Chapter 28
Elias
She sleeps like the dead and it’s cute. But I still honor her wishes and knock before fetching Clo. Nora grumbles something from her bed. I rescue my early bird from his cage and then slip outside where my coffee is waiting.
My heart is full lately.
I haven’t been this happy in a long time. Everything seems to be going the way I want it to. We’re finding homes for some of the rescued budgies, I’m back to working full time again, and I spend every evening whisking Nora off to show her another special place I want to share with her.
There are so many spots in Budgie Bay.
I plan to show her each and every one of them.
Movement catches my eye. Sandy pushes Amos’s wheelchair onto the back porch.
Her little dog, Skeeter, rushes to the grass to take care of his business.
Both Sandy and Amos wave my way. I like Sandy.
She’s a pistol like her mother and her daughter.
Plus, she’s good to Nora. I’m grateful Nora has her mother close by again.
It’s been weeks since Amos came home and everyone has settled in nicely.
Nora is still trying to find her place in Budgie Bay.
So far, she’s worked at Preening Pages, assisting Clementine for a bookish event.
A few times she’s helped out a Baked & Brewed and The Icehouse.
Twice she’s filled in at The Nest Box Inn when Mae wanted a break, including last night.
I haven’t had a chance to talk to her since she came home so late, but I’m dying to know.
Is Denver still here?
I’d thought when the guy was syruped and feathered, he’d run back to New York with his tail between his legs.
Unfortunately, that was not the case. It’s as if he lost his way home.
He’s taken an extended stay at The Nest Box Inn.
Mae told Monroe that Denver has created a work command center in the lobby of the inn.
When he gets too loud on work calls, she kicks him out and makes him go next door so Hattie can deal with him.
Nora avoids him altogether while I give him the stink eye if the situation allows.
Clo tries to eat through the pocket of my jeans, momentarily distracting me from thoughts of Denver overstaying his welcome. I grumble at my little bird and have to pry him away.
“You’re being a naughty little schnitzel.”
A soft giggle behind me alerts me to Nora having woken up.
She leans over the back of my chair to kiss my cheek before patting Clo’s head.
Then, barefoot, she walks off the porch, across the soft grass, and onto the one next door.
I admire how at ease she is as she gives hugs to her mother and grandfather.
They chat for a bit, so I run inside to grab her some coffee and to refill mine.
She’s sitting in her spot next to my chair when I return.
“Thanks,” she says as she accepts the steaming mug. It’s one she found at The Attic on Whirr and fell in love with. I’m not sure how old the thing is, but, supposedly, the cartoonish hare and tortoise represent the two of us perfectly.
“How was the inn last night?” I ask, eager for an update.
She groans. “He is still here, Elias. I’m starting to worry about him.”
“Does he need an intervention?”
“Maybe.” She sighs. “I wish Kayla would get here already. She’d know what to do.”
I have a good mind to march my grumpy asterisk down there to send him packing. He has no use for being here. I’m not sure why he’s lingering. It’s not like he’s even trying to win her back.
“I think I broke him,” Nora says, as if reading my mind. “It’s like he’s going through some sort of mental crisis. To be honest, he could use the vacation.”
That’s what Florida or Mexico or Hawaii is for. You don’t vacation in the place your girlfriend dumped you. It’s weird.
I’d like to discuss other things with her but not doesn’t feel like the right time. Not when we’re talking about Denver. I guess I’m the idiot who brought it up.
“When’s the city council meeting? I’m busy with work every day but if it’s in the evening, I can go there to show my support.”
Nora smiles at me. “It’s actually Thursday at seven. I made sure not to fill in anywhere that night so I can go and say what I need to say.”
Pride fills my chest. Ever since BudgieFest, Nora hasn’t been able to let the budgie treatment by many of the breeders go. Now that Amos and her mother are settled in, it’s left her plenty of time to stew about it.
She wants change and I believe if anyone can make it happen, it’s Nora.
Clo decides he wants to visit our neighbors.
Amos reaches into his pocket to pull out his old pipe that Sandy gave him.
He likes to put millet pieces in the hole at the end and watch Clo eat from it.
It’s cute how wildly entertaining he finds this.
Skeeter whines from the porch next to Amos’s feet. He thinks he wants millet too.
“I’m so happy,” Nora murmurs, voice soft as she watches them. “I didn’t know I was missing this.”
I rise to my feet, feeling shaky and nervous. “Well, you were, Nora Everhart. We both were. And, frankly, I don’t want to miss another second without you. Life can take twists and turns at any moment. Your grandparents learned that. I don’t want to take this life for granted.”
Her blue eyes widen in surprise as I crouch down on one knee. I know Denver proposed not too long ago, but this is different. This is real. Our future is so tangible I can almost feel it in my hands. Soft and sweet like one of our many budgies.
It’s worth protecting. Worth nurturing. Worth growing.
I pull the ring out of my pocket. Nora’s eyes are as big as saucers now. Once she recognizes the ring, tears flood them and spill down over her cheeks. It’s then, I flash back to when I came to own the thing.
