14. Hattie
FOURTEEN
Hattie
“You seriously couldn’t think of a different solution other than moving in with your one-night stand?” Tilly says sassily.
“Well, I didn’t see you offering to let her live with you,” I mutter under my breath.
I already knew how she felt about Emmy moving in; she made that abundantly clear the other day at brunch.
Which is weird considering she’s one to talk about one-night stands and awkward living situations.
She hooked up with Benny’s niece, Bells, the one who had left the orchard before knowing who she was.
They’ve been fighting all summer about how to run things, only to finally get together.
Emmy is moving in the last of her boxes, and Ollie is helping her.
I offered to help myself, but she told me it was my day off and she’s got it.
Apparently, I already do enough and deserve a day to drink wine on the porch with Tilly.
Except she’s ruining my buzz with all her negativity.
It isn’t like I haven’t thought it through.
Emmy isn’t some stranger off the street.
Sure, she’s only been working with Ollie for a few weeks, but it works.
Ollie is happy, I am happy, and my house has never been cleaner. I’m not ready for that to end.
“Fine, I’ll keep my opinions to myself. Bells told me not to come over and ruin the vibe anyway. Whatever the hell that means.” Tilly rolls her eyes, taking a sip of her wine.
“She means don’t be an asshole.” I chuckle.
I like Bells for Tilly. Sure, at first I was confused about how I felt about her.
I had a crush on Tilly for months, and then this new woman stumbled in.
But it is so obvious Bells is good for her.
Tilly is a grump, and Bells brings out the good side of her, the side she usually tries to hide.
And once Tilly gave her a chance, I think she started to see it too.
It made it easier for me to move on once I saw how happy they are together now.
And now, if I could just get my sexy nanny out of my head…
But ever since she touched my hand and face yesterday to comfort me, I’ve been replaying it in my mind.
What did it mean? She was clearly just trying to be a good friend, right?
I mean, we’ve both had such big losses recently, and it was hard to forget that some days.
I was just having an emotional, grieving moment, and she was providing platonic comfort.
At least that’s what I’m telling myself.
But I also can’t help myself by checking out her perfectly round ass in her tight leggings when she bends down to pick up a box.
God, I can still feel it in my hands, and I want to feel it sitting on my face.
“I saw that,” Tilly whispers. “But tell me again how this isn’t a bad idea.”
“Ugh,” I grumble, knowing she’s right. I’m inviting temptation into my home.
Today is the Fall Festival at the orchard, but Bells has arranged for temporary staff to come and help out.
It will give Ollie and me a chance to enjoy the festival for once.
There will be pumpkins for carving and apples to take home but no longer on the trees—late October is past apple-picking season, and the few you’d find on trees are usually not good.
The animals will be brought out for the petting zoo, Lina will have baked tons of treats, and the bakery is packed.
Boxes of Apple cider donuts and pumpkin muffins will leave the store all day long.
Not to mention, there are special edition treats she’s made just for the weekend.
There will also be corn mazes, hayrides, and a few inflatables and carnival rides.
Benny used to go all out for this event, so I’m curious to see how it will hold up as Tilly and Bells are in charge.
I’ll try not to judge too much, but it used to be my favorite event, so I don’t think I will be able to help it.
Ollie’s favorite parts are the rides and snacks, but after learning the hard way, he wouldn’t be able to eat any snacks until he’s done with the rides.
“MOM! MOM! ARE YOU AWAKE!?” Ollie comes jumping into my bed with a big smile and lots of energy.
“I am. I need a few minutes to get dressed, and then we can head over. Okay?” I laugh. I don’t even know what time it is, but I know that won’t stop him. He wants to go just as much as I do.
“Okay! I’m going to get dressed; you’ve got five minutes!” he yells before racing out of the room.
I’m about to yell back when I remember we have a new housemate. Emmy moved in yesterday, and waking up early on her day off probably isn’t what she expected. I’ll have to remind Ollie that we have to use our morning voices and feet now since Emmy’s room was directly under Ollie’s.
I gather myself and start getting ready.
At least I can get away with wearing a pair of black ripped jeans and a T-shirt with a flannel.
I drag on a bit of mascara and pull my hair into two space buns, leaving half my hair down.
Then I head for Ollie’s room, but I already hear him downstairs.
He’s talking a mile a minute to Emmy about the festival.
“Mom! Can Emmy come to the Fall Festival?” Ollie jumps toward me the second I reach the kitchen.
“Oh, Love Bug. I don’t know, I’m sure Emmy has better things to do on her day off—”
Emmy cuts me off, “No way, I’d love to go to a Fall Festival. That sounds like fun.”
“See, Mom! Oh no, I forgot my flannel to match yours.” Ollie runs up the stairs, and I look at Emmy.
