Chapter Eighteen
Seth
I’m dragging this out, and maybe even teasing her a little, but my plan is sound, and I know it. Once I’d worked it out, I knew it made sense. I thought through every option… every problem, and twist, and it was still the only thing that added up. When Everly understands what I’ve got in mind, she’ll realize that, too. She’ll believe in what I’m saying. I know she will. Who knows… she might even believe in me, too.
I pick up our plates, taking them to the kitchen and putting them in the sink before returning to the table.
“More wine?” I say, and she glares up at me. She’s expecting some kind of explanation, and I’ll give her that… in a minute. In the meantime, I hold the bottle over her glass until she nods her head, and I pour a little wine, adding some to my glass as well. “Shall we sit?” I hold out my hand to her, but she shakes her head.
“We are sitting.”
“I meant somewhere more comfortable.”
She sighs, like she’s just about done with me, but I smile, refusing to relent, and eventually she gets up. I grab the glasses and carry them to the coffee table, putting them down, and I wait for Everly to take a seat on the couch before I join her.
“If it’s not going to be like my doom and gloom scenario, then what will it be like?” she asks, cutting to the chase.
“However you want it to be.”
“But I thought you’d planned this, Seth. That’s what you said. I thought you’d worked out…”
“I have,” I say, interrupting her flow of panic. “All I’m saying is, you can decide what you do. If you wanna stay up here and look after River, then I’ll work in the coffee shop. If you wanna be downstairs, then I’ll take care of River. We can take it in turns… if that’s what you want.”
She shakes her head, which doesn’t feel at all promising. It was supposed to make sense to her, just like it did to me, but it doesn’t seem that way.
“That won’t be enough for you,” she says, surprising me.
“Why not? I’ve thought this through, babe.” I turn in my seat, shifting closer to her.
“Really? After all the work you put in to get to where you are? You sacrificed so much to achieve what you’ve done, and you love it too much to give it up.”
“I love you more,” I whisper, reaching out and cupping her cheek with my hand. She shakes her head again, but I hold it still, stopping her negativity. “Don’t. Don’t say ‘no’.”
“I’m not. But can’t you see? Financially, this is still a terrible idea. You haven’t seen my accounts. They’re not disastrous, but I don’t make enough to support all three of us, with the two of us sharing one job… especially as I’ll be paying Barbra more from next month onward.”
“I know. I’m aware of that, and I don’t need to see your accounts.”
“Why not?”
“Because there’s nothing to worry about… not financially.”
She pulls back, my hand falling to my lap. “Seriously, Seth,” she says, raising her voice just slightly. “You’ve been telling me ever since we first sat on the couch earlier this evening that you’re giving up work. How can we not have anything to worry about?”
“Because I didn’t say I was giving up work. I told you I was giving up my job. They’re not the same thing. I’ve got every intention of continuing to work.”
“In the coffee shop?”
“No. As an architect.”
“How?” She throws up her arms in frustration. “You’ve just told me you’ll be here to help with River.”
“I know. I’m gonna work here.”
“Where? In case you haven’t noticed, there aren’t any architects in Hart’s Creek.”
“There are now.”
She stares at me, frowning, like she’s trying to work out what I’m saying.
“I don’t understand,” she says eventually. “What exactly are you gonna do? Work in the coffee shop? Be an architect? Or help with River?”
“All of the above.”
“Oh… so you’re superman, are you?” She lets out a sigh. “I’m not being ungrateful, Seth, but you’re simply not being realistic here. Trust me. There aren’t enough hours in the day for what you’re suggesting. I’ve tried it. It doesn’t work.”
“There’s a reason for that,” I say, and she tips her head to one side.
“Oh?”
“Yeah. You’ve been doing it all by yourself. But you don’t have to anymore.” I sit forward and take her hands in mine, deciding the time has come to tell her everything. “I’ve thought it through, discussed it with Aiden, done the math, and I’ve figured out that I can make a decent living if I work part-time. There are two projects which I’ve got to complete for Aiden, so we’ve agreed I’ll work on those from here, and then I’m gonna do some freelance work, and fit it in around helping you and looking after River. Aiden’s already said he’ll pass me some work, and he’s recommending me to a couple of people he knows. That’ll give me more than enough to keep me busy. I won’t make as much money as I do now, but I’ll make enough.”
“Really? You’re sure?”
“I’m positive. This isn’t something I’ve done on a whim, even if it seems like it to you. I haven’t gone into it lightly, I promise.”
“And you’ve done all this?” she says, sounding incredulous. “You’ve set it up in just a few days?”
