Chapter 8
LILA
I’m surprised to see Sutton getting ready to leave when I wake on Monday morning. He’s hours late. “Did you oversleep?”
“No, I’m off work today. Doctor’s appointment.” He glances at the clock. “That I’m running late for.”
Once he’s out the door, I get ready for the day. My plan is to drop off the packages then come back and get some more videos made.
I’m leaving the post office when Maren texts me.
Maren
Are you busy? Can you meet me for a few minutes?
Me
Sure. Is everything okay?
Maren
All good. Meet me at this address. I’m already there.
That’s not mysterious at all. The address she sends is downtown, only a few streets over. Instead of questioning her further, I drive over and park in front of the two story brick building.
Maren waves at me from outside the entrance. “Hey! That was fast.”
“I was at the post office. What’s up?”
She holds up a hand. “First, I want you to promise to hear me out about something and not say no right away.”
Uh-oh. This doesn’t sound good. My apprehension is overcome by curiosity. “Okay. I’m listening.”
As she speaks, she leads me inside the building. “You know that Cooper owns a lot of real estate in town?”
I’m aware. Her husband is seriously loaded. He inherited our trailer park along with a lot of other properties, and his father’s fortune. Maren is living a true rags to riches story. “Yes.”
“He’s been selling them since he has no desire to be a landlord like his dad, and donating a couple to local charities to use.”
I’m not surprised. Cooper is a good guy. He’s the one who remodeled the entire trailer park, made sure everything was repaired and up to date, then made it into a nonprofit that bases rent on your income.
She stops in the middle of the large empty space. “We want you to have this one.”
My heart drops into my feet. “What?” I can’t have heard her right.
“You want to start a business, and it’s a damn good idea, something the town can really use. You said you only had to save for a mortgage. You don’t have to. You can take this place.” She glances around. “If you think it’ll work.”
If I think it’ll work? It’s much larger than I even dreamed I’d be able to afford and right downtown. It’s the perfect building and the perfect spot. But there’s no way I can accept it.
“The upstairs has been rented as an apartment before and it has an outside entrance. The door to it isn’t accessible from here but that’s an easy fix if you want them connected,” she continues as I’m trying not to burst into tears.
I could even live on the premises like I wanted. But I can’t. Her words are cut short when I grab her in a hug, a sob leaping out of me.
“Oh, don’t cry,” she laughs, hugging me back. “I know it seems like a big deal but really, it—”
“Don’t you dare say it’s not.” I step back and take a deep breath. “I love you so much for this, Mare, and Cooper too, but I can’t accept it.”
“You promised not to say no right away,” she reminds me, then grabs my wrist. “Come on, let me show you the place.”
The remnants of the last business to rent this space are still scattered around. It was a thrift and consignment store. I remember checking it out a few times but they priced their items too high for a secondhand shop.
“It needs to be cleaned out, of course,” Maren says, gesturing toward a section of shelves that are still piled with shoes, and a rack with dusty clothes. “A lot of it could probably be donated to the women and children’s shelter.”
“That’s a good idea.” The knot living in my throat won’t go away.
I’ve never wanted something so badly that I know it wouldn’t be right to accept.
Especially when I see the spacious apartment with the tiny balcony that overlooks the street.
We’re directly across from a coffee shop and bakery.
I can easily picture spending my mornings out here.
At the end of our tour, Maren regards me. “I know this is unexpected and everything. Believe me, I know what it’s like to suddenly have an opportunity you didn’t before. It’s terrifying.”
There’s no doubt she understands. She and Cooper weren’t together long before they got married during a Vegas trip and she’s only been his wife for a few months. She’s still adjusting as well.
“It’s not only that. I can’t—I didn’t earn this. You can’t just give it to me.”
“You’ve worked toward it for years.” She chuckles and shakes her head.
“Do you think I earned what’s in my bank account now?
Or that Cooper did? We were lucky, that’s all.
You deserve some luck too. Especially because you have always helped everyone around you without any hesitation.
You let Cara move in when she was struggling, and you’ve always been there for me and Pops.
Right now, you have not only your brother, but his friend living with you and you can barely tolerate him. ”
My head is all over the place. “He put a cup that fell in the toilet into the dishwasher. Then got it back out of the trash after I tossed it!” I exclaim. Both of us break into giggles.
