Sawyer nodded, and David held out his hand for another handshake.
“Then I’ll leave you to it. Welcome to the neighborhood.”
She stood in the doorway as he got into his truck, started the engine, and drove away. The wind chose that moment to kick up and hit her with a chilly fall breeze that made her shut the door and go in search of the thermostat. It was electronic, one that could be programmed, but she didn’t have any desire to do that right now, so she simply kicked it up, and soon, she could feel the warmth.
She walked into the center of the living room and sat down in the middle of the floor, then lay down on her back and stared at the ceiling.
A fresh start.
That’s what this was.
She’d been nurturing her own pain for so long, and it was time to finish that and start again.
She scoffed from the floor. “Easy to say. Hard to do.” Because no matter how ready she felt for this new start, the pain of rejection still hung out inside her. In the back of her mind. In the corner of her heart. Hiding behind things and waiting for just the right moment to jump out and clobber her when she was least expecting it. She was so fucking tired of that. Truly, utterly exhausted.
The ceiling was pretty, that old-fashioned stucco kind of look that she knew was done by a craftsman with a round brush and a strong wrist. She’d seen her father do it when he’d finished her mom’s crafts room, and her entire arm ached just from watching him. But the resulting look of uniform circles with little hangy-downies, as she’d named them, couldn’t be beat.
Her phone buzzed in her back pocket, and she lifted her hips to pull it out. A text from her sister.
Tommy! What’s new?
She smiled at the nickname she’d been given when Courtney had readTom Sawyerin school, thinking herself so clever. It had stuck.
My house!she typed back.Well, my half a house.She held up her phone and took a selfie as she lay on the floor, then sent it.
Why are you on the floor? Did you fall down? Need me to call an ambulance?She followed that up with an ambulance emoji.
Sawyer grinned and typed.No, just…taking it all in.
The gray dots bounced for a moment before Courtney’s message came.This is a good thing, this move. You deserve a clean slate.
Yeah,Sawyer sent back.
Movers tomorrow?
She nodded as she typed.Yup. I’ll be all in this weekend.
There was a beat of quiet before Courtney’s next text came.Proud of you, Tom.
Sawyer took in a big, cleansing breath and let it out slowly.Thanks, C.She took a moment, then changed the subject.Hey, how are you feeling? How’s my binky?Courtney was five months pregnant and didn’t want to know the sex, so Sawyer had taken to calling her future niece or nephew “binky.”
In response, Courtney sent the green-faced puking emoji, and Sawyer laughed out loud.
Still? I thought morning sickness was only in the beginning!
The dots bounced.Yeah, me too. That’s a load of bullshit.
Sawyer typed,I’m sorry, C. That’s gotta suck.
Next came a shrugging emoji. Then,Mom and I are gonna come by this weekend, check out your new digs, help you unpack.
Yay!Much as she knew how hard this move was going to be, and much as she might feel she needed to be alone during it, she also knew support from her family would help a great deal.
She signed off with Courtney and continued to lie on the floor for a bit longer. The place had warmed up nicely, though she knew from her weather app that the weekend was going to be almost summerlike, so she pushed to her feet and turned the heat back down.
Wandering a little longer felt right, so she did that, going from room to room, picturing her own furniture in the spaces, her own photos and artwork on the walls. There was a door off the kitchen that David had forgotten to address, and she pulled it open. The stairs to the basement were wooden but sturdy, and she followed them down into an open basement that ran the entire length of the house. A washer and dryer stood in one corner, hers, clearly, and another set stood in the opposite corner. That one had a bottle of laundry detergent and a box of dryer sheets, as well as a laundry basket next to it. Along the far wall were heavy duty plastic shelves you buy at Lowe’s in a flat box and piece together, and they held several cardboard boxes, a few large pots, and a Crock-Pot. The same kind of shelves lined her wall, empty of course, and she liked the idea of this extra storage space—something she didn’t have at her current apartment.
Yeah, this place was going to be perfect.
