Rowdy flops down in the last patch of sun and sighs.
Falon watches him.
“Sam called me after you called,” she says. “He needed some information for the paperwork.”
I nod. “I should have known when he had it all ready.”
“Three months,” she says.
My eyes narrow. “Three months for what?”
“Nothing.” She looks back at the yard. “Just thinking.”
The afternoon sits around us. Something moves in the barn, a bird calls from the oak tree, and the step creak when I shift.
“I’m not counting down,” I say in the end.
She is quiet for a moment. “No?”
“No.”
“Hmm. Okay.”
The way she doesn’t push and just accepts what I give her. Being with her is natural, better than anything before. But now, as I look back, after I’d lost my CO, I’d been tense and lost. A feeling I wasn’t accustomed to. But now, being here with her, my heart has opened, and I’ve felt more than I thought possible.
I look at the yard. At the fence line we fixed last week. At the barn door I fixed because it wouldn’t close right. At her land, turning gold in the late afternoon.
I came here with a number and a timeline. I had a plan. Now it’s late May, there’s a dog on Falon’s porch, and I’m so far past pretending I came back for Tyler’s reasons that I can’t even remember where that started.
I’m not counting down anymore.
I'm counting everything I don't want to leave.
And the list is getting too long to ignore.
For the first time in a long while, I'm almost excited for whatever unfolds.
Chapter 14
Repairs and Measurements
Falon
Iwake up to the sound of someone else in my kitchen.
It takes a moment to shake off sleep. My brain scrambles, flickering at the edge of awareness. Bo’s chuckle and Rowdy’s eager barks echo upstairs. I inhale coffee. The house feels alive and welcoming. This is my new normal, I tell myself as I blink awake.
Rowdy’s nails click across the hardwood as Bo makes coffee. The coffee grinder rumbles low. The cabinet doors creak, despite my efforts to fix them. Then a soft thud as Bo sets a mug on the counter.
I lie there for a moment, just listening.
Six weeks ago, the house was annoyingly quiet in the mornings. I turned on the radio just to fill the emptiness. Now, the heavenly scent of coffee greets me from downstairs, Rowdy’s paws click on the kitchen floor, and Bo’s soft murmur is threaded with affection, as if they share secrets only they understand. It’s adorable. Not that I’d ever, ever confess that to Bo or anyone else.
I like it. The realization surprises me. I was worried it would be chaos, but now I listenfor their noise.
Don’t get ahead of yourself, Falon. Hope is dangerous. It’s not smart to let it start rooting itself in my chest, because hope never works out for me.
I roll out of bed, grab my phone, and it's six o’clock. The sun’s still hiding behind the mountains, reluctant to wake up. I shuffle to the bathroom, pull my hair into a messy bun, and my slippers scuff along the floor. My tank top and shorts are askew. All in all, I’m a mess.
