Chapter 26
CHAPTER 26
BILLIE
I awoke with my face pressed against my pillow, my mouth dry. I was totally disoriented. I reached across the bed, expecting to feel Axl beside me. Then the present came crashing in, reminding me of where I was in the world.
This was my mother’s house, and I was half asleep in my old bedroom. The house was quiet, and it was still dark outside. I lay under the covers for a moment, staring at the ceiling. Nothing felt right anymore. Downstairs, the floor was ripped up by the powder room. The for-sale sign stood outside with a QR code advertising the upcoming open house.
I wanted to message my friends and let them know I needed a few more days to help Mom prep for the sale, but I also didn’t know how to tell them about Axl. I was sure to have a backlog of unread messages. I missed my friends back home, but they felt so distant. I had more pressing issues, like talking to Mom about terminating Axl’s lease.
I got out of bed, still wearing my cozy pants and fuzzy socks. I hadn’t even bothered to change my clothes before falling into bed. No wonder I was exhausted. I’d been up late every night with Axl. I opened up my duffle bag and took the lease out, setting it on the desk .
I couldn’t go back to sleep, that was for sure. I padded down the stairs, careful to be quiet. I wanted to make a cup of tea.
I stepped across the plastic tarp covering the gap in the floor. The workers would be back soon to finish patching up the hardwood. At least that is what Mom told me before going to bed. I still couldn’t help but think that maybe the flood was a sign that Mom wasn’t supposed to sell. Things were complicated, and I wondered if we were making a mistake.
The kitchen was quiet, the sky dark, as I grabbed the tea kettle to boil some water. I watched the pot so I didn’t wake anyone. Mom kept a collection of tea bags in tins in the pantry. I took out a bag of English Breakfast, remembering Axl’s tea selection.
Damn him for ruining tea for me, I thought as I set the kettle on the stove.
I sat down at the table, flipping the light on so I wasn’t in the dark. I pulled Gran’s quilt around my shoulders. Outside, as the sky above the Rockies grew light, I rubbed my fingers across the stitched stars in the quilt.
A week ago, I would have made a wish, but right now, I felt as though all my wishing was for nothing. Mom was selling. Gran kept secrets. Axl was a liar. And I wasn’t sure where I belonged anymore. Seattle felt like home, sure, but Denver was changing, and I feared that my nights with Axl had irrevocably broken something inside of me. He touched me in places I didn’t know existed, and now he was all over Smoke River. How could I ever go back there and not be reminded of what we shared — and his unspoken lies?
I replayed the conversation we had before I left. It wasn’t really a conversation. It was more like I lost my shit, screamed at him, and then told him about Gran. I bit my lip, remembering how his eyes flashed at the news. Some part of me knew that he cared about her, but I was so angry. I wanted him to feel my pain. He barely knew her. I loved her with every fiber of my being, and she was gone. She was gone. He was her secret, and I was so angry at them both.
Tears flooded my eyes. The tea kettle shook. I dashed across the kitchen to remove it from the heat just as someone rapped on the door.
“Sorry, one sec,” I said, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. The porch light was off and it still wasn't fully light, so I switched it on. Abby stood outside. Waving, she held a big pink-and-black box of donuts in her hands.
My stomach dropped. The last person I wanted to talk to right now was Miss Super Star Real Estate. She smiled and leaned forward. I had no choice but to open the door.
“Morning,” I said as she stepped inside.
“Sorry,” she whispered. “I came by early to drop off donuts for the crew. They’re supposed to start at seven, and I have another open house to kick off later today.”
“Thanks,” I said, taking the donuts from her. “That’s very nice of you.”
“You’re welcome.” She stood in the kitchen, arms crossed. “Actually, I’m glad I saw you. I thought we could talk. Do you mind if we sit for a minute?”
“Sure,” I said, pulling out a chair. We sat across from each other in the kitchen. I took the seat with Gran’s quilt in it, but didn’t pull it around my shoulders.
When Abby didn’t say anything, I pointed to the kettle. “You want tea?” I asked.
“No, I’m good,” she said. “I have a triple espresso in the car. I won’t stay long.”
I took a sip of my tea. “Thank you for helping Mom.”
“Yeah,” she said. “I know you weren’t happy to see me this week.”
“It’s fine.”
“It’s okay,” she said, holding up her hand. “It’s been a long time since we talked. And I have to tell you, I was just as surprised as you were when your gran reached out to me.”
I froze, my cup in hand. “Wait, Gran reached out to you?”
