I nod. "Understood."
Melodie tilts her head slightly, studying me. "How long are you staying, Bo?"
The question on everyone's mind.
"I don't know yet," I admit. "At least through the summer. Pearl's got some repairs she needs help with, and Ifigured... I don't know. Maybe Everwood's a good place to figure things out."
"It is," Melodie says softly. "And you're always welcome here."
I've always been welcome here. It's a home away from home. Melodie practically gave me my own room when my parents passed, just so I'd feel welcome.
"Thank you," I say quietly.
Rick shifts his leg, wincing slightly. Melodie notices immediately, stands, and moves toward the counter. "You need to take your pain meds."
"I'm fine."
"Rick."
He sighs. "Yes, ma'am."
I stand, sensing the conversation's natural end. "I should get going. Let you two get on with your morning."
Melodie walks me to the door. Before I step outside, she touches my arm lightly.
"Bo," she says. "I know Tyler means well. But Falon's not a job. She's a person. And she deserves to be seen that way."
I meet her eyes. "I know."
She nods. "Good. Then we're all on the same page."
I step onto the porch, the cool morning air hitting my face. One step down and about a hundred to go.
"Bo?" Melodie calls from the doorway.
I turn.
"You're a good man," she says. "Don't forget that."
I don't know what to say to that. So I just nod and walk back to my truck.
The drive back to Pearl's is quiet. My mind's still tangled, but at least now Rick and Melodie know. At least I'm not hiding.
But I still haven't told Falon.
Because the truth is, I didn't come here to keep a promise.
I came here because I couldn't stay away.
And sooner or later, she's going to ask why.
Chapter 5
The Guest House Problem
Falon
On today’s to-do list, I completely ignored the fact that I was supposed to be refinishing the baseboards near my bedroom closet and opted for scraping paint off the old windows instead. The paint may actually be as old as paint itself, and as I am learning, it might be easier to scrape off old tar than this paint. Second-guessing my original plan to scrape, thinking it would be easier, has occurred to me.
