Chapter 68 Owen
J ust because I’m giving her space to weigh her options before adding my feelings to the mix, doesn’t mean I get to be a jerk and not apologize. The flowers in my hand are in jeopardy of freezing soon as I sit on her front steps. My dad sent a bouquet to my place when I was offered my position for next year at Honey Cove. We still have a few weeks before we need to sign the contracts, but the school likes to know who plans to return so they can start posting open positions by spring break. I should be elated, but I’m just feeling confused.
I check the time once more and it’s only seven fifteen. My shower was possibly the fastest I’ve ever taken and I’m pretty sure I didn’t miss any teeth in my haste to brush them. Running my tongue over them, I reassure myself that I did a proper job.
Oh god, I really screwed up last night if I’m sitting here checking my damn teeth.
Wrapping my scarf around my neck once more, I try to keep warm. I’m sure she’s out in her warm, but fantastically tight, running pants and her fitted jacket. Her cheeks are likely bright red from the cold air and exertion. Just picturing her coming home from a run makes me want to get her a cup of coffee and curl up under a blanket with her.
My phone starts buzzing in my jeans. It can’t be Poppy because she’s not back yet, so I let it ring and go to voicemail. After a moment of silence, it starts back up and I automatically wonder if everyone is okay.
Carefully setting the flowers, vase and all, against her front door so they don’t tip over, I stand, remove my glove with my teeth and awkwardly lift my jacket so I can grab my phone out of my front pocket. I barely read Noah’s name on the screen before I swipe to answer it before it goes to voicemail, again.
“Are you alright?” I ask in lieu of a greeting.
“I’m okay, but are you with Poppy?” he sounds wide awake, which is odd for a Saturday morning at this hour.
“No, but I’m at her house,” I begin.
“Did you two figure things out finally?” he asks.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t, but I’m here with an apology bouquet and she’s still out for a run.”
Noah curses under his breath. “So, you know how the senior art show is being set up this weekend?”
“Yeah, of course. My offer to help still stands.”
“Well, we might need you because a pipe burst and they can’t get a hold of Poppy.”
“Oh shit.” My heart sinks thinking about how crushed not only she will be, but all the students. “What can I do?”
He sighs. “Unfortunately nothing right now. She’s the one we need to find. Do you know when she’ll be back?”
“She didn’t say where she was going and she sent her message less than an hour ago saying she was going out.” Depending on how she’s feeling, she’s sometimes only gone for fifteen minutes, but she’s usually gone for an hour or two.
“Okay, we’ll just have to wait.”
“There has to be something we can do to help with the clean up, right?” I reach back into my pocket and pull out my keys, flipping through them to find the one she gave me to her house.
“No, the space is completely unusable and we have to find a replacement site or postpone, which is why we need Poppy since she knows the art pieces and how much floor and wall space we’ll need.”
“Hang on for one second,” I say, putting the phone on mute and dropping it into my big coat pocket so it doesn’t end up in the snow. I pick up the vase and unlock the door, entering the house, immediately missing her presence. Kicking off my boots and shutting the door so her house doesn’t get cold, I grab my phone again. “Okay, I’m back. Tell me what you know about the art pieces this year. I’ve seen a couple and I wonder if we can at least have a few ideas ready for her so she doesn’t feel totally overwhelmed when she sees her phone.”
As he talks to me about the sculptures he has seen and helped pack up for transport, I write out a quick note for Poppy and set it next to the flowers on her kitchen counter:
I’m sorry, and I love you. Take whatever time you need to weigh your options, I’m here whenever you need to talk through anything.
Love,
Owen
Even though there’s a lot more that I want to say to her, I hope this helps take some worries off her shoulders.
“...and those sculptures were supposed to go on medium-sized pillars, but the pillars were in the room with the most damage, so we won’t have access to any of those.”
“Do you know anything about the art itself?” I ask, feeling nervous for the students.
“It sounds like any damage was likely minimal because they were being stored in another room until tomorrow when we were supposed to set up, so we got really lucky.”
“Definitely,” I breathe a sigh of relief. “Be sure to tell her that right away if you’re the one to deliver the news.”
“Aren’t you going to stay there to apologize?” he asks.
“I’m going to get coffee and muffins, she’s going to be so stressed out when she hears and she’ll likely run right out the door without grabbing anything to eat,” I say, stepping into my boots and locking the front door from the inside on my way out.
The line is quiet for a moment.
“Noah, are you still there?”
“You’re doing the right thing, Owen.”
“What do you mean?”
There’s another pause. “She’s confused and is trying to not make the same mistakes she has in the past. And I know you haven’t asked, but no, she hasn’t told me anything she hasn’t already said to you. But, you’ve made her so happy and you’re doing the right thing, even if it’s hard.” His words stop me on the way to my car, hitting deep. “Steven just made decisions and then presented pretty ridiculous options for her to choose between. I’m quite positive she knows she’s overcompensating in trying to figure out what she needs and wants, but there was so much she didn’t see with her ex that she’s rightfully terrified it might happen again. She wouldn’t think this hard and this long about it, if she didn’t love you.”
A croaking sound comes out of me and I clear my throat and try again. “Thank you, I mean it.”
“No problem, you’ve probably figured out that I like to butt-in every now and then.”
“Well, I appreciate it more than you know.”