Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
VIVIAN
The moment I step into the bungalow, a tingle of excitement races over my skin. It’s practically a mansion compared to the trailer, with two big bedrooms, a tidy kitchen with new appliances and a breakfast nook, and plenty of windows to let in the light. No garage but that’s probably a pipe dream considering my tight budget. And after two winters in Finn River, I have shoveling and defrosting down to an art.
Mateo gazes up at me, the lollipop I surprised him with to keep him happy during this chore already half gone. “Do you like it, Mom?”
He’s so sweet I could melt. When I told him about the trailer being damaged and that we might have to move, he got upset. The last time we moved was when we left California, and though I did my best to make it an adventure, the break from our old life was hard on him, and confusing. But once I reassured him that he would get to take all of his things this time, and that he’d have a yard we could play in, he started to come around.
“Yep. Do you?”
He gives me an exaggerated shrug and a hint of a smile .
I squat down so we’re eye to eye. A thought hits me from thin air—how much longer until he’s grown to my height, or taller? “You’ll be able to have a friend over.”
He slurps his lollipop. His new front tooth has already grown in halfway. “Do I get to keep my trains in my room again?”
“Of course.”
His grin brightens. “Then yeah I like it.”
We head back outside, where the landlord, an elderly man with a head of thick white hair, is walking toward us on the path that leads from the back of his house, which shares the property with his rental.
“Well?” he asks with a curious smile.
Though it goes against my original plan to keep saving for a down payment on our own place, maybe this could be like a half step? The cost is a little high for my budget, but if I get more work from Professor Milankovitch, I’ll be able to swing it.
The bungalow is close to school and the park, and I love the idea of being this gentle old man’s tenants. He doesn’t allow pets, which will be tough news to break to Mateo because he’s all but adopted us one of Bertie’s puppies. It tugs at my heartstrings, but in no way are we ready for a puppy. Maybe when Matty’s a little older.
“I love it,” I say.
“Wonderful. I’ll get you an application.”
I would apply on the spot, but my landlord from the Meadows hasn’t given me an answer regarding breaking my lease and returning my deposit. If he refuses, I’m going to have to make a tough decision.
After the man retrieves the paperwork and explains the online credit check process, I practically skip to the car. On the way to the park, though I sing along with Mateo’s favorite Kid’s Bop playlist, my mind is buzzing with the prospect of moving in and making that cute bungalow ours.
Maybe I’ll even be able to move what’s left of our things directly to the bungalow tomorrow, saving me a step.
The park is busy with families enjoying the sunny fall afternoon, some I recognize from his class. I give Matty a starter push on the swings until he gets pumping, then cheer him on as he goes higher and higher. He wows me with another feat of monkey-swinging on the bars. A little while later, I’m waiting for him to come down the slide when my phone vibrates in my pocket.
The number flashing on the screen sends a jolt of nerves through my belly. It’s my landlord.
“Hello?”
“Vivian? It’s Ed Strickland.”
“Hi.”
“Sorry it’s taken me so long to call you back. I was out of town when the break in happened.”
“I understand.”
“I’ve reviewed the lease agreement and the information provided by the police report, and I’m sorry, but if you choose to terminate early, with this kind of notice, you’ll forfeit your deposit and two months rent. And that’s only if the interior is cleaned and returned in good shape.”
My gut tightens into knots. “Oh.”
“Do you still want to proceed?”
I squeeze my eyes shut, but my thoughts are too chaotic to form an answer. Losing two months’ rent plus my deposit is a major blow—that’s thousands of dollars down the drain. But if we stay, and I can’t sleep at night, where does that leave me? June and Nelson Rumsey have made it clear I’m welcome to stay at the cabin as long as I need to, but that offer surely has limits.
“Um, I… need to think about it.” Can I fight Mr. Strickland on this? I need to do some research.
“All right. You have the new keys, am I right?”
“Yes, I got them on Friday.”
“Let me know what you decide. Your lease is up for renewal in April. If you want to terminate at that time, be sure to notify me in writing thirty days in advance.”
“Got it. ”
I say goodbye to Mr. Strickland just as Mateo whips around the giant curvy slide, nearly crashing into me.
After pocketing my phone, I scoop Matty into my arms, stealing a quick hug.
“Will you push me on the merry-go-round?” he asks, squirming free.
“Yep, but after that, we need to get going, okay?”
“Okay.”
I let him tug me over to the big metal disc and help him navigate getting onboard with the mix of other kids.
“Ready?” I ask. Mateo nods, his grip tightening on the bars. Another kid jumps on and straddles the center bar.
I give the merry-go-round a push. It’s heavy, but I keep going, channeling the frustration and worry Mr. Strickland’s phone call created into this easy task, until the merry-go-round is spinning.
“Faster!” someone cries.
Another parent comes to help, pushing one of the bars while running alongside. Faces blur and some of the kids shriek in delight. I keep my eye on Matty, but my mind is spinning as fast as the merry-go-round.
The easy choice is to stay at The Meadows. I can’t afford to throw away that kind of money.
There might be a loophole to fight the lease so I can move out sooner than April but researching that option will take time. Meanwhile, it’s not like I can move back to the trailer. It’s still the mess I walked away from Tuesday, and I haven’t bought a new mattress yet. Or even thought about replacing the couch.
