Chapter 16
Scarlett
I watch him walk away without a look back and there’s a small part of me that feels like an ass.
I meant what I said. I didn’t ask for help.
I don’t need it. Maybe it’s just my insecurities, or potentially my stubborn streak, making sure I feel like I can actually do this on my own.
I left my corporate job in Denver to come down here and start a farm.
I did not come down here to start a relationship.
Wow, way to be humble, Scarlett. The man comes over to make sure you don’t need help and you make the jump that he wants to sweep you off your feet and make you carry his babies? I roll my eyes at myself. Oh well, regardless of his intentions, I stand by the fact that I do not need his help.
Opening the door of the coop again I take in the smell of the fresh pine shavings down on the ground. Little chicks make the cutest little peeping noises as they hobble all around getting acclimated to their new environment. I pull out my phone and open my camera app.
“First animals have arrived at the farm!” I say with a squeak.
This is going to sound cliche but all the videos I’ve done since I made this decision are the first videos where I feel completely authentic.
I’m not forcing myself to do a reporter voice or show whatever emotion I thought my videos needed before.
“Look how cute they are!” I switch the camera around just in time to catch one of the chicks make a dive head first into the waterer and come back off, shaking her head and spraying water droplets on her siblings around her.
In the back corner I find Pedro sticking his head under the wood where Grumpy blocked his path.
He tries a few times before giving up and coming running back to me.
I pick him up and show him to the camera.
“Here is Pedro, he’s our little Houdini who kept escaping but I think we’ve got that fixed now.
But, now I need your help because Pedro is the only one with a name.
So, what would you name these little guys?
” I pan the camera back over all the chicks and bring it back to me. “Let me know in the comments.”
When I first started posting on social media I definitely felt pretty cringy about saying things like that but after a while I realized that people like to be a part of a community.
And yeah sure, saying those things sometimes feels icky but I mean it when I say them now.
I actually do want to have people give me name ideas so that I can involve them in this process.
If it weren’t for them following me, giving me a financial way out of my job, I’d still be at the magazine hating life.
So, really, I owe them a lot more than naming chickens after them.
I sort of expected my following to really drop off once I got here but thankfully it’s even grown slightly.
Comments are flooding in on how I could do different things to the house to be a little more functional or just to bring more beauty to the little cottage.
In fact, someone suggested I take the corner of the living room as a reading corner.
Get a corner bookshelf and a cozy chair to sit and read in.
Which is genius because I’ve been building a pretty killer book collection for the past few years but with my job at the magazine I didn’t have enough time to read for pleasure.
So yeah, the bookshelves and comfy chair have been ordered.
Last week I got my furniture delivered and my excitement for the cottage has only amplified.
Sitting across from my TV is a light blue fabric couch that I can literally fall into each night.
Every day since I moved in I’ve scrubbed, built furniture, painted, and rearranged so once the sky is black I am exhausted and melt into that couch with a cup of hot tea. It feels like a reward.
Ever since I’ve moved to Valentine I have been physically spent every single day. That being said, I’ve never been happier. There’s something so rewarding about physical exhaustion versus being mentally spent.
Once the chicks are all set and I feel like Pedro won’t make any grand escapes, I head back inside to make some dinner and call my girls.
Our group facetime calls have increased since both Andee and I now live farther away from everyone.
When Andee moved we would still meet up pretty frequently but now that I’m even an hour farther than her, we’ve vowed to at least facetime once a week…
or whenever someone needs us. I prop my phone up against my sugar container and hit the button to call the group chat while I fill a pot with water to make some ramen.
It rings a few times before Kenzie is the first one to pick up.
“Hey,” she says excitedly. She waves her hand enthusiastically which causes her beautiful red curls to bounce back and forth around her face.
The thing I love the most about Kenz is her positivity.
She almost always looks on the bright side.
“How’s the new house?” She asks. Once I have the pot on the stove I pick up the phone and walk her through the house.
When I make it into the living room Andee joins the chat, “Oh that person was so right about a cozy book corner! I can almost see it.”
“Right?” I ask. “I already ordered a bookshelf and a cozy chair, wait until you see it.”
Mia joins in, “Hey bitches.”
Lydia answers, “Hello to you too. Is the gang all here?”
“Present,” we all say jokingly.