“I want you to have this, Elias.”
I grunt from where I’m scrolling through my phone by the window. My tea glass is empty and so is my stomach. I’m dying for some onion rings.
“What?” I ask as I pocket my phone.
Goldie’s hand shakes as she clutches tightly to something in her fist. I walk over to her and squat down. A boat in the bay blares its horn beyond the windows behind me. Down below, I can hear patrons of The Icehouse laugh.
“If that’s a spider, you’re going to hear a grown man scream like a little girl,” I say in warning.
She chuckles and playfully nudges my boot with her orthopedic shoe. “Silly boy. No, it’s very important to me.”
I’m not sure why she would want to give me something so important, but I hear her out. I feel bad that her family lives their lives over in New York while Goldie is all alone out here.
She’s not alone. She has you.
“Let’s see it,” I say, nodding at her to show me.
She uncurls one of her slender, slightly crooked arthritic hands. They’re the same hands that write endless notes in her journals and type furiously on her laptop. In her palm is…
Her wedding ring?
“I don’t get it,” I say with a strange laugh. “Are you proposing?”
She swats at me. “No, you big oaf. I’m gifting you this ring.”
“I can’t accept that.” I rise to my feet and shake my head. “It’s your wedding ring, Goldie. Yours.”
Her cloudy eyes move past me to look out at the bay. Heartbreak, still laced with hope, shines in her eyes. “You’re going to need it more than me soon.”
At this, I snort. “I’m not even dating anyone.”
It’s been one Helsinki of a dry spell. Basically, no one can tolerate my grumpiness. I have friendly companionship in my elderly roommate and that’s enough for now. Besides, all her budgies keep me busy.
“Not yet,” she says cryptically. “But one day soon. The right woman will finally show up and you’ll be smitten. Trust me. It works just like that.”
I know a good portion of the women in Budgie Bay and have dated a handful. There’s no one here I want to spend my life with. I’ve made peace with that.
She makes it sound so simple. It’s not that simple.
It was for your parents…
“Goldie,” I say a little more firmly. “I won’t accept your wedding ring. It should go to your daughter.”
“She doesn’t want it.” Her wrinkled mouth pulls into a frown. “I don’t think she believes in her parents’ love story. It would be adding insult to injury. I won’t give it to Sandy.”
I let loose a groan. “What about your granddaughter? Give it to her.”
“I’m giving it to you, Elias.” She smiles down at the ring in her hand. “When you fall madly in love with the woman who shows up, you give it to her.”
This woman is stubborn. But I’m more stubborn.
“I’ll just give it to your granddaughter,” I say with a shrug. “Next time she shows up, it’s hers.”
Goldie’s lips curl into a wicked grin. “Oh, I’m counting on it.”
What the Helsinki?
“Nora Everhart,” I say as the memory fades and my voice chokes up. “Your grandma knew about this moment long before I did. She wanted me to have it. I wanted to give it to you. Looks like we both got our wish.”
I reach up and swipe the tears from Nora’s cheeks. I hope they’re good tears.
“I know it’s soon, but a wise old lady once told me that a woman would show up, I’d be smitten, and I’d fall in love just like that.” I grin at Nora. “She was right. Will you marry me? If the answer is no, I’ll wait. I’ll drop it into sloth-mode. You’re worth it—”
She interrupts me with a, “Yes, I’ll marry you,” and crashes her lips to mine.
We kiss until it’s probably awkward for her mother and grandfather to be watching and then pull away. Nora beams as I slide on the ring. It’s old and simple, but it has history and meaning.
It’s important.
It was to Goldie and it is to me.
After another kiss, we make our way over to the back porch next door. Sandy hugs her daughter and then me next. Then, Nora awkwardly shows Amos. He takes her smooth, youthful hand into his weathered, wrinkly one, pulling it up so he can inspect it. A fond, wistful smile tugs at his lips.
“Beautiful ring for a beautiful girl,” Amos says, eyes filling with tears.
Nora hugs her grandpa and they both cry. My throat is tight as I watch them. Sandy can barely hold herself together, excusing herself to go inside.
“I’m going to tell your love story,” Nora says when she composes herself. “I’m going to put it all in a book. Then you can read the parts you forgot. All the parts you didn’t know about.”
Amos’s bottom lip wobbles. “The parts I didn’t know about must’ve been sad. Can you end it where we’re together?”
Nora nods. “Of course, Grandpa. You don’t want a ‘goodbye.’ You want a ‘see you later.’”
“See you later.” He smiles. “I like that.”
“You know what I think you’ll also like?” Nora asks, voice turning chipper in an effort to lift his spirits. “Strawberry and chocolate waffles. Elias makes the best breakfast.”
His face clouds over and confusion sets in. “Goldie?”
My heart breaks for the old man. He keeps losing her over and over again.
“The strawberries are ripe for picking, Amos,” Nora whispers and then walks off the porch to get more for breakfast. “I’ll see you later.”
Amos stares after her and then turns to me when she disappears. “I am a lucky man.”
“I am too, sir. I am too.”