Chapter 24
CHAPTER
TWENTY-FOUR
Mira
“This is the best one yet,” I say, covering my mouth so cake doesn’t spray across the kitchen. “Sorry.”
Cathy shakes her head as she tidies up the windowsill. We brought a few herbs into the kitchen to make them easier to access, and they’ve grown like weeds. I swear, Cathy has two green thumbs.
“You always like the chocolate counter cakes the best,” Cathy says, tossing a rag into the mini hamper she keeps under the sink. “You liked the double chocolate and fudge better than the vanilla and coconut. And this is red velvet, which is basically chocolate.”
I swallow. “You learn something new every day. I’ve always thought I was a vanilla girlie.”
She smiles at me. “What are you going to do for the rest of the afternoon?”
“The usual. I have a few work emails to take care of, and then I’ll hang out with Pigasso for a bit. He’s slowly warming up to me.”
I still find it rude that I saved his life, and he halfway dislikes me. The audacity.
It’s been a month since I became Mrs. Hartley Adler, and with every day that passes, I find that I like it even more.
I get a kick out of the ladies at church calling me Mrs. Adler, as it feels so fancy.
And when I ride with Hartley to the supply store, Burt gives me a sucker because he claims Hartley’s much easier to deal with now that he has me.
But my favorite part about being Hartley’s wife is the quiet evenings and slow mornings together, even if Lisa gives him hell for not coming in for his sausage, egg, and cheese sandwich. I haven’t told her that I offer another breakfast option that he can’t resist. Every. Single. Morning.
“I took him some scraps yesterday morning, and he had whatever the pig equivalent is to the zoomies,” Cathy says.
“He might think he’s a dog.” She holds up a finger.
“Oh, I was going to ask you something. Did you get the tar from Betsy Barn out of Hartley’s jeans?
If not, I’ll take them outside tomorrow and scrub them with some vegetable oil. ”
“That works?”
“Sure does. You’ll eventually learn the tricks around here. It took me a long time to figure it all out. But you got me, and I didn’t have a me, if you know what I mean.”
I do know what she means, and I’m so grateful for her.
She’s been a huge supporter of mine since the day I moved in.
The first few days were a little overwhelming, getting used to schedules and habits, and figuring out what to do if an animal goes into labor or if a delivery shows up and no one’s around.
But thanks to Cathy, I’m more surefooted now.
“Well, have at the tar,” I say. “The jeans are on top of the washer. I tried an ice cube trick that I read online, but all that did was almost give me frostbite.”
“Silly girl.” She gathers her purse, dropping her phone inside it. “I’m off for the day. I’m stopping by the farmers’ market in the morning to pick up some fresh produce for the week. Text me if there’s anything you want me to grab.”
“You’re the best, Cathy.”
“I know.” She winks, heading for the door. “See you tomorrow.”
“Bye.”
I rinse out my coffee mug and place it beside Hartley’s next to the Keurig.
One of my favorite fun facts about my husband is that he has a favorite mug shaped like a frog.
It’s the most random thing in the world, and not at all what I would’ve guessed, but I love seeing him carry it around the house in the mornings.
“Hey,” I say, picking up the phone on the first ring.
“Hey, Mira.” Miles’s voice is in work mode. “How are things?”
“I feel like you’re a robot when you talk like that.”
He laughs. “Yeah, well, I’ve been talking to a lot of engineering nerds this morning, so maybe some of that rubbed off on me.”
“What’s going on?” I grab a water bottle from the fridge and head to my office. “Is everything okay?”
“Of course. Everything’s good here. But I’m actually calling because I need a favor.”
Naturally. I roll my eyes.
I don’t hear from Miles much. He calls when he needs something, and he’ll occasionally answer a text, but he’s busy with his life, and I get that. It’s not like we were ever close, anyway.
“What can I do for you?” I ask.
“The couple renting my house in Sugar Creek is moving out at the end of the week. I have a friend who’s moving in at the start of June with his son. Could you swing by there on Saturday and just make sure they’re gone?”
I sit at my desk and wake up my computer. “Sure.”
“Do you still have a key?”
“Yes,” I say, mocking him. I pop him on speakerphone and lean the device against a vase of flowers. “I love that you call me for help, but then act like I’d have lost the key.”
“I know you. What can I say?” He chuckles. “So what’s going on in your world? How’s married life treating you?”
Grinning, I stretch my arms overhead.
“That good, huh?” he asks when I fail to answer him.
“If you could see my face, you’d understand,” I say, sighing.
“It’s the strangest thing, really. You think of marriage as some heavy, unforgiving contract that comes with all these negotiations.
But it’s really not like that at all. It’s kind of like playing house with someone you get to fuck every day. ”
“Okay, Mira.”
I laugh. “I’m serious. It’s the exact opposite experience that I thought I would get. It’s … cool.”
“It’s called the honeymoon phase. It won’t last long.”
“Hey!” I smack my lips together. “Don’t pee on my parade.”
Still, I know he’s right and that the honeymoon phase is very real.
Four weeks into this experiment, and I keep waiting for things to get harder, but every curve we come upon, we take it in stride.
When he comes in tired and grouchy, he takes a shower and returns ready not to be Rancher Hartley but Husband Hartley.
And when I start to feel anxiety bubbling in my stomach, he somehow senses it and cuddles me a little tighter that night. Thoughtful Hartley.
It’s a bit of a mindfuck to feel this cared for—not just by Hartley, but by everyone.