“So, how’s everyone doing?” I ask. “I miss you guys.” It’s only been a few weeks since I moved but my chest pulls at the thought of how much I miss them. They’ve been my rock for years and maybe this move was to prove to myself that I could make it alone but some days I feel more alone than others.
“We miss you too,” Mia says. “Work has been crazy ever since Meredith quit. Rosie has been sick all week so it’s mainly just been me and Samantha, who isn’t actually qualified to do any of the medical stuff.
So that’s been fun.” She sounds exhausted and I can’t say I blame her, that sounds terrible.
“I’m all good,” Lydia says and I shoot her a side-eyed glance.
Lydia is the one in our group that enjoys staying quiet.
She’s the observer but sometimes we all just want to shake her and make her really tell us what’s going on.
“Okay, okay, okay, I may or may not have met a guy.” She hides her face away from the camera.
“What?!” Four high pitched voices say the same word.
“And that right there is why I didn’t say anything guys!
” Lydia protests, bringing her face back in frame.
“It really isn’t anything to tell, it’s just some guy I met through the game that I’ve made a sort of connection with.
” Her voice is soft and timid as usual. Her face scrunches up as if she is waiting for us to criticise her.
“That sounds so dreamy,” Kenzie says and I can see it in her eyes that she’s already planning the wedding in her mind.
“Is he hot?” Andee asks.
Lydia bites her lip as if she’s debating on whether or not to tell the truth. “I don’t actually know,” she finally says. “We haven’t met in real life or anything.” She hides her face again.
“Oh he’s a mystery hottie!” Kenzie yells out. Always the silver lining.
“Or, he could be a woman, a twelve year old, or an old fat guy in his mom’s basement,” Mia offers.
“Thanks a lot for that.” Lydia says. “I mean, we’ve talked, but only a few times. And honestly not even for that long. Just like interactions through the game. I don’t know, now that I’m saying it out loud it sounds so stupid.”
“No, don’t do that,” I protest. “If you have chemistry then it’s worth exploring, right guys?” I raise my eyebrows, focusing specifically on Mia, Andee, and Kenzie on the screen.
“Of course that’s worth exploring!” Andee says.
“I mean, I had no idea that I could fall in love with the guy from the grocery store and look where I am.” It’s crazy to think that just last year Andee was married to Carson, who we secretly all hated.
He cheated, she left, it was a tale as old as time.
But she moved to the adorable town of Silverthorne and opened up a bakery that is booming now and along the way she fell in love with Dennis, the sweet grocery store clerk who surprised us all by sweeping Andee off of her feet.
“You’re totally right, I’m sure you’d hear it in his voice if he was a twelve year old or a woman.” Mia says.
Kenzie jumps up, looking as if an idea has suddenly struck her. “You know what’s not worth exploring?” She doesn’t wait for us to answer before going on. “A date with a man who brings his mother.” Her face is one that says, oh yeah, you heard me right.
“Hold up, his mom?” Andee asks. “He brought his mom…”
“On your date?” Mia finishes.
“I need more details.” I say.
“We talked for weeks. Chatted back and forth through the app before I felt safe enough to share my number. We would spend hours each night talking. I thought there was a serious connection so we planned a dinner date. Normally, most guys prefer to go for drinks or coffee so that it’s a quick escape if the chemistry isn’t there but this guy insisted on dinner.
He made a reservation at that one Italian place, the new one on Glendale Ave.
Anyway, when I got there, I said the name it was under and the hostess said with a smile, They’re waiting for you over there.
Immediately I was like, they? I didn’t have time to question it though before I saw him, as handsome as in his pictures sitting next to a woman with platinum blonde hair waving emphatically at me.
I’ve had some awkward dates before but being asked how many children I want to have by the mother of the man I’m on a date with takes the cake. A first date, no less.”
We all sit stunned while we process that for a second.
Kenzie shares a look that shows she’s already processed this and is on the other side, while unfortunately the rest of us still need a minute.
While I’m still processing she hits me with, “So Scar, how are things with the neighbor?” She waggles her eyebrows suggestively at me and I try, but fail, not to laugh.
“There is absolutely nothing going on with the neighbor,” I say as seriously as I can for what feels like the millionth time.
“Alright, we’ll just keep waiting patiently.” Lydia says, giving me the same look Kenzie is.
“Well this has been fun but my water is about to boil over so got to go guys, bye!” I let out the words in a rush before hanging up the phone.