Chapter 24 #2
“Well, he’s getting a home-cooked meal so he’s happy. And he’s been helping Kenny over at the bike shop.”
“What do you mean helping? Is he doing something he shouldn’t be doing?” My jaw tensed as I waited for the bad news that was going to inevitably follow Autumn’s cascade of good news.
“Nope.” She decided on a tub and picked up two spoons and brought it over to the bed. “Kenny’s apprentice walked out and left Kenny short so Dad offered to help. Was only meant to be for a few days but that was four weeks ago.”
Why hadn’t she said something before? I’d just assumed they were sitting watching Wheel of Fortune and complaining about not having enough money—because why would anything have changed?
Would this have happened if I’d still been around, or had they gotten off their asses to spite me?
To show me that they didn’t need me. “I guess that’s great. ”
“I don’t think he gets paid much, but he said he likes learning about the bikes. And honestly, I figure helping for free is still better than sitting at home, thinking up trouble.”
“Yeah, I agree. Sounds like you’re all better off without me.” I said it with a smile but I wasn’t joking. It kind of hurt that as soon as I’d left, things got better, as if I’d been the problem all along.
“Oh, I bet you by Friday, Mom will ask me for a loan.”
“Well, I told you that if she does, you have to get her to call me. You don’t have enough as it is.”
“None of us has enough,” she replied. “Except maybe Dexter.”
“Dexter definitely has enough.” I took the tub from Autumn and dug in to the Rocky Road. I’d never even seen it on sale in London. “A lot of people in London do. I can’t wait to show you around. When do you have to go home?”
“I have class on Monday. I’m flying home Sunday. Can you believe he flew me out here for two nights?”
I wanted Autumn to make her classes, but I also wanted her to stay. I shouldn’t be greedy. Having her here on my birthday was more than I could ever dream of.
“I saw the final tiara the other day and guess what?” I asked. “You’ll have to strap yourself in before I tell you this.”
“Dexter gave it to you?” she guessed.
I laughed. “I know you think Dexter is the perfect guy, but no, he did not give me a tiara.”
“A ring? Are you engaged?”
“What the hell is wrong with you?” I handed her back the ice cream. “As if I’m going to get engaged to a guy who lives five thousand miles away.”
“You’re living with him,” she challenged.
“Until I come back to Oregon. And it’s just logistics. It means we can see a little more of each other as the competition gets more demanding. No, they asked everyone to give feedback on the tiara and everyone said how amazing it was—and it was totally amazing. You’ve never seen anything like it—”
“Can I see it? I’m dying to.”
I shook my head, half saying no to her request, half trying to get rid of the brain freeze.
“It’s all top secret until the finals next week.
Don’t you want to hear what happened?” She nodded.
“Well when everyone was saying how great the tiara was, I couldn’t help but think there was something missing.
So, I made a suggestion. And they decided to incorporate it.
Can you believe it? An idea I had about the design for a freaking tiara is going to be made.
” Even saying those words gave me the chills.
I’d made Dexter promise he wasn’t taking up the idea just because it was mine, and he basically told me I was an idiot if I thought that was possible.
“That’s amazing. But not really because you’re so talented.” She would say that. “Don’t you just pinch yourself? To think that a few months ago you were sitting here.” She slapped her hands down on the bed. “And now you’re designing royal stuff. And you’re in London with a hot, British boyfriend.”
My life was very different from how it had been up until a few months ago.
But by the sounds of it, my mom and dad’s lives had changed almost beyond recognition as well.
Why had it taken me leaving the country for them to get jobs and put their lives in something like order?
Perhaps they would be able to manage without me if I wanted to extend my stay.
Dexter had been true to his word and not brought up the idea of me applying for jobs again.
Maybe I should be the one to restart the conversation.
“Are you two decent? Can we come in?” Dexter called from the corridor.
I slid off the bed as the two hottest guys on the planet walked in.
“Happy nearly birthday, Hollie,” Gabriel said. “I brought you a card. Handmade by a three-year-old, so don’t judge.” I lifted up on my toes to hug him and he said “Hi” over my shoulder.
“This is my sister, Autumn.”
He nodded and my sister stood and extended her arm. I swear she’d never shaken hands with anyone in her life. “Dexter was right,” she muttered.
“All the way from Oregon,” Gabriel said, smiling at Autumn as Autumn smiled back at him. There were lots of smiles. “Well, I don’t want to interrupt. You two look very cozy.”
Maybe it was me but it seemed like Gabriel was having a hard time looking away from my baby sister.
“Are you staying in London long, Autumn?”
“Just two nights,” I interrupted.
It was as if I’d broken some kind of spell he was under. Gabriel cleared his throat and nodded again. “Well, happy birthday. Very good to meet you, Autumn. I hope to see you again.” And with that both of them swept out, leaving Autumn fake fanning herself with her hand.
“What is it with the men in this town? Are they all like this? No wonder you fell in love here.”
I dissolved into laughter. “I’m not in love.”
“Of course you are,” Autumn replied, her eyebrows pulled together as if I’d just told her there were twenty-six hours in the day.
“Don’t be crazy.” I wasn’t in love. Dexter was just the first man I’d dated who didn’t want me to be his mother.
Yes, I cooked for him, but he bought me scarves and dresses, flew my sister over for my birthday and told me I was beautiful, like all the time.
Yes, I listened as he told me about the frustrations of his day but he did the same for me.
And yes, I wanted to make things better for him, just as I did with my family, but he wanted to do the same for me.
“It’s a stupid thing to say because he’s Dexter Daniels and he has everything anyone could ever want, but it feels like we’re a team, you know? ”
“Well, like I told you, that makes a change for you.”
“Yeah, remember when I dated Pauly for those few weeks and he asked me how to use the washer and it turned out his mom was out of town seeing his aunt? I swear he was hoping I’d offer to do his laundry for him.”
“He was ridiculous. But I don’t mean it’s a change in the men you date.
What I mean is, in Oregon you’re out front, trying to lead everyone out of the woods.
While behind you, people are getting distracted swimming in the lake, eating marionberries, or just looking up at the sun.
It’s good to have someone who goes at the same speed as you, someone who’s working with you rather than against you. ”
Dexter and I were at completely different points in our careers.
We weren’t going at the same speed. He was in the New York marathon and I was doing a charity five-mile fun run.
And it sounded like my family had all put their names down for the same run as me now I’d left for London.
“Sounds like everyone’s making their way out of the woods just fine without me. ”
“Maybe Mom and Dad have realized that they’ve got to stand on their own two feet.”
It sounded great in theory—just what I’d always wanted. Except, if I wasn’t looking after them, I didn’t know who I was leading out of the woods anymore. If they all had their own paths, where did that leave me? Wandering around, and maybe a little lost.