I’m still getting used to Cathy making me coffee in the morning and Bobby coming to get me when a new animal’s born because he knows I love seeing all the new life.
The ability to have lunch with Lolly randomly has been such a treat.
I’ve spent more time with her this past month than I have over the last ten years.
And even my new girlfriends have included me in everything they’ve done since they texted me the morning after our wedding.
It makes me realize just how cold and lonely my life was before. And I really can’t imagine going back.
“I have a meeting in ten,” Miles says. “Will you call me Saturday and confirm the tenants are out?”
“Yes. I will. You’re welcome for me being such an awesome sister.”
“Thank you, Mira.”
“Bye, Miles,” I say, ending the call.
I get to work, answering a handful of emails requesting various texts.
None looks too exciting. Then I check the prices on a couple of different dishwasher models.
We swapped out the washer and dryer a couple of weeks ago.
But if we don’t get a new dishwasher, I fear we’ll be handwashing dishes every damn day.
I take a sip of water and then get to my feet. The sun is shining high in the sky, and it’s calling my name. I’m at the front door when my phone rings again.
“Hey, Markie,” I say, slipping on my shoes.
“Hey. What’s happening over there?” Markie asks.
I step outside and let the door shut behind me. “Miles just called.”
“Let me guess. He needs something.”
“Of course, he wanted something. He asked me to check on his house this weekend and make sure his tenants moved out.”
She groans. “I love our brother. I swear I do. But he pisses me off more than usual lately.”
I laugh, taking the steps to the driveway. “You’re just mad at men.”
“You’re damn right I am. There are exceptions—and you have one of them—but the majority of men are gross.
” She pauses. “Fine. I’ll also give Brooks a pass because he walked you down the aisle, and that’s one of the sweetest things I’ve ever witnessed.
But we shall never mention this conversation to him because his ego needs no boosting. ”
“I’m not saying a thing,” I say, laughing. “He’s over here all the time. He’ll break our doorframes if his head gets any bigger.”
“Oh, the things I wonder …” She snorts. “Not really. He’s practically married, and that’s completely and utterly off-limits. Fuck you, Jasper. And I adore Audrey. I’d shank the shit out of someone for that girl.”
All I can do is laugh.
Markie has always been feisty when it comes to the opposite sex. She’s had her fair share of duds for sure. But something changed in her when Jasper cheated on her, and I’m starting to wonder if the old, slightly more tolerant Markie will ever return.
“Think of it this way,” she says. “What do successful men want almost immediately after finding success? They want more women. And what do successful women want when they find success? They don’t want a man.”
“I don’t know if that’s true across the board.”
“It’s true across three-fourths of the board. I promise you that.”
My shoes crunch the gravel as I make my way over to the barn. The side-by-side is sitting out front, meaning that Bobby’s still around here somewhere.
“So I have a lead on my pickleball teammate,” she says. “I swear that I have looked at every man with decent athletic ability in both Sugar and Walnut counties, and I’ve come up with a list of like five guys who might work out.”
“You know that it’s just a game, right?” I ask, bracing for her to fly off the handle.
It takes one second for the pushback to come.
“This is not just a game. Nobody beats me,” she says. “And I might’ve been able to let it go—relinquish my crown … retire, if you will. But I refuse to lose to Jasper.”
I almost feel sorry for him. Almost.
“Anyway, I’m interviewing a guy from Walnut County this evening over coffee,” she says. “I hope he’s as good in real life as he is on paper.”
I giggle. “I love that you interview people for this.”
“One year, I kind of pants’d it and nearly lost the championship game because my partner had a recurring Achilles tendon issue that wasn’t disclosed to me. I won’t do that again.”
Pressing the gate, I enter the area where Pigasso lives—for now, anyway. Once the Betsy Barn remodel is finished, Pigasso will move out there to a brand-new pen. I almost have Hartley talked into letting me decorate it with twinkly lights.
“I’m going to have lunch with Audrey and Gianna tomorrow at Piper’s if you want to come,” I say. “We’re going to meet there at two.”
“Yeah, I’ll come. Did Gianna ever find a house here?”
“No. But do you remember where Nettie used to live when we were kids?”
“Yes.”
I lean against the rail and watch Pigasso sleep in the corner across from me. “Well, it’s not that house. But the green one next to it, with black shutters. Do you know the one I mean?”
“Oh yeah. I think Nettie took dance lessons there or something. The woman who lived there used to teach them out of her basement.”
“Well, that house is for sale, and they toured it yesterday, I think. I don’t know what happened with it, or if they even made an offer, but Gianna loved it.”
I can’t wipe the smile off my face. Who am I, chatting away with my sister and planning lunch dates? Knowing all the tea?
“Well, Drake’s a sucker,” Markie says. “If Gianna wants it, she’ll get it.”
We laugh because she’s absolutely right.
“Okay, I gotta go,” my sister says. “I have a tutoring appointment in five minutes. They’re always late, but the one time I’m on the phone and unprepared, they’ll be early.”
“See you tomorrow. Love you.”
“Love you, sissy. Bye.”
I blow out a happy breath and shove away from the fence.
Hartley should be back around in about an hour, and I want to surprise him. But that’ll take a shower, fresh shave, and the last piece of lingerie from my bachelorette party, so I need to get started.
Well, there’s one more piece, but I’ll never use it. Lolly’s gift.
I can never unsee that.