“Our divorce was never finalized,” she said, heat rising to her cheeks. “I forgot to return the signed documents.”
He stared at her, waiting for her to continue, then said, “And you came up here because…”
“Because I’m getting married and need to sort out the paperwork again.”
“You’re getting married,” he repeated, sounding slightly dazed. “When?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?”
“My lawyer said we have to sign the new set of divorce papers he emailed me and have them notarized so I can get my marriage license in time for my wedding tomorrow. I just flew from Maine.”
“Oh, wow…” Hugo leaned against the doorframe and sighed. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah, I’m sorry. I know it’s really shitty for me to show up like this. I did try calling, though. I wasn’t trying to blindside you.”
“I didn’t have any missed calls from you.”
“I called! Multiple times! I swear!” Marigold opened her call log. “Look!”
Hugo peered at her screen, then pulled out his own phone. “Oh… I thought that was a spam call.”
“You erased my number?”
Hugo straightened up and looked her in the eye. “Yep, about six months after you ghosted. After you ignored every call and every text.”
“I’m sorry, I—oof!” Something large and gray barreled into her, nearly knocking her over as it licked her face, whimpering with excitement. “Hi there… Hi…” Marigold said, scratching the enormous dog’s side as she tried to regain her balance.
“I guess he remembers you,” Hugo said in a voice she couldn’t quite read.
“Humphrey?!” she exclaimed. The sound of his name sent the dog into a frenzy as he tried to lick her cheek, wag his long tail, and roll on the ground all at the same time, his ecstasies too great to be expressed through one movement alone. “Hi, buddy!” Marigold crouched down to scratch the dog’s proffered belly. “So good to see you, boy. Aren’t you the best boy? Aren’t you, Humphrey?”
“I don’t think he expected to see you again either.”
Marigold winced as she rose to her feet. “I know… I handled that badly. It just seemed best to make a clean break, you know? Once I realized what a mistake we’d made.”
Something flashed in Hugo’s eyes before his face went blank. He opened the door wider and nudged Humphrey back into the house. “Okay, come in and we’ll figure this out.”
Marigold followed him inside, eyes widening as she took in the scene. The mess and clutter were all gone—everything was homey and pristine, from the folded blanket draped over the couch to the tidy bookshelves to the fresh flowers on the dining table. “Whoa… Did you get a housekeeper?”
“A housekeeper?” Hugo snorted. “That’s not really how she goes around here.”
Marigold fell silent as she looked around the room, struck by the uncanny strangeness of it all. Returning to a place she’d been certain she’d never see again. A place that’d once felt like home. “Have a seat,” he said, then shook his head slightly as if struck by the strangeness of treating her like a guest.
“Thanks.” Marigold sat on the couch—the same saggy floral one she remembered, except the cushions had been washed and she no longer had to wedge herself in between the piles of laundry that had seemed to be a permanent fixture of the room. Humphrey sprang up next to her, still wriggling and whimpering with excitement. He was too big to fit onto her lap, so he contented himself with placing his enormous paws on her thighs while his tail thumped madly.
“Hi, buddy. I missed you. Did you know that? Did you know how much I missed you?” She scratched his head and he began to lick her cheek. “Okay… okay,” Marigold said,laughing. “I know, you missed me too. How ya doing, friend? Whatcha been up to?” She wished she spoke dog so Humphrey could tell her everything she’d missed, what had precipitated all these changes. The most obvious explanation was a girlfriend, or maybe even a wife. Surely Hugo wouldn’t have bought flowers, let alone a vase. And who had cleaned the ship-in-a-bottle on the mantel? It’d been Marigold’s favorite piece in the whole house, but it’d been almost too dusty to view properly during her brief tenure.
“So,” Hugo said, still standing. “You’re really getting marriedtomorrow?”
“That’s the plan.”
“Christ.” He scratched his head. “Okay, I know the notary in town. He can print the forms for us and then witness us sign.”
“Great. Then I’ll send them to my lawyer, and we should be all set.”
Hugo grabbed his keys off a peg by the door. “Ready?”