“Yeah. It’s been a crazy few days… although I had other things to do as well.”
“Like what?”
“Like speaking to my landlord, who I have to say was a royal pain in the ass. He’s always been pretty reasonable in the past, but for some reason, the moment I mentioned wanting to leave, he got all official and legal on me.”
“Meaning what?” she asks. “Is he gonna stop you from coming back here?”
I love that, having criticized practically every aspect of my plan so far, she suddenly seems scared I won’t be able to see it through, and I chuckle, lifting her onto my lap. She yelps in surprise but straddles me, gazing into my eyes. This feels a lot better than sitting side-by-side, and I grab her ass, pulling her onto me, and making her gasp.
“Nothing’s gonna stop me, babe. I’ve just gotta pay him two months’ rent, which he’s insisting on, because I’m not giving him any notice of leaving.”
“Two months?” she says, her outrage fairly obvious, and while she tries to lean away from me, I don’t let her.
“It’s better than the three he originally wanted.”
She lets out a sigh, shaking her head. “How did you talk him down?”
“I didn’t. Aiden did.”
“Oh, yes. You mentioned they knew each other.”
“Yeah. Aiden convinced him he was being unreasonable. He pointed out that the apartment is in a really nice location, and he’ll probably be able to rent it out again within a few days, so there was no benefit to anyone in being greedy.”
“Even so… two months’ rent,” she says, shaking her head.
“I don’t mind.” I pull her closer and lean forward, resting my forehead against hers. “It’s worth it.”
“What about all your things? Do you have to go back and pack them?”
“No. That’s the other thing I’ve been doing with my time.”
“You mean…?”
“I mean, every single space in my car is filled to capacity.”
“So you’re really back?” she says, wide-eyed.
“Yes. But don’t panic. I checked into the hotel before I came here. I wasn’t making assumptions about moving straight back in with you… not permanently.”
“You weren’t?”
“Of course not. I knew my plans would come as a shock to you, and there are things we still need to work out.”
“Even so, you can’t live at the hotel. It’s too expensive.”
I chuckle, shaking my head. “Will you stop worrying about money? I have savings, Everly.”
“I remember, but…”
“But nothing. I’ve had precious little to spend my spare cash on over the last twelve months, so after I’ve paid rent and bought food, I’ve put every cent I’ve earned in the bank.” I capture her face between my hands, focusing her attention and gazing into her eyes. “Trust me, I’d never take a gamble like this without something to back it up. I wouldn’t risk your future, or River’s.”
“Okay,” she says, softening slightly and leaning in to me. “But where will you store your things? You can’t leave them in your car, and you can’t offload them into a hotel room, either.”
“I know. The hotel is just a temporary fix. I’m not gonna stay there for very long,” I say, tipping us both over slightly and reaching into my back pocket, pulling out my phone, and flipping it around so we can both see the screen. “I’ve been looking at places to rent here in Hart’s Creek.”
“You’re gonna rent somewhere?” she says, looking totally confused and utterly beautiful.
“Yeah. There’s a small place in Maple Street, and another in Beech Road.” I tap on the screen, going to my browser, and open the pages I’ve saved, showing them to Everly. “I think the one in Maple Street is better,” I say, showing her the listing, where there are six or seven pictures of the interior of the house. “The living space is open-plan, and I’m more used to that than having separate rooms. I think the bedroom looks bigger, too, don’t you? And even if…” I glance up and see that she’s not looking at the images at all, but is staring at me. “What’s wrong?” I ask, lowering my phone.
“You really wanna move back to Hart’s Creek, and live somewhere else, other than here? You don’t wanna live with me and River?”
“You know I do. More than anything. But I already explained, I can’t…”
She pulls away from me, almost falling off of my lap, and although I drop my phone and grab hold of her, she’s stiff in my arms.
“What’s the point?” she says. “If you did this, it would be no different to you living in Concord.”
“Yes, it would. It would be very different. I’d be here, not twenty minutes away, and while it certainly wouldn’t be ideal, and it’s not what I’ve got in mind in the long term, I’ve still gotta earn your trust, Everly. I know that.”
“And you think you can do that if we spend every night apart?”
“Who says we’re gonna do that? I can stay here sometimes, if you want me to. But I also understand that you might sometimes want some space. You might wanna give yourself some time to get used to having me around again. We can do this at your pace, babe. Obviously, dating might be tricky with River, but we can take it one step at a time. I’m happy to do whatever you want, Everly… just as long as I’m doing it with you.”