a lot.”
I rub at my chest. “So much,” I whisper, fighting tears.
“Ah, honey.” Roni pulls me into a hug and kisses the top of my head. “You never stop missing the people who have gone from this world, but it does get easier, and in my experience, it’s better to keep talking about them than to bottle all the feelings up inside.”
“It’s still so raw, you know?”
“Of course, it is. Your nana sounds like a wonderful person.”
“She was the best.” I share stories of happy times spent withMormorwith Roni as we eat and drink, and she’s right. I do feel better telling someone about her. The sadness and pain are stillthere. I think they always will be, but maybe talking about her is the way we get through it. I know Mom purposely isn’t saying much because she doesn’t want to upset us.
When we’re done eating, we get down to business, and my enthusiasm is only growing the more we discuss her plans for the house. Roni tells me her budget and ideas for each room, and I’m excited when she loves the few suggestions I throw out, including knocking down the wall that separates the dining room from the kitchen and making it one large cooking and eating space. I ask her a ton of questions, taking more notes, so I can create a detailed interior design plan.
“Do you need to know anything else?” Roni asks as she returns with a fresh pot of tea.
“I think I have most of what I need now, but I’m sure other questions will crop up as I set about creating the mood board, floor plans, 3D renderings, and a project timeline. I’ll make sure to stick to the budget we discussed, allocating it based on the supplies and furnishings we need for each space. It’s great you already have the essential furniture items, and I’ll match the color scheme and accessories to ensure the overall effect is stunning. I’ll get some material and paint samples too.”
“Sounds amazing. I’m so excited.” Her eyes shine with the truth of that statement, and warmth spreads across my chest.
“Me too. I can’t wait to get started.”
