Chapter Seventeen
Marin lost track of time as she unpacked boxes and got everything set up for her first night in the new house.
She hadn’t brought much with her to Vermont, mostly clothes for her new job.
She’d let Andrew keep the house they’d lived in when they were married, accepting payment for her half of the property as part of the divorce settlement.
Consequently, the new house was looking pretty bare at the moment.
She’d purchased a few essentials over the last few weeks, including bedroom furniture and a sofa for the living room, but the walls needed art and shelves and all sorts of things that she absolutely couldn’t wait to find.
She was going to have so much fun making this house hers.
“Ember, where are you?” she called, realizing she hadn’t seen the puppy for a few minutes.
Ember was having a blast exploring every nook and cranny of her new home, but while there wasn’t much here yet that she could get into trouble with, Marin also didn’t like to let her out of her sight for too long.
A quiet puppy generally meant trouble, in her experience.
Marin walked toward the bedroom, trying not to limp.
Her leg was so stiff, but favoring it usually made it worse, so she did her best to walk normally.
She’d do extra stretching exercises this evening to compensate.
She found Ember in the bedroom, ears back and looking chagrined.
A puddle of pee was nearby on the floor.
“Uh-oh,” Marin said. “We lost our potty routine in the new house, didn’t we? You didn’t know how to ask. Okay. Let’s clean that up and go outside.”
Luckily, she knew where the box containing her cleaning supplies was, so she dropped a few paper towels over the puddle, then took Ember out back, in case she still needed to go. Sure enough, she squatted again now that she was outside.
It took Marin longer to find the bottle of enzymatic cleaner she used on puppy accidents.
She was getting frustrated by the time she finally found it, not in the box of cleaning supplies, but with the toiletries in the master bathroom.
“For fuck’s sake,” she muttered as she crouched awkwardly to clean up the mess.
Her leg was really angry with her today.
There was a knock at the front door, and Marin tensed.
Already frazzled and in pain, she wasn’t in the mood for company, and who could it be?
She didn’t have any nearby neighbors who might want to stop by and introduce themselves.
In fact, she couldn’t see a single house from here.
The privacy was one of the things she loved most about her new home.
She failed to hold in her groan as she stood, sending a bolt of pain all the way to her toes. Aware she had cleaner and probably pee on her hands, she rushed into the bathroom to wash up, then hurried to the door. Where was the puppy now?
But Ember was sitting at the front door, staring through the pane of glass beside it at whoever waited outside. Her tail was wagging, and hopefully that was a good sign that Marin would be happy to see whoever it was too.
Charlotte? Her heart gave a hopeful leap, and she hurried the last few steps to the door. But it wasn’t Charlotte. Marin absorbed a moment of disappointment before her smile rebounded because Audrey and Michelle were on her front porch, and she was actually thrilled to see them.
She opened the door, running a hand through her hair. “Hi! Sorry it took me a minute. I was in the middle of cleaning up puppy pee when you knocked.”
Audrey burst out laughing while Michelle’s nose wrinkled. Both of them looked down at the puppy, who’d dashed out the door to circle their feet, bouncing and wagging enthusiastically.
“You must be Ember,” Audrey said, sounding amused. “Did you make a mess in your new house?”
“She did. I’ve disrupted her routine, I guess, but . . . anyway.” She waved a hand to invite them inside. “Come in, and yes, this is Ember. She’s about three and a half months old now.”
“Hi, Ember,” Audrey cooed, crouching to greet the puppy. “Aren’t you adorable?”
“We wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood, so to speak,” Michelle said in her crisp British accent. “We’re only, what, three miles down the road?” Her lips quirked.
“Around here, that practically makes us next-door neighbors, and I’m really glad about that, by the way. I’d love to have you both for dinner now that I’ve got room to host.”
“We’d love that.” Audrey stood, holding out a blue-and-green-painted vase filled with white flowers, peonies, Marin thought. “A housewarming gift for you.”
“We also brought champagne for a toast and a lasagna you can put in the oven later in case you haven’t shopped yet,” Michelle added, holding up a bottle and a covered dish.
“Oh wow.” Marin pressed a hand to her chest. “That’s really nice of you. Thank you so much.”
“Our pleasure.” Audrey beamed, still holding out the vase.
