Chapter 5
five
Rosalie
Ifollow my GPS from The Spicy Chicken to the new house.
It’s a cozy two-bedroom, two-bath home in a small neighborhood close to where Paige will attend school in the fall.
I decided it would be smart to rent for the first year, and thankfully, my new boss, Elodie, had a few rentals in the area that became available around the time we expected to move here.
“Are we almost there?” Paige asks from the back seat. Or at least that’s what I think she says. It’s hard to tell around the giant mouthful of chicken nugget.
“Just about,” I say, turning down the street that will lead us directly to our new home.
Paige dances excitedly in her seat, knocking the remaining chicken nuggets on the floor, not that she seems to care.
We’ve just pulled into our new home. The exterior is just as cute as I remember from the photos Elodie sent me—white siding with black shutters and window frames.
The colorful flowers in window boxes underneath the large front windows give the outside of the house a bright pop of color.
“Yay! We’re home!” Paige says as she immediately jumps out of the truck and makes beeline for the front door.
“Paige, wait!” I yell, and, miraculously, she does. I quickly catch up to her.
“We need to unlock it first,” I say, finding the key under the welcome mat, exactly where Elodie said it would be.
Sticking the key in the lock, I look at Paige. “You want to do the honors?”
She gives one of her signature celebratory jumps before twisting the key and letting us in.
Paige squeals excitedly when we enter.
“Mommy, this is huge!” she says as she spins around in a circle, arms wide, before taking off down the hallway.
She’s not wrong. This place is almost twice the size of our place above the barn in Colorado.
I’m flipping on the lights in the living room and kitchen before going outside to grab the essentials when I hear Paige yell my name.
Her voice is laced with panic and has me immediately jogging toward the sound.
I find her standing in the middle of the smaller room at the end of the hallway with a disgusted look on her face.
“Mom!” she exclaims. “This room is so ugly!”
When my mind catches up to the reality of the situation and I realize she isn’t in imminent danger, I look around. She’s not wrong.
The pictures Elodie sent must have been taken before the previous tenant moved out. And this room is definitely the reason she made sure to mention she’s okay with us repainting anything we want.
“Whoa,” I say, and not in admiration, as I spin in a circle, staring at what can only be described as the most putrid shade of green ever to be seen on this earth.
The mashed-up peas I fed Paige when she was an infant were prettier than the walls of this room, and I know we’ll be repainting them immediately.
“Oookay, let’s go.”
I turn and usher Paige out of Swamp Thing’s cave and guide her toward my room, hoping like hell it’s a better color.
“Don’t worry, Paigey,” I say as I smooth my hands over her shoulders, “Ms. Elodie said we can paint your room whatever color you’d like.”
With that revelation, Paige gives a little fist pump of what I assume is enthusiasm, but it’s hard to tell because she’s rapidly fading from the long day.
I hold my breath as I turn on the lights in my room and let it out with a whoosh of relief, taking in a very neutral greige walls.
We’re fortunate to have rented a fully furnished home, something I’m exponentially grateful for when my eyes snag on the queen-size bed in the middle of the room.
“Wait here while I grab some of our stuff out of the truck. We can start unpacking tomorrow,” I say while giving her a quick hug and spreading out her car blanket on top of the mattress before guiding her over to the bed.
When I return from the truck with our bags filled with the basics, Paige is already curled up on the bed, fast asleep.
Needing to actually make the bed, I move around one corner at a time, saving the part where Paige is sleeping for last. She must be exhausted because she doesn’t even flinch as I roll her from side to side to tuck in the sheets.
When I carefully take off her dirty clothes and pull a nightgown over her head, she wakes only briefly to give me an “I love you, Mommy” and a quick kiss before snuggling back into the bed and falling asleep once again.
Placing a gentle kiss on Paige’s cheek, I head for the bathroom to brush my teeth and grab a quick shower before calling my mom.
“Hey, honey, how are you?” she answers as she always does, and the comfort it immediately brings is exactly what I need after such a long day.
I sag onto the couch with a deep sigh and proceed to tell her everything. Well, almost everything. I leave out the flat tire and Cameron, not sure how to even begin to explain that situation and focus on telling her about the new house.
“Everything is great, Mom. The house is mostly adorable, and I’m excited to move in all our things this weekend and get settled.”
“Mostly adorable?” she questions.
Pulling the phone from my ear, I quickly pull up and send her the photo I took of the swamp room. “I just sent you a picture of Paige’s room. Go ahead and take a look.”
The next thing that comes over the line is my mom’s low hum, followed by a hushed “Yes, mostly indeed.”
“So, I’ll obviously need to remedy that, but I don’t even know where to start.”
My mom immediately begins rattling off things I’ll need to get from the hardware store to get rid of the green monstrosity that’s currently my daughter’s room.
“Whoa, Mom! Slow down. I need to find something to write on.”
