Sawyer thought about the little brown and white animal that had simply wandered in through the open back door without a care in the world, and she couldn’t help a small smile. “He was pretty cute.”
“His collar said his name is Arnold, which also might be the best name ever.”
“You are easily impressed today.” She grinned at her sister.
“Your neighbor might be shy, but she’s super cute.” Courtney’s eyes widened. “Oh my God, you’re right. Iameasily impressed today.” She rubbed a hand over her slightly swollen belly. “Must be the hormones.”
Sawyer thought about Jenna Murphy, with those rich brown eyes that seemed to flash at her. Funny how she noticed them right away, along with the fact that she was shorter than Sawyer by a good three inches, and that her hair was the color of honey, deep amber brown with a few highlights of subtle red. She wondered now how the color would change in the sunlight.
“Sweetie? Come here and tell me what you think.” Her mother’s voice carried through from the kitchen, where she was arranging the cupboards for Sawyer.
Shaking the image of Jenna Murphy and her honey hair out of her head, she moved to the kitchen.
All the cupboard doors stood open, her mom in the center of theroom looking proud of herself and also like she was ready to give a PowerPoint presentation.
“Okay,” she began, pointing to each cupboard as she went. “Dishes and glasses here. This is your coffee station. Mugs, sugar, coffee pods here and your coffee maker on the counter below. Spices here, not that you ever use them.” She paused to shoot Sawyer a look. “Some of them are older than your sister, you know.”
Sawyer gasped in feigned insult. “That is a cruel and horrible lie. How dare you?”
Her mom went on pointing. “Cereal and dry goods. Canned goods here.” She moved to the bottom cupboards. “Pots and pans. Cookie sheets and cutting boards. Tupperware.” She indicated the dining room table, which was littered with her stand mixer, her air fryer, her Instant Pot, and several other small appliances. “This stuff will probably have to go on the shelves in the basement. There isn’t room up here for them.”
“Seriously, with the amount of cooking Sawyer does, they’ll probably all collect a good layer of dust on them before they get used again.”
“Hey, I cook,” Sawyer said with a pout.
“Pouring soup from a can into a pot and warming it up doesn’t count,” Courtney said.
“Listen, if I have to use the stove, it’s cooking.”
Courtney snorted her disagreement.
“This is great, Mom. Thank you so much.”
Her mother looked pleased, and Sawyer knew that the kitchen—any kitchen—was her happy place. “Yeah? Everything in a good spot?”
A nod. “Perfect.”
A sudden knock on the door startled them, and for a brief second, Sawyer had a flash of Jenna Murphy, standing at her door, smiling, popping by to apologize for being so odd earlier…
“That’s gotta be the pizza,” Courtney said. Oh. Right. Pizza. Courtney practically sprinted to the door. “Thank God. I’m starving.” Her pregnancy mantra.
They spent the next hour eating some really good pizza, drinking a bottle of Merlot—Courtney had water—and laughing. Sawyer’s family always laughed. They joked and teased and had genuine fun with eachother, and she often remembered the moment in elementary school when she finally understood that not everybody’s family was as close knit as hers was. And it wasn’t until high school that she realized just how lucky she was.
“You’re sure there’s nothing else I can help you unpack?” her mother asked as she and Courtney got ready to go.
“No, Mom. You did more than enough already. And Court’s gonna fall asleep if she doesn’t get home soon.”
“I’m fine,” Courtney said. “Not tired at all.” Then a yawn cranked her mouth open wide, making all three of them laugh.
“Liar.” Sawyer hugged her sister, then bent and kissed her tummy. “Let mommy sleep tonight, Bink. Okay? That’s an order from your favorite aunt.” Her mom was next in line for a hug. “Thanks, Mom. I love you.”
“Love you too. Call me if you need anything, okay?” They let go of each other, and her mom took another glance around the room. “It’s a nice place, honey. You can be happy here.” And that’s when Sawyer saw it: the worry in her mom’s eyes. It was there a lot lately.
She walked them to the door and stood on the porch while they got into their cars and pulled away. Only then did she realize Courtney had parked in the driveway in front of her new neighbor’s garage. A lone Toyota sat parked a couple houses down, and Sawyer wondered if it belonged to Jenna Murphy. “Ugh,” she groaned quietly. “Sorry about that, neighbor.”
The night was beautiful, a little crisp, but not actually cold. Cicadas were singing and the air smelled clean and earthy at the same time. Inside her apartment, she found a folding chair, a fleece blanket, and her glass of wine, and took them all out onto the porch. Yeah, this was going to be a good spot to hang. She’d need to find a better chair for this spot. Maybe a rocker? That made her smile as her brain tossed her a vision of her rocking away on her porch like an elderly woman, watching the neighborhood go by.
There are worse existences.