Marin took it from her and held it up to admire it, realizing it was likely handmade, since Audrey was a potter. “Did you make this?”
“I did,” Audrey confirmed. “It’s my standard gift when I visit someone’s home. I love giving out ceramics. If there’s a certain color scheme you’re going for in your new house, I’d be happy to make you something to match.”
“Oh goodness.” Marin examined the vase more closely. It was gorgeous, with a delicate design carved into the clay that added texture and style. “This is such a unique and thoughtful gift. I love it, and the colors are perfect.”
“Keep hanging out with her, and you’ll probably receive more,” Michelle said, gazing around the entranceway with interest. “She does love to give out ceramics.”
“Well, I have a whole house to decorate, so I won’t complain. Thank you, Audrey. This is wonderful, and the champagne and dinner are much appreciated too. I haven’t shopped yet, so I wasn’t sure what I was going to have tonight.”
“I suspected as much when I talked to you this afternoon at the Pride Coalition meeting,” Audrey said.
“Come in and have a look around,” Marin invited, turning to lead the way toward the kitchen. “If I can find glasses, I’d love to share a toast while you’re here. I’m really glad you two live nearby.”
“We’re glad too,” Michelle said. “And if you need help decorating these walls, you’ve got two art historians here who’d love to make recommendations.”
“God, yes,” Marin said. “I could use some help. I haven’t picked out much artwork on my own. What do you think?” She gestured around herself at the mostly empty house.
“I think we bought our houses for the same reason,” Michelle said with an approving nod toward the back windows. “The views and the solitude. That porch and fenced-in yard will be wonderful once the weather warms up.”
“I can’t wait to sit out there with Ember,” Marin agreed. “The views and the space definitely sold me. The house itself is small, but well, I’m only one person.”
“No progress on the dating front?” Audrey asked, and Marin must have been losing her touch when it came to hiding her feelings, because Audrey gave her a knowing smile. “Looks like you might have something to share after all.”
“It’s complicated.”
Michelle snorted. “Isn’t it always?”
“I guess.” Marin shrugged helplessly. “I don’t have much experience dating. I met Andrew in college, what feels like a million years ago, and we only divorced last year.”
“I can relate,” Michelle said. “I met my first wife at uni as well.”
“Oh?” Marin started rooting through boxes as they talked, looking for flutes so they could share a champagne toast.
“Yes, we were together for over twenty years, so I know a little bit about how it feels to get back into the dating game after so long.”
“I guess you do. Yeah, Andrew and I were together about twenty-five years.” She pulled three small wineglasses out of a box. “Think these will do?”
“Absolutely.” Audrey lifted the bottle of champagne and wrapped a dish towel around the cork, then twisted it off with a satisfying pop. She poured three glasses and handed one to each of them. “To Marin’s new house.”
They clinked glasses, and then Marin took a sip. The champagne was light and sweet, fizzing against her tongue. She rarely drank it, because she hadn’t felt as if she had many things in her life to celebrate, but she loved champagne. She ought to drink it more often. She would.
“Now let’s hear about whatever woman drama you’ve got going on. Someone you met on the dating site?” Audrey asked. She, Marin, and Michelle settled on barstools at the kitchen island with a view of the backyard. Ember was on the floor nearby, chewing on a Nylabone.
“I did go on a few dates with someone I met on the app.” Marin took another sip of champagne, deciding how much she could share. If Charlotte was questioning her sexuality, then she needed to remain anonymous in Marin’s story, at the very least.
“And?” Audrey pressed.
“And she should have been perfect for me. We had a lot in common, but there was just no chemistry.”
Audrey frowned. “Bummer, but yeah, you can’t force it if there’s no spark.”
“But there’s someone else you’re interested in?” Michelle asked.
“I’ve become a lesbian cliché and fallen for a friend.” Marin was suddenly glad to have friends to talk this through with, because it had been eating her up inside, and maybe they could help her sort it out.
“Sounds like us last year,” Michelle said, giving Audrey a fond look.
“We tried so hard to fight it.” Audrey laughed. “Then I invited her over for a lesson on the pottery wheel, and one thing led to another . . .”
Michelle looked suspiciously flustered.
Marin found herself laughing. “I can see how that might happen. I mean, we’ve all seen Ghost, right?” She pretended to fan herself.