25. Small Red Cardinal
25
SMALL RED CARDINAL
“I t was a nice weekend,” Garrett said on Sunday morning when they were docking back on the island.
“It was,” she said. “Thank you for it. I had a lot of fun.”
“We didn’t do that much yesterday,” he said.
Nothing more than walk around the shops and explore the area some. He knew she liked history, but it wasn’t the day for that.
She was more interested in Quincy Market and walked, shopping, and purchasing some things to bring back.
The porcelain cardinal he’d given her had made her shed a few tears, but he wanted her to have it and think every time she saw it, it was her father watching out for her.
He’d often told his patients’ surviving family members that and would give them a small red cardinal as a reminder and explain the meaning of it. That it was a symbol of the afterlife that a loved one was visiting or watching over them.
“It was great though. I enjoy being outside more than in. I like the balcony I’ve got at my apartment on the island. I don’t have any outdoor space in Boston. Before I found out I was coming here I wondered how I was going to get out more.”
“I hadn’t realized you enjoyed being outside so much,” he said.
She shrugged. They’d just gotten back in his car as they waited for the ferry to dock and the cars to be let off.
“I think I spend so much time inside that when I can get the fresh air, I do. It’s not like I go hiking or anything, but I like to walk around and explore. Having access to beaches close by and trails to walk on is a big bonus.”
“I had no idea,” he said.
He wished he had and he would have gone out more with her so they could be together.
“Now you know,” she said. “I might not have realized it much myself until we started to talk about it.”
“I’m glad you are finding things out about yourself,” he said. “And that I’m able to help you with that, even if you’re unaware it’s happening.”
She laughed when he said it and it reminded him how happy she’d said she was. Or had been.
“It’s a good thing,” she said. “Lots of good things happening.”
He reached his hand over to lay it on hers. “I think so too.”
He pulled off the ferry, then drove to his place. It was less than ten minutes since he had a view of the Atlantic rather than Plymouth on the other side of the island.
“I hadn’t realized there were houses this close together with a view,” she said when they were driving down his road.
“We are high enough up to have the view, but it’s not as if I’m close to the water. That is fine with me. I don’t need it and am not much of a beach person. The view is good enough from my deck. You’ll learn a lot of houses on the island are built like this to maximize the view.”
“It’s a nice feature for sure,” she said.
They pulled into his garage and he shut the door while they got out. She wanted to see his place and there was no reason he couldn’t bring her here before they went back to her apartment.
“I almost didn’t care about the view that much when I was looking. I told myself that I just wanted a quiet place to come, but then said part of the appeal of being on the island was seeing the ocean. So that narrowed my search down. Thankfully I wasn’t in a hurry.”
It’d taken him almost a year to find a house, and by the time this one came up, he didn’t care about the fact that it needed work or didn’t have a primary suite. Location was the important thing.
“It doesn’t look as if you’ve got much of a yard either,” she said. “Not from the front.”
He laughed. “No. The back is mostly taken up with a deck and patio. I’ve got someone that mows for me since I’m not around and it doesn’t take them long.”
She laughed, “You mean you’re not going to mow it yourself now that you’re here?”
“No,” he said. “I’m lazy that way. I’d rather spend the time going for a run or spending it with you than mowing my lawn or clearing out snow.”
She nodded and looked around his place. “The best thing about renting,” she said. “I don’t have to worry about any of that stuff.”
“The good with the bad,” he said. “But you don’t have space and privacy either.”
Though there were times he had little privacy here and was thrilled he could pull in and not see Vanessa outside or even looking out a window for his return.
“You’ve got it in both places,” she said. “And you’re right. This is much different than your condo. There is charm here. How old is this house?”
“Close to a hundred years old,” he said. “It’s built solid. I feel as if the older homes were. It’d been updated a few times, but when I moved in I added a shower to the half bath someone put in about fifty years ago.”
“And then you most likely had to change all sorts of things like electrical and plumbing,” she said. “Which probably turned into a nightmare.”
He laughed. “You got it. So since it was happening anyway, I did a bunch of things at once, but I did keep a lot of the charm. The floors are original but have been refinished. I love the built-ins, but I painted everything white rather than the dark brown it was. I lightened the color of the floors when they were refinished too. The rooms are small, but it works.”
