I smile at that. I like the idea of knowing my neighbors.
“We have Miles to thank for how it looks. He lives in apartment 1, right across from you. Before he moved in, it was little more than a patch of dead grass, and he took it upon himself to turn it into—well, what you see out there. I think he needed a project to keep himself busy.” She says it as if I already know the backstory there and doesn’t give any more details.
Well, that’s intriguing.
Lorraine opens a drawer. “Watch this,” she says, as if she’s about to reveal a magic trick. She gives the drawer a hard push, and it slows down halfway, then softly pulls the drawer front flush.
“Soft close! They’re all like that.” She smiles. “Modern conveniences with historical charm.”
Lorraine breezes through the space, showing me the small laundry room at the back of the apartment with an exterior door that leads to a walking path.
“We’re just a short walk to the lake, so if you’re the fresh-air type, it’ll be great for you. Personally, I take my fresh air sitting down.” She chuckles to herself and continues on up the stairs.
“Each unit is two stories. Two bedrooms, one full bath, one half. And then there’s a linen closet.” We’re standing in the hallwayoutside the bedrooms, and she looks at me. “Lots of space, don’t you think?”
“It’s actually a lot smaller than I’m used to.”
“Oh?” Her eyebrows shoot up. “Where’d you move from?”
I hesitate for a moment, then say, “Colorado.” I don’t offer any details because I don’t know how to share everything that led me here without getting into the weeds with it.
“Ooh, Colorado. Where God vacations,” she quips.
I chuckle. It’s not the first time I’ve heard that. She’s not wrong. Parts of that state are divinely carved.
Too bad the majesty of the mountains was overshadowed by the emotional valley I was living in.
“Well? What do you think?” Lorraine asks as we walk back downstairs and into the living room.
I look around the cozy space and smile. “It’s perfect.”
And it is.
Well, I did it.
I’m here. Moved halfway across the country to a city I’ve always wanted to live in.
It’s a place where, so far, only one person knows my name.
Maybe I’ll get to the place where I can walk into a room and everyone calls out, “Claire!” like I’m a regular.
Cue the Cheers theme song.
I didn’t mind being known before.
But then my life imploded.
I’m having trouble sleeping. New place, new bed, new noises, but that’s not it.
I’m replaying the moment I first found out about John and the other woman at the gala.
It takes no effort to put me right back in thatbathroom stall, listening. Roxie and Lainey are blathering on and on about someone’s husband having an affair.
It’s like it’s happening again. In the present. My heart races and my stomach feels hollow. My palms start to sweat, and I have to get up and walk around just to remind myself that it’s not happening in the present.
It’s not now. It’s then. Rearview mirror.
I lived through that. I drove away.
