“Yes. You usually need to talk things through and require input from others. That is perfectly fine, but you’re trusting yourself more now, if you can do that in your head.”
“Huh.” I never realized making decisions by myself had become obsolete.
Zander looks a little confused but says nothing. “That’s one decision down. The invitation is still open if anyone changes their mind. Next up, do you have any idea when you’d like to fly to Charleston? You have almost two weeks to choose from. We should aim to be back the Friday before school starts, to handle matters at the high school. We can stay here until then or split our time between Virginia and South Carolina. What do you think?”
“What about your work?” He’s already up here with little notice and missing time. I don’t want to be selfish and demand he stay the entire two weeks here if he needs to get back.
“My guys can take care of things. They know I’m meeting my daughter,” he smiles at me. “I’d need to make a few calls and stay up to date on emails, but that’s it.”
I think it over. There’s no avoiding this move, and I’m not dreading it as much now that I’ve met Zander. He easily makes anysituation lighter for me by being a goofball. I think not seeing Jake is my biggest obstacle right now. “Can I get back to you on that? I need time to think. I’ll tell you tomorrow. Is that okay?”
“Of course. That’s fine, Summer.”
“How about we head to the kitchen and try the fruit tart? It should be set by now,” Sue offers.
“Now you’re talking, Sue. I can’t wait.” Zander stands up and moves towards the kitchen, following her.
I look back down at Sarah. “Sorry, I guess I didn’t need to bother you with this.”
“It’s no bother, Summer. I’m happy to be included. Why don’t you grab a slice of that fruit tart, and we can talk later if you need?”
“Okay, thanks, Sarah. Bye.” I wave and end the call, closing my laptop, leaving it on the coffee table for now. I think over the revelation that I don’t make decisions anymore. I know I’ve been in survival mode since the accident, but I didn’t realize that had become my life. I should have. Maybe things are changing…
I head towards the kitchen but stop in the doorway to observe. Zander is cutting the fruit tart into slices while Sue boils some water for tea. “Are you sure you aren’t British, Sue?” Zander jokes. “There’s a lot of tea in this house.”
“How do you know I’m not a Southern lady instead?” Sue sniffs, as if offended.
“We may drink tea in the south, but it’s ice cold sweet tea, not hot, Sue. It’s too damn warm most of the year to drink it hot.”
She chuckles. “I’m Virginia, born and raised Zander. I just prefer tea to coffee.”
“Does Summer have any favorites? I’d like to stock them in the kitchen for her,” Zander asks as he grabs his phone from his pocket.
“She does.” Sue looks over and winks at me as Zander taps on his phone.
“Okay, I’ve got a list open. What do I need to buy?”
“Mint tea, chamomile tea, and green tea. She also prefers cola to other sodas. Homemade hot chocolate. Other than that, just water.”
“Homemade hot chocolate? What do I need to make that?”
“I’ll give you my recipe before you leave.”
“Okay, that works. What about snacks?” He looks up at her. He seems serious about getting things I like. It’s kind of sweet.
“Let’s see, we mostly eat baked goods around here. Summer likes fruit, though.”
“What kind of fruit?”
“I don’t know of any fruit she doesn’t like.”
“Got it,” he says. “I’ll get the guys to pick these up before we get back,” he mutters to himself.
Sue smiles at him. “Summer, do you want to grab the plates and forks?”
Zander whips his head around to see me standing in the doorway. “Sorry,” he says without remorse. “I wasn’t trying to exclude you. I wanted to ensure you had things you liked at home.”
“It’s okay. I don’t mind.” We get everything set up at the table and dig in. As usual, the tart is amazing. Tangy but sweet.
