“Thanks again, Miss Viv,” she said, disappearing before I could even get out the words “you’re welcome.”
My heart gave an extra-quick beat, and I turned to Parker. “She’s a sweet girl.”
He snorted.
“No, really.”
“She’s been on her best behavior for you,” he said.
“And that’s as it should be.” I gathered my phone, tripod, and sewing supplies, then tested the iron to see if it had cooled down before winding the cord around it.
“Seriously, I can’t thank you enough. I can’t believe I went out there and asked for a favor in my first neighborhood conversation.”
“Not a problem. And now you know where to find us if you need anything.”
“Same thing here, and I owe you one,” he said as he walked me to the door.
“It was nothing, really,” I said.
We bid each other good night, and I walked across my empty yard, shivering because it had gotten chillier as the night wore on. I hesitated at the door.
With Mitch still traveling and Dylan at college, the house felt ... empty.
Lucky’s meows traveled through the door, and I fumbled with the key. There. I wasn’t alone. I had an indignant cat to keep me company.
And thanks to Parker, now I had a video to edit. Hopefully, it’d make a few people smile, maybe even chuckle.
Chapter 3
I fell asleep at my computer around 1:00 a.m. The thing they don’t tell you about YouTube is that it isn’t all fun and games. It takes a lot of hard work to make a video, and more than once, I wanted to kick myself for not getting a second take of something the night before.
I’d been enjoying Parker’s company too much to think ahead to the editing.
When I finally got out of bed at nine, it was with a groan.
Thursday.
Cleaning day.
There wasn’t much to clean, but a habit was a habit.
Dylan’s room, the guest room, and the guest bathroom were all practically untouched. I gave the sinks, tub, and toilet each a good scrub anyway. Now that there were only two of us, I was magically caught up on laundry, other than sheets and towels. The primary bedroom was straightened; the dining room and living room looked unused. I had to wipe a bit of spilled coffee from the breakfast room table, but both it and the kitchen were clean because I’d only had a microwavable burrito for supper the night before.
I sat down in front of my computer, but there wasn’t anything to do there, either. I’d already edited the video. I didn’t blog anymore. I didn’t evenwantto go on social media.
Vivian, you may need to get a job.
A job. Oh, how funny that I was thinking about a job now. I wasn’t supposed to be a stay-at-home mom. No, I’d been on my way to working in television. I’d wanted to be on air as a broadcaster or, failing that, work behind the scenes as a producer. Thanks to the blond hair and toothy grin I’d inherited from my father, I’d thought I was well on my way.
But then I met Mitch.
Homecoming night at UT Knoxville, and I went to my first frat party ever. A shy, lanky guy leaned against the wall, and I tried to decide if he was a student or an alum. Sure, he had a slightly receding hairline, but he had a close-shaven face and blue eyes, giving him baby-face appeal. At first I thought it was my imagination that he was staring at me.
Then he started walking my way.
I wouldn’t have characterized him as handsome then—even though I’d come to love his blue eyes and the cleft in his chin—but something about the way he looked at me made me feel especially beautiful.
“Hi, I’m Mitch.”
