I sit down and spread out the pages on the bed between us. A picture catches my attention, so I grab it. This must be him. Zander. He has light brown, wavy hair that curls around his ears and neck, and laughing green eyes the same shade as mine. His face is lit up with a huge smile, and he has a dimple on his left cheek. There are a few crinkles around his eyes that suggest he smiles a lot. His skin looks tanned, and Zander has a straight nose and a square jaw.
“Oh, Summer, he has your eyes and smile,” Sue comments as she leans over to gaze at the picture.
“You think so?”
“Yes, definitely. Oh, and look, you have the same dimple!”
“Yeah, we do,” I reply thoughtfully as I stare at him. “I always thought I looked like Mom, but I see myself in Zander too.”
“Let’s check out what else he sent us, shall we?”
We each grab some papers and start looking through them. There’s a picture of Zander in an Army uniform and another in a suit. A satellite photo shows what I’m assuming is his house. I can’t tell much, but it appears he has land surrounding him. He sent his entire resume to me. He went to West Point and was in the Army until age 37. Seems like he’s been all over the world. He started a company, Finn Enterprises, in South Carolina after he left the military. I see some military jobs listed. That must be the contract work he mentioned. He’s a pilot too.
I set those papers aside and keep digging. He printed off a few pages about his company. Looks like he provides security and transport of some kind. I grab my laptop and bring up the company website, which looks professional. Zander is the CEO, and there’s a thumbnail pic of him. The company is small, but it appears the employees are mostly ex-military, too. I quickly search for Zander Finn in South Carolina and find several news articles to save for later. The last page I printed is a handwritten list that he must have taken a picture of. It’s a list about him. Favorite color, favorite restaurant, favorite foods, hobbies, favorite movie and tv show. I look up at Sue and see her smiling at me. “Did you see all of it?”
“Yes, I believe so. He genuinely wants you to get to know him. I received a text from Mary while I was watching the Food Network. She would like to set up a video call between you and Zander. She said she texted you and Sarah as well. Are you ready for that?”
“This is moving quickly, Sue.” So darn quickly that I haven’t had time to wrap my head around all thisyet.
“These things tend to, sweetheart. It only took me a week to get you, remember?”
“I guess you’re right.” Ugh, this is so hard. I don’t want to move.
Grabbing my phone, I see texts from Mary and Sarah, so I open Mary’s first. She wants to video call tomorrow. I check Sarah’s text next. She texted everyone at once. Apparently, we will video call when I’m ready and not a minute sooner. I chuckle. “Sarah is being protective,” I tell Sue.
“Yes, she is, and rightfully so, after last Thursday.”
That causes me to grimace.
“No, Summer, you did nothing wrong. We handled that poorly, as I’ve already said. Sarah is ensuring you come first with all of this, as she should.” Sue pats my hand.
“Okay, let’s set up a morning video call with everyone. I’d rather not worry about this all day tomorrow, so let’s get it over with.”
While we wait for responses, Sue helps me gather up the papers, and I place them on my desk with my laptop.
“How about some Gilmore Girls and popcorn, sweetheart?”
“That sounds nice, Sue.”
I grab my phone and head to the kitchen, gathering the popcorn bowl and sodas for us. Sue pops the popcorn on the stove while I melt some butter in the microwave. Once everything is ready, we head to the couch. I cover myself with a blanket while Sue brings up Netflix. Shortly after the first episode, I get a text from Mary saying 9am works. She will come to the house beforehand with her laptop to videoconference Sarah and Zander.
“9am is good for everyone. Mary is coming by a little before nine with her laptop,” I tell Sue.
“Good sweetheart. I have a good feeling about Zander.” Sue smiles at me, patting my arm.
We watch a few more episodes before heading to bed.
Chapter 7
My alarm wakes me the next morning. I reach over to my desk, fumbling around until I touch my phone, hitting the stop button. With a groan, I roll onto my back, stretching my tense muscles. I slept on and off during the night with a few short nightmares surfacing. At least they were imaginary instead of actual events. Unfortunately, they all revolved around new living situations, which doesn’t help my nervousness. My belly is queasy already, and I just woke up. Thank goodness I requested a morning call. I can’t imagine waiting all day.
Sue knocks and peeks her head into my room. “Hi sweetheart, checking if you’re up. Shall I make some breakfast while you get ready?”
“Sue, I don’t think I’ll be able to eat this morning. I’m already nervous and queasy.”
“I’ll make you some mint tea. How does that sound?”
“Sounds good. Thank you. I’ll be down after I shower.”