She moved over to look at the bowl of Laine Connor’s on a shelf and then some pictures of family around it.
“You’ve made this a home.”
“I’ve tried,” he said.
If he wanted it to be a place he came to relax, he needed to be surrounded by things that helped accomplish that.
“Do you eat at this table?” she asked, running her hand along the white-painted wood.
They had moved out of the living room to a small dining room off the kitchen. Could be considered part of an eat-in kitchen in some people’s eyes.
“Not really,” he said. “I had the kitchen updated and made sure there was a lip on the counter to put two stools. I eat there or on the couch. What about you?”
“Almost always on the couch,” she said, smiling. “It’s not fun sitting at a table alone, even the two-person one I’ve got there. It makes me feel like a loser.”
He spun his head and then noticed she was laughing.
“Maybe I feel the same way sitting at the table alone too.”
“I like the big glass doors,” she said, moving over to open them.
She unlocked one and slid it open, then walked out onto his deck. “My favorite spot.”
“I can see why,” she said. “If you look straight out you see the water in the distance and not the roofs that are below you. It’s wonderful they build all these houses tiered like this.”
“I thought so too,” he said. “If I’m off the deck though and on the patio below, I can’t see much or as well.”
She moved to the edge of his deck and looked down where the land sloped some.
“Can’t do much with this yard either,” she said.
“No,” he said. “And I never worry much about it, but like that, there is a patio there too if I want to go down and sit.”
She turned and went back into his house. “Bedrooms on the other side?”
“Yep,” he said. “You can’t get lost here.” His cottage was barely eleven hundred square feet but laid out well enough to seem more spacious.
She popped her head into his spare room that he’d converted to an office with a daybed in there. Not that he had guests other than Gabriela, but that was rare.
“Cute, but small,” she said. Her head went into the bathroom next with his shower tub combo and single vanity. It was where the small size came into play for the house too. “Yikes. Can’t fit more than one person in here, but it’s updated.”
“That’s exactly it,” he said. “It’s the only full bath I had in the house and it didn’t even feel it to me.”
“Let’s see your room,” she said, moving into his. “Bigger and kind of tight with your king-sized bed, but I bet worth it.”
“Extremely,” he said. “I’m not doing much more than sleeping in here. I don’t need a sitting area or much more than a dresser. The closet is small too, but again, a weekend home.”
“Yeah,” she said. “If you had all your possessions and clothing here, you’d be in trouble.”
“That thought has crossed my mind,” he said.
More recently with him feeling like he wanted to stay on the island. If he did make that decision, he’d need more space and have to decide if he could add on or just buy something else. Neither sounded appealing, but one or the other would have to happen.
She walked to his bathroom and stepped in. “More room in that shower for sure. But not to have more than one person in here at the same time.”
“We can’t do that at your place either,” he said, giving her an elbow nudge when she stepped out.
“Nope,” she said. “It was nice to be able to do it at your condo though. Might have to do it again.”
“Anytime you want,” he said, smirking.
“We just have to find a time where I’ve got a weekend off,” she said. “Which might not be for a while. I’m sorry about that. Does it bother you?”
“No,” he said. “I know how it works with your job. You know how it works for mine.”
He’d never hold that against someone. Especially since it’d been held against him.
“I do,” she said. “I understand you get calls all the time and have to deal with things. I think that is why I wasn’t too worried that you’d be bothered but figured I’d ask.”
“Have you had people not like it in the past?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said. “But I’ve told them going in. I knew I’d never have a Monday through Friday job and days. It’s not a secret and it does bother some. It makes it hard to go out and do things at times and some men have gotten frustrated over it. My mother and stepmother both hated it with my father but were happy enough with the perks of his income to overlook it.”
It was the forced laugh she did that had him rolling his eyes.
“I’ve had the same thing,” he said. “Until it wasn’t worth it for them to overlook.”
She moved over to hug him. “I’m glad that isn’t an issue with us,” she said. “I feel like there are enough other ones.”
He didn’t want to address her comment, but he knew it was true.