So, it looks like I’ll have to stay at the cabin a little longer. Would the Rumseys let me stay until next weekend? That would give me enough time to clean my unit, get a new mattress delivered, and launder everything the intruder touched.
Do I apply for the bungalow and hope I find a way to break my lease? If I don’t apply, I’m sure someone else will snatch it up. But it wouldn’t be fair to apply only to bail if I need to stay at The Meadows.
Grrr .
The dad helping spin the merry-go-round slows it for the kids who want to get off, snapping me back to the playground. Matty jumps down and reaches for my hand. It helps soften the frustration grating at the edge of my thoughts.
I may only have Mateo, but he’s enough.
Though what about Everett? The thought catches me off guard.
You’d drive all the way out here for a kindling emergency?
I’d drive faster for a kissing emergency.
This should not make my heart pitter-patter in my chest. I’ve been safe inside the walls I built. They’ve sheltered me, protected me. But they’ve also kept everyone out.
“What should we bring to dinner with Everett and Logan?” I ask Matty when we get to the car.
“Watermelon,” he replies.
I laugh. “Okay. Anything else?”
He peers up at me with a mischievous grin. “Cookies?”
Once we’re at the store, I let Matty push the cart to the produce aisle. He picks out the biggest watermelon, then I grab fresh tarragon and fixings for a salad. After we sniff several of the bread options in the bakery, Mateo chooses the artisan potato loaf, then I steer us to the wine section. But when I arrive, it feels all wrong. Earth to Vivian! I can’t bring wine to dinner with a cop, not if I plan to drive afterwards. Not that I would drive if I’ve been drinking.
I pinch the bridge of my nose and try to settle my rampant thoughts.
Get. A. Grip. I can bring wine and not drink any.
Maybe bringing beer is better? And I’ll pick up some sparkling juice or nonalcoholic thing, too. I’m scanning the beer selection when another shopper stops behind me.
“Vivian? ”
I whirl around. “Oh, hey Shawna.”
Her straight dark hair is loose about her pale face. At school, she usually has it pinned back in a twist. She’s traded her usual pencil skirt and pumps for a fitted t-shirt that reveals a stripe of her stomach, tight jeans, and cowboy boots.
“Mateo, this is Shawna. I work with her at the middle school on Tuesdays.”
She flashes Mateo a smile. “Hi, Mateo.”
“Hi,” he says in a meek voice.
Shawna gives my cart a scan. “Big plans tonight?”
“Just dinner with—” the word freezes on my tongue for a moment “—a friend.”
“Nice.”
“How about you?” Her cart is empty.
She gives the wine selection a quick scan. “Not sure yet.”
“Well, see you Tuesday.”
“Yep, have a good one.”
I give our cart a gentle push to get Mateo going, then steer us around the corner to the checkout counters. Though it’s barely October, each one is decorated for Halloween with paper skeletons and fake cobwebs.
“Where are we going to trick or treat?” Mateo asks from behind the cart while I unload our things.
“Where would you like to?” I ask. Last year, we went with Skye and Jesse in their neighborhood. The only trailer park resident that participates in Halloween is Mrs. Ovenell. “Should we tag along with Skye again?”
He can’t quite meet my eyes, a sure sign he’s apprehensive about what he’s about to say. “Maybe we could go with Logan?”
My heart vibrates inside my chest. Because it strikes me that in building those walls, have I held Mateo back from growing and connecting with others too?
“Would you like me to ask his dad?”
He nods, his blue eyes bright .
A flutter tickles my insides. “Okay.”
Everett’s neighborhood is east of the downtown area, a few miles from the high school. As I follow the directions, my tummy flutters get faster. Everett has been on my mind all day, but now that I’m about to see him again, my longing is unfurling like a sail catching the wind. Do I try to reel it in or let it guide me?
Everett’s street is lined with modest homes separated by tall pines and tidy hedges. Soccer nets and bikes are strewn on driveways and front lawns, and two teenage girls come skateboarding down the sidewalk behind me.
The road dead ends at a cul-de-sac. Everett’s house is on the left, with a small front yard and a basketball hoop above the garage. His deputy SUV is parked on the far-right side, directly in front of a midsized truck, leaving the main spot open. Did he stack his cars like that for me?
The flutters tighten into a knot inside my chest. I park the car and release a full breath.
When I meet Matty at his door, he follows me to the trunk, then wraps his arms around the watermelon.
“You got it?” I pick up the bag.
“Yep.”
I shut the trunk and after I open a gate in the fencing, we take the dirt path leading to the door. Everett’s front porch could double as a shoe locker, with soccer cleats and boots and sneakers in various states of wear. There’s also a large net cylinder packed with sports equipment in the corner. Not just balls in all shapes and sizes, but a baseball bat, a worn mitt still clutching a baseball, frisbees, a lacrosse stick, and I think a giant water gun.
“Do you like Deputy Everett?” Mateo asks, peering up at me.
The knot is twisting so fast it’s making my breaths feel shaky. “I do.”
He hitches the watermelon a little higher against his body. “I do too.”
When Everett comes to the door in jeans and a flannel and flashing that killer smile, my thighs tense and a wave of bright heat washes over me.
I think I like him a little too much.