Chapter Seventeen
pride and prejudice
I’m sitting on my couch under a blanket, a notebook in hand, and a phone pinned between my ear and shoulder.
Pudding is curled up on my feet, and the insurance company is telling me that I’m getting back a bigger amount than I planned.
Now, I’m figuring out costs and everything I would need to open the store in Sage Valley.
I’d have to rent a moving truck, get the electricity turned on, hang signs, and bring in shelves and cases for everything.
It’s a lot, and I’m getting slightly overwhelmed.
“Honey, are you sure it's worth all the hassle? To move stores?” my mom asks me, her voice concerned.
“The insurance company said my building isn’t salvageable. If I want to keep Charlie’s Antiques running, the only option is to find a new building.”
“Yes, but why one so far away? That’s a long drive to do every day.”
She has a point, and I’ve thought about it a lot. It is a drive, but I won't go every single day.
“I’m going to hire someone to run the store on the days I’m not there.”
She sighs into the phone. “And you're sure you can afford that? I mean to be paying someone on top of leasing the building and everything else?”
I smile slightly, and tell my mom how much money I’m getting from insurance.
I hear her gasp on the other line, and giggle to myself.
“Yeah. I think I’ll be ok.” I add when she’s quiet.
“I guess so. I just don’t want you biting off more than you can chew.”
I smile to myself, “I know mom. I’ll be ok, I promise. I really want to do this. Just wait until you visit next time and see this town. I don’t know how I went so long without seeing it myself.”
She laughs, “Ok sweetie. If this is what you really want, you know I’ll support you. I always do.”
“Thanks mom. I have some calls to make about the building, so I don’t miss out on it, but I’ll call you later.”
We hang up, and I call Kelly. I tell her I’ll take the building and can sign everything as soon as she's available.
We agree on this coming Saturday, and it’s Tuesday now, so I have some time to get everything ready.
I turn and look over at Pudding, who is watching me and wagging his tail.
“Come on. I need coffee and something sweet.”
He jumps up and runs to the door, sitting still as I hook his leash on him.
I slip on my shoes, and then we’re out the door.
I hook Pudding up outside, and go in ready to order, when I see Sarah at the counter.
She spots me, and then she smiles and waves.
“Hey Charlie! How are you?” She greets me as I approach.
“I’m good, how are you today?”
“Oh, I’m ok. Grabbing some sweets and things to take home. Hazel is at her friends tonight, so it’s just me.” she frowns, and I just know her mom heart hates being alone.
“Oh? Where's Logan?”
Her eyebrows quirk up at me, and she smiles.
“He has a meeting this evening, and then he’s going out with some of the guys.”
I nod, and eye her for a moment. She looks sad. And I’m sure being a single mom is hard enough, but when you don't have your kid with you I’m sure it's even harder.
Before I can stop myself from changing my mind, I say, “I’m free tonight, if you want some company? I was just going to grab coffee and head home.”
Her eyes get wide, and she smiles, “I’d love that. You are welcome to come to my place if you want? We can watch sappy romance movies.”
I laugh, because that's exactly what I’d probably end up doing at home.
“That sounds like fun. Let me just get my stuff, and take pudding home.”
“Oh he can come, I love dogs.”
“Sounds perfect.”
I order my coffee, and a warmed brownie, then grab Pudding.
“So,” she starts as we walk. “Did something happen with you and Logan?”
I try my best not to give any type of reaction, but why does she suspect that?
“What do you mean?” I ask.
She eyes me and smiles, “He just seemed to be in a different mood when he got home from dropping you off, that's all.”
I nod my head, trying to make my face look neutral. Would he have been in a weird mood because of our kiss? Or is it something else entirely?
“I’m not sure. He seemed fine when he left me.”
Lies .
He seemed off. But I don’t know if that's because of me, or because of the nightmare he had.
She shrugs it off like it's nothing, and we walk the rest of the way to her house talking about random things.
Once we get there, I see his truck is gone from the spot it was last time I was here, and something stirs in my stomach.
Is it weird that I’m here when he’s not? Would he think it’s weird?
“Are you sure Logan won't mind me being here?” I ask Sarah as we walk up her front steps.
“Why would he?” she asks me, and there's a smirk on her lips.
She got me there. I guess he wouldn't.
We get inside, and I’m instantly overcome with the scent of Logan. He must have left not long ago.
“You can just set your things in the kitchen, make yourself at home.”
She calls from down the hallway.
“Thanks.” I call back.
