Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
Carly
I stare at the dating app as I swirl wine in a glass. Ava is sleeping, and I have no idea how to create a profile.
I’m scrolling through selfies trying to find one that isn’t horrific when movement outside draws my attention. Hutch is walking to the bench.
I haven’t seen him sit there in a few days. I watch as he slowly makes his way down the trail and to the bench where he sits. He leans forward and tosses something toward a large boulder by the stream. I grin as I see Cliff, the neighborhood raccoon, climb up to get what I presume are peanuts.
For reasons I don’t understand, I grab the baby monitor and put it in my pocket. I don’t know why I haven’t gotten rid of it. She’s old enough not to need it, but I like having it. I can step over to chat with Bray or grab sugar from Margie without worrying about her.
When we first moved here and I set up her room, I almost chucked it back in the box, but then decided to set it up.
It’s not fancy. No video. It’s just sound.
Those first few months here were tough. I would sometimes drop the receiver in my pocket and walk out to that bench.
It’s the furthest I could get from it and still have it work.
I’m not sure why sitting by that stream helped, but when I became overwhelmed that second week here, I put Ava down for her nap and walked out here.
I was hesitant to leave the building at first, but then I realized I was just as far from my house when I’d go grab something from our home garden.
So, if I could do that, then going to sit on that bench for a moment was OK.
There were flowers on that bench with the sweetest note from someone who called themselves the Guardian of Hearts Lane Park.
I took them and put them in a glass on my counter.
It was the first time I felt alive again.
I had the ability to give myself a moment alone, and somewhere out there, someone cared enough to leave flowers on that bench every morning.
And for the first time in many months, I believed that I could do this single-parenting thing.
I walk toward the bench and find Al has beaten me here.
“Wow! Busy night at the bench,” I tease as I walk up to them.
Hutch turns and grins. “Hey, you haven’t been out here in a while.” He looks around me and then points up to Ava’s room. “Ava asleep?”
I nod. “She’s out. You know her. Once she’s asleep, it’s lights out till the morning.”
“I once dropped a mixing bowl when I was grabbing a plate for my dinner, and I made such a ruckus I swore she’d wake up, but nope. Kid slept right through it,” he laughs.
“What brings you out here this evening?” Al asks.
“Just needed some fresh air. You out for an evening stroll?” I ask.
He chuckles. “Something like that.” He pauses and looks at Hutch.
“And seeing how Hutch is coming along with our flower mystery,” he says with a wink. If I didn’t know better, I swear Al knows who puts the flowers here each day, but he has assured us he has no clue.
Hutch shrugs. “No leads yet. I’m still checking flower shops.” He looks at Al. “Thanks for that list by the way.”
“What list?” I ask.
“Oh, Edith kept a list of flower shops in the city. You know how much she loved flowers,” Al explains.
“Yeah, I’ve been to a few of them. One was closed, but I’ll have to go back at some point,” Hutch says.
“There wasn’t a florist in the city that she wasn’t friends with…” Al trails off as if remembering something.
Hutch pats his knee. “Remember her funeral? I’ve never seen so many flowers in my life,” he says with a sad smile.
Al smiles but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “They were beautiful. I had no idea all those florists would send so many. She would have loved it.”
We all sit in silence for a beat as we watch Cliff eat. The only sounds are of the stream, Cliff chewing, and the far-off beeping of car horns.
“You ready for the adventure in Italy?” Al asks.
Grinning, I turn to him. “I am. Ava’s excited.”
“Bray seems excited, too,” Al adds.
I nod. “I think everyone is. I can’t believe we’re all going on another adventure together this year,” I add as I remember our trip to Puerto Rico a few months ago.
“It’s lovely. I can’t wait for the wedding. I haven’t been to Italy since Edith and I were in our thirties,” he says with an air of sadness.
We’re all silent again as we sit in our feelings. I didn’t know Al’s wife for very long, but she was such a force of love and kindness that it was impossible not to bask in the glow of her warmth when you were with her.