“Yeah.” Abby smiled. “I was so sorry to hear that she passed.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, feeling as if all the light in the room was collapsing into a single spotlight on Abby .
“Before she died, your gran came into the office.”
“Why?” I said.
“It happens sometimes. In Real Estate, we call them blue birds, people who just show up and say, sell my house. It makes things easier. You know, I’ve been doing this for about ten years, and I’ve never left Denver, so I know people, but I didn’t expect your family to reach out to me,” she said. “Oh. You didn’t know.”
“No,” I whispered. “What did she say?”
“She told me she was making plans to travel and wanted to check in and let me know that she and your mom planned to sell the house on Maple Lane. It was very important to her that I help sell it.”
“What?” I gasped. “Why would she pick you? I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be rude.”
“I don’t know,” Abby said. “When we were friends, she was always really nice to me. And I felt bad when things went down with Travis.”
“You mean when he cheated on me with you.”
“I was seventeen years old, Billie,” she said. “He was very cute and very persuasive and he wore me down that whole week. I regret it. I’m sorry. I wish it had never happened.”
This wasn’t the first time Abby had apologized to me. I remember standing with her in our front yard, tears streaming down her cheeks. My heart crushed by betrayal, I thought it was a sign that I was doomed to pick a liar and a cheater, like my dad. I realized that my anger at Abby was conflated.
“I wish it never happened, too,” I said.
“We were just kids.”
“I know.” I sighed, taking a sip of my tea. “You know, the thing with Travis made me think a lot about the reason my parents split.”
“Really?”
“My dad was a serial cheater,” I said, nodding and looking at the surface of my teacup. It was still and serene but I knew if I set it down hard enough, ripples would appear. I felt tender and vulnerable talking to Abby. These little moments felt like stones being tossed on the center of a lake. I didn’t realize how far the ripples traveled. Was I still feeling the pain of my father’s absence ?
“I don’t think you ever told me, but I remember you telling me how much he hurt your mother.”
I bit my lip. “So, when you made out with stupid Travis … ”
“Stupid Travis,” Abby said.
“Yeah, stupid Travis,” I repeated, and I felt as though we were traveling back in time. The kitchen felt warm again, the walls familiar. My best friend in the world sat across from me like she had a hundred times after slumber parties and volleyball games.
“I’m glad we’re talking,” she said.
“So Gran called you?” I asked.
“Um-huh. She stopped by, said she wanted me to handle the sale. She said it would be in about six months.”
“Wow,” I said. “She was sure busy.”
“I don’t know why she picked me. She asked me to reach out to your mom, but not that we’d talked. She told me that she always loved our friendship and that she missed me. She thought you did, too.”
“Wow,” I said, my heart beating faster. “I wish she’d talked to me.”
“I know,” Abby said. “Look, I heard what you said before you went up to Smoke River. This house is not a tear-down.”
“No?”
“No,” she said. “Honestly, I’m not entirely sure your mom should sell. She is so attached to it, but she seems focused on a fresh start. I know it’s been a big transition, you moving, your gran dying.”
“I don’t know if she should, either.”
“Well, she definitely needs to fix the floor, so I say we take things one step at a time.”
“Good call.”
Abby glanced over her shoulder. The sky brightened. “I have another open house to go to,” she said. “Would you give the donuts to the guys when they arrive? And call me if anything seems wonky. I’m going to come by after the open house closes.”
“Thank you, Abby.” I reached across the table. “And you’re right. I was super pissed when Mom hired you, and I was still mad. ”
“I know,” she said. “You know, you didn’t talk to me for a whole week once when you thought I’d cheated at Monopoly.”
“I did?”
“Yep,” she said. “You may not be aware, but you are one headstrong woman, Willamena Josephine Prescott.”
I inhaled in mock shock. “Oh, you pinky swore me in third grade that you would never use my full name.”
“Awww, Billy Jo Prescott, you have a beautiful name, and don’t you ever forget it.” She stood up and stopped at the kitchen door. “What happened up at Smoke River? You seem different.”
“I slept with my gran’s super-hot, secret tenant who happens to be a serial cheater, accidentally, of course, so I’m a bit stunned.”
“Wait, what?” Abby said. Opening the box of donuts, she took out a maple bar, broke off a piece.
“I thought you were a health nut?”
“This is a maple bar moment,” she said. “Tell me everything. Plus, I do yoga. I’ll sweat it out.”
I laughed. She handed me the rest of the donut, and I told my friend from long ago everything that had happened in Smoke River.