My eyes quickly snag on the fast-food receipt from dinner, and I grab it. I smile at Cameron’s note and carefully flip it to the other side to write down the list from my mom.
Once she’s done, we say our goodbyes and I love yous, and I promise to FaceTime and show her the final product.
Hanging up the phone, I run my hands down my face and blow out a breath as I look around at the mostly blank space of our new house.
Just like the bedroom, it’s furnished. But the overall aesthetic is blank, ripe with possibilities for truly making it a home for Paige and me.
My mind spins with the potential, not just for the house but for this monumental step in our lives.
There’s still an underlying hint of apprehension that’s been sitting just under my skin since we left Colorado, but now with all this potential so tangibly laid out in front of me, it’s mixed with the buzz of excitement for all that’s to come.
Before my thoughts can spiral and the impulse to make a million to-do lists takes control, I stand up and drag my exhausted body down the hall to my new room and crawl into bed with my daughter.
I reach over and run my hand over Paige’s forehead, swiping away her wild hair and giving her a light kiss.
“I love you, Paigey.”
***
A foot digging into my ribs wakes me early the next morning.
It’s been like this since the beginning, with Paige turning sideways in her sleep.
Some days, I get lucky, and it’s her head instead, but today is not that day.
I inch away from the weapons in question and make my way out into the kitchen.
I internally pat Past Rosalie on the back for her forethought.
Packing my coffee machine and a few nonperishable breakfast items in the cab of the truck for easy access may have been one of her smarter ideas.
I had a feeling we’d be getting in late, and with both of us exhausted from two days of driving, I’m glad I don’t have to dig for my caffeine fix and food this morning.
The sound of little footsteps coming down the hall has me halting the process of plugging in my coffee maker and turning to greet Paige, who’s as rumpled as can be.
She has pillowcase lines all over her face, and her wavy, strawberry blonde hair is sticking up at all angles.
She’s adorable, but all I can think of is how fantastic it will be trying to get all of those knots out of her hair before we head out to poke around town and run a few errands.
“Good morning, baby. Did you sleep all right?”
She walks straight into me, bumping her head into my stomach and mumbling what sounds like “Mommy, I’m so hungry.”
I give her a quick hug and peck on the top of her head before turning her around to see the array of breakfast options I’ve pulled from the truck. I usually try to stick to healthier choices for my kid, but without going to the store, the options aren’t exactly what I would call good for you.
Paige’s eyes light up when she sees a package of mini powdered donuts and she dives for them. “Yummy!” she exclaims.
Awesome. I will add making sure she’s not covered in powdered sugar to the list of things to do before head into town.
It wouldn’t be such a big deal if the powdered sugar didn’t basically turn to cement when you add water. I’ll have to scrub twice as hard to remove what is so easily clinging to her mouth as she devours each donut in what looks like a singular bite right before my eyes.
When she’s done, and I’ve removed every ounce of powdered sugar from her face, I send her to brush her teeth and get dressed before frantically gulping down my second cup of coffee. I know without a doubt I’ll need it to power through this day.
Once dressed, I unhook the U-Haul from my truck and load Paige into the back seat.
As we drive out of the neighborhood and onto Main Street, I’m struck by how different the town looks in the light of day.
There’s a steady flow of townspeople strolling the sidewalks now, many with a pep in their step that can only mean business.
The doors to storefronts are continuously swinging open and closed, from patrons entering or leaving after getting what they need.
Whereas last night the town looked laid-back, almost mellow, this morning it’s bustling.
Paige and I have our own list to complete this morning, including grabbing a few more things to make our house feel more like a home and getting some much needed groceries.
While I would love to start with painting Paige’s room, it’s just too big a task to take on right now, with me starting work this coming week and Paige starting camp, so I’ve chosen to start small by letting Paige pick out a bookshelf and some knickknacks for her room.
And I want to pick up a few fun picture frames to hang in the living room.
Heading into Haven Home Goods, I catch a glimpse of a black Jeep parked in front of a building a block or so away, and I let my gaze briefly linger, wondering if it belongs to Cameron.
Visions of his warm smile and the mischievous glint in his eyes as he thanked me for our first date flood my mind until I’m snapped back to the present by a sharp yank on my arm as Paige pulls me inside.
“Ooh, Mommy, look at this!”
In the end, we buy two bookshelves, one for each of us, a small desk for me, a few cute picture frames, and several brightly colored baubles Paige swears will distract her from her ugly walls until I can get them painted.
As I load our bags into the cab of the truck next to Paige, our “assembly required” furniture being delivered at a later date, I note the black Jeep is still parked in the same spot, and my heart rate accelerates without my permission.
Shaking my head to clear away the thoughts of Cameron that come unbidden, I remind myself I have way too much going on to be thinking about a man right now.
Climbing into the cab, I turn to face Paige in the back seat. “You ready to head to the grocery store?”