“I should get back upstairs,” I say, ending the moment of reflection.
“Have a good night,” Al says.
“’Night, Carly,” Hutch adds.
I give a little wave as I stand and walk back to the building. It’s a warm summer night, and the sun has just gone down. The sky is still painted with hues of purple and orange. I can’t help wondering what the sunset in Italy will look like. I get a little giddy at that thought. I’m going to Italy!
I silently thank the ring gods for letting me find that ring that helped me afford this trip.
I went to Europe with my parents years ago.
They took Anne and me to London. It was amazing.
I kept renewing my passport in hopes of going to Paris, but so far, I haven’t been able to afford it. Maybe one day.
But now, I get to go to Italy, which is almost as good as seeing the Eiffel Tower. I never in a million years thought I could take Ava abroad. And to share it with my found family is the icing on the cake.
It’s ladies’ night and everyone is crowded in Margie and Cornelia’s living room. We’re sipping wine and eating cheese and crackers. Jessa has brought some sort of buffalo chicken dip, and we’ve nearly decimated it.
We’ve all been talking about Italy. Cam’s given us more details about her wedding.
Jessa announced Troy and she are going to be there for the weekend and then will go to Venice.
This led Roxy to say that Gray also wanted to take her there.
Piper explained that she and Kasen would be heading back through Scotland to meet his grandmother.
While Jocelyn laughed that Hutch had mentioned stopping in Scandinavia so he could meet his fellow Vikings.
We laugh at that.
Eyes turn to me.
“What are your plans?” Cam asks.
“Oh, uh, well, Bray booked us for ten days. We’ll fly into Milan and drive there.
It’s Ava’s longest flight so far. Honestly, I’m not really sure,” I explain.
It’s hard being the only mom in the group sometimes.
They are all so supportive but I can’t always do the stuff they do.
And I have no one who really understands.
Pushing aside my feelings of jealousy over all my friends jet-setting across Europe, I clear my throat and add, “Maybe we’ll take Ava to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa or something.”
Everyone nods and Roxy says, “That’d be fun.”
I’m quiet for a moment. “Maybe I’ll find a hot Italian man,” I say with a laugh.
Everyone goes silent as they stare at me.
“Are you dating?” Cam asks.
I pull out my phone, go to the dating app, and hold it up.
Roxy and Jocelyn clap their hands. “OMG! Did you set it up yet?” Jocelyn asks.
Shaking my head, I start to open the app.
Jocelyn pulls it from my hand. “Oh no. We need to give your profile some serious thought. I mean, the future Mr. Maxwell is out there,” she says.
Before I know it, everyone is voting on profile pics and trying to decide how I should explain myself.
“How about, hot, sexy mama seeks her daddy,” Piper suggests.
“Or wanna play student for this teacher?” Roxy suggests.
I groan. “Can’t we just say, single mom seeking a responsible life partner?” I urge.
“That sounds a little creepy. What’s that movie? Uh, Single White Female,” Margie says.
“That’s a great movie,” Cam adds.
“No way, you can’t say that,” Jocelyn protests. “You need something catchy. Think of it as marketing yourself.”
“How about, if you like pina coladas and getting drunk in the rain, hit me up,” Cornelia offers.
Cam laughs. “We’ll save that for your profile.”
Jessa cocks her head to one side. “How about an introvert who loves books, her kiddo, and hanging out with close friends seeks someone to bring me out of my shell and help me find a little adventure?”
“That’s actually pretty good,” Cam says.
“I don’t know if I’m an introvert,” I mumble.
Cam giggles. “Carly, you once feigned a cold to get out of going to a popular movie because, and I quote, the theater will be packed with people, and I might be forced to speak with them.”
Sighing, I nod for her to write Jessa’s suggestion.
She does, and then her finger hovers over the submit button. “Are we doing this?”
I close my eyes and breathe. “Yes,” I squeak.
I open one eye. “OK, time to swipe right,” she says. And just like that, I’m back in the dating world. Only, I’m not sure how I feel about it.