Homecoming - Chapter 28
Thursday
Brooklyn
“This is too much,” I said as I stared at the townhouse with the “sold” sign out front.
“Oh, it’s not that one,” Tanner said. “It’s actually this one.” He pointed to the one next to it that looked almost the same from the outside. “I um…haven’t put it on the market yet.”
The one without the sign looked even nicer. I turned to Tanner. He was holding a sleeping Jacob in his arms.
“Mrs. Alcaraz doesn’t mind if I stay with her a few more nights,” I said.
“I know. But I want to do this. I promise it’ll all make sense.”
He kept saying weird stuff like that.
“If you don’t like it, we can drive back to Mrs. Alcaraz’s. But at least go inside and take a look around. See if it could work for you.”
“Well, how much is the rent?”
“Zero dollars.” He walked up the front steps and pulled out a key.
“Tanner, I’m serious.”
“So am I.” He opened the front door.
It looked like the house had been completely redone. Some of the original molding had definitely been restored. And the wood floors were immaculate. I walked through the entryway and it was like my heart stopped.
The kitchen was yellow.
Not a bright yellow like my mom’s. But a really light yellow. I was pretty sure the average house buyer would just think it was one of many shades of off-white. But I could see the yellow hue. And I couldn’t really explain it, but it felt like I’d just walked into my home.
“Are you okay?” Tanner asked.
“Yeah…I…” my voice trailed off. The kitchen was top of the line. When I bought the lake house 15 years ago, our kitchen had been brand new. But this looked like it was just installed yesterday. “Did you flip this house?”
“No. A friend of mine did though. He put a lot of love and care into this place. He slowly renovated it while he was living here for the past few years.”
I turned around in a circle. “Why would he ever want to leave?” I ran my hand along the granite countertop.
“Well, it’s a family home. And he’s single.”
I nodded. This place did seem big for one person. I wouldn’t want it alone. I needed Jacob’s laughter to fill it.
“All the furniture was just delivered today,” Tanner said. “If you don’t like something, just let me know and I’ll replace it.”
“Tanner, you didn’t need…”
“I had to get it for the staging anyway.”
“Oh. So you rented all this furniture?”
He shook his head. “I don’t rent things.”
“But you’re renting this place to me.”
“No. I’m letting you stay here for free.”
I couldn’t stay here for free. But…I really did want to stay. I wanted to dance with Jacob in this kitchen. It just felt right. “How much is it to buy?”
He just stared at me. “You want to buy it? Brooklyn, you haven’t even seen the whole place yet.”
“I don’t know how to explain it.” I shook my head. “This house feels…warm. I can feel the love put into all the details. It feels like a home. And I want to give Jacob a home here. I want to give this city a real try. That’s what he wants.”
Tanner nodded. “I’ll have to look at some comps to determine the sale price. But for now…you can just stay.” He handed me the keys. “I’ll go take Jacob to his room and then bring the boxes in. How about you take a look around. Let me know if there’s anything else you need.”
“You’ve already done enough.”
“I would do anything for my best friend’s friend,” he said.
It was weird that he kept saying that. Especially since every time I brought up Kennedy he seemed to have no idea who I was referring to.
I was really getting the sense that the two of them weren’t that close.
Maybe Tanner just didn’t have many friends.
Which made my heart hurt for him. He was an odd man, but I didn’t mind that.
I felt a little out of place here too. It was nice to have a new friend. Especially one Jacob liked so much.
“We should get this little man to his bed chambers,” he said.
Bed chambers? I just shook my head with a smile and lifted Tanner’s hat off Jacob’s head.
My little guy had completely lost his stranger danger over the past few days.
He’d had so much fun playing with Tanner today.
And Tanner didn’t even care when Jacob ran all over the limo butt naked wearing nothing but Tanner’s borrowed hat.
“Goodnight, sweet boy,” I whispered and kissed his forehead. “Here’s your hat back,” I said and handed it to Tanner.
“Oh, no, he should keep it.” Tanner put it back on Jacob’s head. “I think he looks like a proper gentleman, don’t you?”
I laughed. Jacob was still naked, except for that hat. “He definitely looks like an old-fashioned gentleman.”
Tanner nodded. “Indeed. I’ll be back down in a minute. Finish taking a look around.”
I nodded and watched the two of them go upstairs.
I ran my hand along the granite countertops.
Honestly I didn’t need to see the rest of the house.
But I was a little curious. The kitchen was open to the living room.
And it seemed just as homey as the kitchen.
I wandered down the hall and out the back door.
There was a small yard back here. With a patio, table, and grill. It was cute. Nothing like the huge open yard the lake house had. But bigger than one would expect to have in the city. I could picture Jacob playing out here for hours.
I wrapped my arms around myself. I was still wearing one of Miller’s old sweatshirts.
And his smell on the fabric made it feel like he was giving me a big hug.
I looked up and my eyes started to water.
I wasn’t sure how easy it would be to see the stars in the city.
But on this cloudless night, away from the high rises, I could make out a few.
Especially the biggest, brightest one. “Is this okay?” I whispered.
I knew I was crazy. Talking to a dead person. But I wanted some kind of sign that he approved of this house.
