"Yes, I'm fine, thanks for asking."
She'd repeatedly assured Rudy's sisters who expressed concern at Sunday dinner yesterday that she was fine. She'd received so much attention, she almost regretted accepting Kennedy's invitation to join all the Wheelers for family dinner.
She'd only tagged along because she was starving, and Kennedy took the chicken Alfredo that smelled so amazing with her. It had been awkward enough sitting by Scott’s parents at church yesterday morning, showing up for family dinner as well felt like she was integrating herself a little too deeply into their lives.
"That's good." Alice looked at the sofa and tutted. "I imagine it's not very comfortable sleeping on that old sofa bed every night. You need to sleep in a real bed." She walked to the corner where Eden's suitcase sat. "Is this yours?" When Eden nodded, she made a tsking sound. "It's kind of in the way, isn't it? I'm surprised someone hasn't tripped over it and gotten a bloody nose."
She gave Eden a friendly smile, but her reference to a bloody nose carried bad memories for Eden ever since Rudy accidentally gave her a bloody nose at Scott and Kennedy's wedding. A bloody nose that wouldn't stop bleeding.
Alice wheeled the large suitcase out of the corner and into the middle of the room. "This apartment is just too small for three people." She grimaced at Eden. "I bet it's rather uncomfortable to have to share a bathroom with Scott."
Now there's the understatement of the year!
Alice snapped her fingers. "You know what? I have just the thing. Scott's old bedroom is just sitting empty. I even painted and redecorated it after he moved out. It would be perfect for you." As if that decided it, she pushed the suitcase toward the door. "You'll be much more comfortable in a bedroom of your own with a real bed."
"But—" Eden was so stunned she struggled to find words. She wasn't sure how to form an argument because everything Alice said was true. The bed, the bathroom, all of it. She loved the idea of sleeping in a real bed again, but she wasn't sure she wanted that bed to be across the hall from Kennedy's good-looking brother-in-law.
"Oh come, dear." Alice put a gentle hand on Eden's arm. "If I'm ever going to get more grandkids these newlyweds need a little privacy."
If Eden wasn't speechless before, she was now. Her eyes widened, and her jaw dropped at the casualness with which Alice brought up her son's sex life. Or lack of. Was that why Scott had been so grumpy lately?
Kennedy had talked a lot about what an amazing woman her mother-in-law was. So much so, that Eden had grown jealous that her friend once again had a caring mother when she herself didn't. She recalled Kennedy's words. "She's so giving and selfless. Some people might consider her a busybody, but she's so kind you can't get offended when she helps you. I've never met anyone quite like her."
Neither had Eden. Still, it felt strange taking Alice up on her offer to stay with them. "I couldn't impose on you."
Alice scoffed. "You'd hardly be imposing. We have plenty of room."
And with that, Alice picked up Eden's very heavy suitcase and carried it out the door.
"Wait! Wait! Wait!"
Alice stopped on the landing and looked expectantly at her.
"I need...to grab my...toiletries," Eden said in a meek voice. "And I'll carry my suitcase down. It's really heavy." She couldn't seem to tell the woman no.
As she drove behind Alice to her house, she kept telling herself that she should return to Spokane and her job and face her life there, but she couldn't bring herself to stop or point her car toward the highway.
Did she really want to live under the same roof as Kennedy's handsome brother-in-law though?
She had a feeling he was as hesitant to get involved with her as she was him, since he hardly talked to her yesterday at Sunday dinner. Or maybe he just saw her as an inept woman who was always in need of rescuing.
Before she could think of a valid reason not to stay with the Wheelers, she arrived at their house. The modest ranch-style home was older, but it looked well kept. White siding with navy blue shutters created a striking facade. Colorful flower beds and a white picket fence bordered the immaculate front yard.
A picket fence.
Who had those anymore? She stared at the humble home that looked much more inviting than the veritable mansion she grew up in. If it hadn't been for Helen, her housekeeper-turned-nanny, the large empty house in the gated community would have felt like a mausoleum.
A sudden, powerful stirring behind her ribcage had her pressing her palm to her chest. The feeling continued to ripple through her abdomen, creating a fluttering sensation.
I want a house like this.
The thought that filled her head surprised and confused her. She tried to dispel it, but it wouldn't leave. It pulsed there, keeping rhythm with the pounding in her chest.
A knock on her window startled her. She shook her head and gave Alice a smile as she stepped out of her car.
"You can just leave your luggage for Rudy to carry in when he gets home from work, if you'd like," Alice said.
"It's okay, I can get it." She really didn't want Rudy to know how much stuff she'd packed.