I can tell she just woke up, her hair in a bit of disarray and her eyes not fully open behind her glasses.
“Are you sure? I hate to impose if you’re tired from moving yesterday or anything. I completely understand,” I whisper.
“Don’t worry about me; this is nothing a cup of coffee and a hairbrush can’t fix.” She laughs. “Are you leaving soon?”
“Oh yes, we usually have a light breakfast with Lina and then head over. Ollie likes to be the first one there,” I explain.
“Okay, I’ll go get ready then.” Emmy smiles.
Ollie comes back a few minutes later wearing his matching black flannel.
We both pull on our boots, not knowing if the ground is still muddy from the rain the other night.
He’s literally bursting with energy, so I give him busy chores to do to buy Emmy some more time.
Once he’s gotten me my phone and purse and looked for my keys—which happened to be hiding in my pocket all along—Emmy comes back out.
She’s wearing a cute black skirt, tights, and a tan sweater.
She’s piled her red hair on her head in a messy bun and is even wearing a little bit of makeup.
I can’t say anything, but I think about how gorgeous she looks.
Yep, this definitely isn’t going to be easy on me.
But I am determined to ignore my feelings so that Emmy can continue to be Ollie’s nanny.
“Ready?” she asks, making me realize I was probably staring.
“Yup.” My voice cracks, making me blush even harder than a second ago. Instead of trying to talk, I just walk out the front door.
The Fall Festival is being held by the entrance to the orchard, which is a bit of a trek from our house.
We have to go past Benny’s house, where Bells now lives, and Lina’s house.
I grab the keys to my car, knowing it is much easier to drive over than walk a few miles to the other side.
That is one of the downfalls of living on such a huge property; it takes forever to get from one side to the other.
I help Ollie into his booster seat as Emmy takes a seat in the front next to me.
Since I’m not in a rush to work, I can actually take a moment to appreciate the colorful trees and the cool weather. All the trees have changed from their vibrant green to dull reds and oranges. Some leaves are already starting to fall off, with piles of leaves on either side of the main road.
I remember a few years ago, Benny used one of the snowplows to gather up the leaves and make a huge pile for Ollie to jump in.
At one point, the pile was so big that he got lost. It was scary as hell for those thirty seconds that felt like twelve hours.
Trust me, you’d understand if you ever thought you lost your own kid.
I pull into Lina’s driveway, careful not to block in her truck, and park there. I didn’t want to take up one of the limited parking spots for someone paying to come. Besides, Lina is definitely at the bakery working away.
“This is Auntie L’s house,” Ollie tells Emmy. “She doesn’t live here with anyone, but sometimes she lets me have sleepovers.”
“That’s fun, I love sleepovers.” Emmy smiles.
Ollie runs ahead once he sees some kids he knows from town.
Despite being homeschooled, I want to make sure Ollie doesn’t miss out on any social aspects, so he’s usually around kids.
During the spring, he does sports, and in the winter, he goes to programs at the local library.
It is a bit of an off-season for him because I didn’t have anyone to take him to the classes when I worked.
So I know he must be excited to see everyone today.
“I take it Ollie knows them?” Emmy laughs as he takes turns hugging all his friends.
“Yeah, they’re local ones. He’s usually in classes or sports, but without proper help, I missed the sign-up for the fall. I’m hoping to get back on track in the winter if you’re up for it?” I ask.
“Of course, I’ll just need to figure out how to drive in the snow. We don’t get too much of that in Oregon.” She laughs.
“Is this one of your first times on the East Coast?” I ask.
“No, I actually lived in the city for a bit when I was a kid. But then my mom wanted to move somewhere sunnier, and we found Seaside. We had a big house and a yard, but it was a bit of a culture shock for my brother and me,” Emmy says.
“I didn’t know you had a brother. Where does he live?” I ask as we walk toward the bakery, keeping an eye on Ollie.
“Seaside. He’s just had twins with his wife. He lives down the road from our mom. He’s a small-town guy at heart.” Emmy smiles.
“And you?”
“I’m still figuring that out. I definitely didn’t expect to love it here as much as I do. And honestly, the more I learn about this town, the more I feel connected to my dad.” Emmy sighs.
“I think that’s why I could never leave this place. It’s my last connection to Benny. Her only family—well, the family who isn’t an asshole—is Bells, so it’s not like we can connect with anyone else,” I explain.
“That’s rough. It’s hard for me because I don’t really know what my dad’s life was like here.
I always wondered what he got up to or how he spent his days.
It kind of sucks that I’ll never know.” Emmy’s voice cracks, and I reach for a tissue in my purse, handing it to her.
She rubs her eyes under her foggy glasses.
We’re quiet the rest of the way to the bakery, only stealing soft glances at each other. I wonder if I’m doing the right thing.