The wind blew and a few leaves fell from the one tree in the small yard. The autumn air reminded me of him just as much as the detergent on his sweatshirt. And somehow that breeze felt like a response. Almost as if he was here with us.
I hugged myself tighter. “I’m going to keep living, Miller,” I said and looked back up at the stars. “I promise.” I’d create a home for me and Jacob here. With the yellow kitchen. We were going to be okay. We had to be.
The back door opened and Tanner walked out. “Everything is unpacked.”
“What? How? It’s only been a couple minutes.”
“Are you sure? I think it was longer than that.”
I laughed. I was pretty sure. But honestly, I could stare at the stars for hours thinking about Miller. I shivered when the wind blew again.
“Come on in, it’s getting cold,” Tanner said.
I walked back into the house and down the hall.
Tanner had started a fire in the fireplace.
And even that reminded me of the lake house.
But it was the fact that he’d put the pictures on the mantel in the exact right order that really felt like home.
I walked over to it and put my hands out, warming them from the cold.
I stared at the picture of Miller kissing me on our wedding night.
How many times had Miller and I made love right in front of a roaring fire?
Tanner cleared his throat. “Do you want some wine?”
I turned around. He was sitting on the couch pouring us each a glass.
“Oh…um…” Now that it was just the two of us, a roaring fire, and wine, this suddenly felt like it was supposed to be some kind of date.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Tanner said with a laugh. “It’s just wine.”
I nodded and took the glass. “I wasn’t looking at you in any way.” I took a sip of the wine.
“You looked very alarmed, Brooklyn.”
“Did I?” I sat down next to him.
“You did. Believe me - I know the look a girl gives when she isn’t into it. I’ve seen it thousands of times.”
“Wow, I’m so sorry. Don’t give up on love, though. I’m sure there’s a girl out there for you.”
“Oh,” said Tanner with a laugh. “I’ve rarely had that look directed at me. My clients, on the other hand…” He shook his head. “Poor guys. If only they had the confidence to wear tuxedos like mine.”
“Like yours?”
“I don’t believe in the boring black and navy. I tend to go more bold.”
I laughed. “So…a white tux?”
“No. More like neon stripes. And all sorts of patterns.”
“That is quite bold.” I took another sip of wine.
“You gotta have fun every once in a while. Or life gets stale.”
I laughed again. “Like a loaf of bread?”
“Exactly like a loaf of bread. Well…I think. I wouldn’t know. I always order my bread by the slice.”
Is that a thing mega rich people do? “Gotcha.”
We were both quiet as we stared at the fire. I’d never felt so comfortable in silence with a stranger before. I wondered if he was thinking about the love that he’d lost as he stared at the flames.
I wasn’t sure how long we sat there in silence. But eventually the bottle was empty and my eyelids were heavy.
“I should probably get going,” Tanner said.
I yawned. “It is getting late.”
Tanner slowly stood up. “I think the two of you are going to be alright,” he said.
“A free house to live in certainly helps. I really can’t thank you enough.”
He smiled. “I actually have a way you could thank me. I’m going to a high school homecoming football game this weekend. Would you and Jacob like to accompany me?”
Did he just ask me out?
“Don’t give me that look again.”
“What look?”
“The one you gave me earlier when you thought the wine was a romantic gesture. The game isn’t a date. I thought that having you and Jacob there would make it slightly less dull. Maybe Jacob can explain to me why on earth they need to take 40 seconds between plays.”
Going to a football game would make Jacob feel close to Miller. I nodded. “What school did you graduate from?”
“Me? Oh, nowhere you would have heard of.”
“Didn’t you just say you were going to your homecoming game?”
“Oh, right.” He laughed. “Yes. That makes sense. I went to Empire High.”
I pressed my lips together. “I actually went there. For a few months. When did you graduate?”
“I want to say…1990?”
I just stared at him. “That can’t be right. How old are you?”
“Oh I meant in the 2000s. I’m bad with dates.” He cleared his throat. “Well, this will be fun then. We can hang out together on the old stomping grounds.”
“Actually…I don’t know if it’s a good idea.”
“Bad memories?”
I nodded. “Some good ones too. But yeah, a lot of bad ones.”
“Same. We can face all our old high school demons together. What do you say?”
“I really don’t know…”
“Come on. You have to face your demons from the past if you’re going to move forward.”
He kind of seemed like an expert on this stuff. And for some reason I found myself nodding. Even though my head was screaming no .
“Great. I’ll pick you both up on Saturday, okay?”
“Sure.” It was like the word tumbled out of my mouth without my permission. I reached up and touched my lips. I really didn’t mean to say that.
“Goodnight, Brooklyn,” he said and leaned down to hug me. “It was a pleasure.” He pulled back. “Miller’s truck should arrive by the morning. If you need anything at all before Saturday, I left my number on your fridge. And really, everything is going to be okay. I promise.”
I wasn’t sure why, but I believed his words. Once I closed the door behind him, I quickly got ready for bed, and then climbed into Jacob’s bed. I pulled him in close.
It’s going to be okay. I kissed the top of his head. We’re going to be okay.