With the business plan and the down payment money, she could start moving forward with the purchase again. Susan would be happy about that. According to the plan, she wasn’t that far behind on her timeline, but she should start the process of applying for a loan soon. Monday she would go to the bank and talk to someone about her options.
She closed her eyes for a few minutes and then got sucked into the vast vortex of social media. Even without an account, she could cyberstalk her friends from Grinder’s. Scrolling through her friends’ pictures she was surprised to find herself in a few. One pictured four young women in coffee aprons toasting with mugs of coffee and smiling. It was disconcerting that she couldn’t remember what they were celebrating, when the picture was taken, or the people she was with.
After spending a half hour skimming through Ashely, Leah, and Holly’s accounts, she snuck a quick peek at Jake’s profile, but he hadn’t posted in months. And most of his entries weren’t even his—he’d just been tagged in other people’s posts. There were only a handful of pictures, mostly from Mitch’s wedding, and none revealed anything new about him.
It was too bad she didn’t have an account. If she’d posted the way some of her friends did, she wouldn’t need her memories. Anything and everything she’d ever done, seen, felt, or thought would be online.
After closing the application window, she could understand why she wasn’t on social media. With or without memories, with or without rich parents, posting her business for all the world to see didn’t seem like something she was into.
Unable to spend another second on the computer, she bundled up and headed outside for a quick walk. Jake had instructed her to stay inside with the doors locked, but he wasn’t here now, was he?
Max ran to greet her as she approached the barn, and she bent to pet him and tell him what a good boy he was. Dirk was inside brushing one of the horses, and she decided to say hello.
“Knock, knock,” she said as she entered.
“Hey, Hannah,” he greeted with a big smile. “Flying solo today?”
“Yeah. I just came out for a little fresh air. Do you need help with anything?”
“You can help me give some treats.”
He had a bag of mini carrots and gave her a handful, showing her how to hold her hand flat and just let the horse nibble it off.
“That tickles.” She laughed. They doled out the carrots a few at a time until the bag was empty.
“All gone,” Dirk said to the horses. “I’ll bring more tomorrow.”
“So, Dirk. How do you know Jake?” Hannah asked.
“He picked me up at the feed store.”
“What?”
“Well, that’s how I like to tell it.” He chuckled. “Really, Jake and I just got to talkin’ one day, and out of the blue he invites me to come live out here and help with his animals.”
“Just like that?”
“Pretty much. I used to own a big Christmas tree farm near here, but it got to be too much for me so I sold it. Not long after that, my wife of fifty-three years passed away. I was lost and floating around aimlessly for a few months before Jake made his offer.”
She could see where this was going. Dirk was another one of Jake’s “rescues.” Her eyes misted at the sweetness of it.
“Jake likes to pretend he can’t live without me, but I mostly just toddle around here, feeding the animals and sweeping the barn. It’s not much, but it gives me a reason to get out of bed every day. And at my age, that’s important.”
She nodded, unable to say anything around the sudden lump in her throat. And in that moment, she felt herself fall a little bit in love.
“He’s a good man,” Dirk said solemnly.
“Yeah. Well, I better get back. It was nice talking to you.”
She retreated to the house, made herself a sandwich, and settled in to wait.
After what felt like forever, Jake returned. When he opened the door, she was on the couch, reading a whodunit mystery she’d found on his bookshelf.
“Hey,” she said, playing it cool.
“Hey.” He walked to the couch and moved her legs over a little, so he had room to sit. She could tell from the beer on his breath that his constant worrying about her was over. He’d gone from calling every hour to leaving her alone all day so he could party down.
“Listen, I’m sorry about this morning. You kinda caught me off guard, and I wasn’t sure what to say,” he blurted. That’s certainly not what she’d been expecting. She shook her head.