“Don’t answer me right now. Think about it.
I know how you feel. We’re both super independent and always have been, but that doesn’t mean we can’t accept something for nothing when it falls in our lap.
Besides, you would’ve gotten a mortgage and everything next year.
We’re helping you speed things up a little, that’s all. ”
I hug her again. “I’ll think about it. Please tell Cooper thank you for me too. I don’t want either of you to think I’m not grateful if I don’t take it.”
“Of course we wouldn’t. I know there’s a lot more to it.
Quitting your job you’ve been at forever is a big leap.
” Her phone rings and she’s quick to answer it.
Her grin makes it clear that it’s Cooper.
She’s so in love, it’s amazing to see. After watching her go through some of the worst men possible, I’m thrilled she found a good one.
“Yes, I showed her around. She’s going to think about it.” She pauses for a minute. “Hang on.” She looks over at me. “He wants to talk to you. Is it okay if I put him on speaker?”
“Sure.”
“Lila, don’t make me come down there,” Cooper says immediately, making us both laugh.
“You’re crazy and so is your wife. You can’t give me a building.”
“Take it or it’ll sit empty like it has for the last five years.”
“I really appreciate it. More than I can ever say, but I have to think about it. Maybe I could…rent it from you for a while.” If I’m staying here, I won’t have my trailer rent to pay.
“Maren, baby, work on her. I have to go. See you tonight.”
Once she hangs up, she has to go too and I spend a few minutes sitting in my car trying to digest what just happened.
My mind is still stuffed with too many thoughts when I return home to find Sutton sitting on the couch. His legs are spread and an ice pack rests in the crotch of his pants. “Did you talk shit to the wrong woman or did you go back for seconds from the wasps?”
“Neither. I had surgery. You should feel very sorry for me and bring me a glass of iced tea.”
“Surgery? Seriously?” He drove himself to and from a surgery? The most likely scenario strikes me. “Are you talking about a vasectomy?”
“I never want to hear that word again,” he says, shifting with a wince. Men are such babies.
“Didn’t they give you one of those cones to put around your head?”
“No, but I might need a sponge bath later.”
I grab myself a bottle of water and bring him a glass of tea. “Here, consider this a thank you from all womankind for taking yourself out of the gene pool. Excellent choice.”
“It’s a shame not to pass on my superior brain and god level body, I know, but I don’t want kids.”
“Because you are one?” I tease, sitting across from him.
His lips curl up. “You’re in a good mood. Did you hit a man with your car on the way home or something?”
“Nah, they’ve learned to dodge me. How long is the recovery?
” I’m hoping to have the trailer to myself to get some videos done.
The same guy who asked for the marshmallow fluff wants a picture of my bare feet stepping in pudding.
I’m not sure if he has a foot fetish or a food fetish but he pays well.
“I’m going back to work tomorrow.” He holds up a small prescription bottle. “They gave me the good stuff for tonight.”
“You got painkillers? And yet they will literally pull chunks out of a woman’s cervix without so much as a numbing cream. Men are spoiled.”
A look of horror crosses his face. “Is that true?”
“Yes, cervical biopsies, placing and removing IUDs. We don’t even get a piece of bark to bite on like the olden days.”
“That’s terrible. I’ve never been so glad to be a guy. I’ll be back to normal in a week. Then it’s just a follow up appointment to make sure I’m shooting blanks.”
Dusty trots into the room, excited to see us. He goes back and forth, not sure who he wants to pet him more. When Sutton reaches down to scratch behind his ears, Dusty grabs the ice pack from between his legs and darts down the hall.
The bathroom door is closed so he can’t toss it in the toilet.
“Don’t chase him. It’s what he wants and we’ll never break the behavior,” I warn.
Keeping my voice firm, I call his name and snap my fingers.
Once he figures out we aren’t coming after him, he reluctantly brings the ice pack back, dropping it on the floor beside me. He then retreats to Sutton again.
“Dirty trick, buddy.” He smirks as Dusty’s doggy grin wins him over. “What’s the opposite of a service animal? You’re a disservice dog.”