I walk into the kitchen, and set my bag and coffee on the counter. Pudding sits at my feet, waiting patiently to be unhooked from his leash. I’ll wait till Sarah tells me it’s ok first.
I look around her house, taking in the cozy rustic ranch vibes. There's wood beams and hardwood flooring, and a large wood burning fireplace with pictures on the mantel above it. It's just so relaxing.
“Sorry!” she says as she comes back in the room.
“My bladder has zero control after having Hazel.” she laughs, and I smile.
She looks down at Pudding, “Oh, you can turn him loose. He doesn't have to stay on the leash the whole time.”
“I wasn't sure, I wanted to wait till you said something.” I laugh nervously, and I know by her expression that she can tell that my nerves are getting the better of me. I don’t even know why I’m nervous. I think it’s simply because I’m in Logan's house, and he isn't here. I feel like I’m invading his personal life.
I follow her into the living room and see large floor-to-ceiling windows that look out over her backyard. It’s not big, but I can't tell it’s a 10-year olds dream backyard.
There's a treehouse, a zipline, and a trampoline; to the side of the treehouse is a small fenced in garden.
We sit on the couch, and Pudding walks right over to Sarah, his tail wagging a million miles a second.
She rubs his head, and he sits at her feet.
“He’s adorable. What kind of dog is he?” she asks as she scratches his nose.
“I’m really not sure. The guy at the shelter didn't know much other than he’s brown, and about 4 years old.”
“Aw. Well it doesn't matter either way, he seems like an amazing dog.”
I nod my head in agreement. “He is. I haven't had him for very long, so we're still learning each other.”
“Well, from what I can tell he seems very comfortable with you. That's a good sign.”
I smile and look at Pudding, who looks like he’s in absolute heaven.
“So, how long have you lived here?” I ask Sarah.
She looks around the house, then back at me.
“We’ve been here about 6 years now. We bought the house when Hazel had just turned 4.” She has a nostalgic look in her eye, and I suddenly feel bad for asking.
“I’m sorry,” I start, “I didn't mean to pry into your life, I was just curious.”
She waves a hand, dismissing my apology, “Oh gosh no, you're ok. I was just thinking back to how tiny my girl was. And now she’s off having slumber parties with friends.”
I frown, trying to sympathize with her, but I have no clue what she’s feeling.
“I bet it's tough. Watching your baby grow up.”
“It really is. They say time flies when you have kids, and they weren't joking one bit.”
She’s quiet for a second, then says, “Anyways. We bought the house when she was 4, and my ex husband was deep into his affair with my then best friend. We got divorced a few months later.”
“Oh. Wow. I’m so sorry.”
She waves a hand again, “It’s nothing to be sorry about. As far as I’m concerned I got lucky getting away from him when I did. It’s just a shame he didn't stick around for Hazel.” she pauses, looking over at their family pictures. It’s just her and Hazel.
“I was willing to work with him, and have a good co parenting relationship, but he said if we weren't together, there was no point. I think that’s what hurt the most.”
I can't even imagine a man doing that. How could you not want to stick around for your own child? That just baffles me.
Before I can comment on it, she says, “I’m going to grab our snacks, you pick a movie.” she points to the shelf by the tv.
“All of my DVDs are on that shelf. Pick whatever as long as there’s a handsome man in it.”
I laugh as she gets up, and then head over to the shelf to pick a movie.
She has some good choices, but the one that catches my eye is ‘Pride and Prejudice’ . I pull it out of its case, make sure the disc isn't scratched, and notice how worn the entire casing is. It looks well loved.
As I insert it into the dvd player, she comes back in and sees the case in my hand.
“Ah, a classic. This was my favorite movie to watch growing up.”
“Mine too. Only I never had anyone to watch it with me, so I just cried alone.”
She laughs, “I only had Logan to watch it with. He hated seeing me watch it by myself and end up crying by myself, so everytime I would put it on, he’d join me.”
My heart warms at the image of Logan as a brother. I love getting to hear what he was like as a kid.
“That was very sweet of him. Most men won't watch this movie. They say it's boring.”
She smiles, and sits back down on the couch.
“The best part is he actually ended up liking the movie, and looked forward to watching it.”
“Did he really?”
“Oh yeah. I remember there was one time when he suggested we watch it for family movie night. He’s got a huge heart.”
“I’m beginning to see that.” I say quietly, and I’m surprised she heard me.
She smiles, and hits play.
I picture Logan watching this, and wonder what his thoughts are on it.
Does he cry at the parts that I cry to?
I look around her quiet house, and find myself wishing he were here with us.