Chapter 2
Two
Iris
I’ve been in a mental flow all day, working on this off-the-shoulder chiffon A-line dress, and I’m finally at a stopping point.
I’ve been sewing and pinning for six hours straight.
Tomorrow, I'll map out the crystals that I’ll sew on to this maid-of-honor dress.
I stand and stretch in front of my dress mannequin, then head to the kitchen to pour a glass of sauvignon blanc. As I move through the parlor, I straighten a framed family photo that hangs on the wall of the staircase.
The after-work ritual continues out on the front porch, where I settle into my favorite hanging rattan chair, sip my wine, breathe in the fresh air, and gently sway as Maddie graces our little neighborhood with her playing.
The dogwoods are in bloom up and down the street, and soon Songbird Ridge will be teeming with tourists for the annual festival celebrating the beautiful pink and white blooming trees that decorate our town every spring.
I usually spend a full hour listening to Maddie play. I try not to peep at her like a creeper, because her piano is set under the side window that faces my porch, but I happen to notice someone with her today, and it grabs my attention.
A dark figure emerges from the shadows behind her, and as it becomes clearer, I see it’s a man with a scruffy chin and a shabby-looking work jacket.
At first, I’m alarmed because I don’t recognize him.
But then, as he reaches past her head and sets down a glass of sweet tea on a coaster on the top of the piano, she turns her face up to him, and I see it.
She was lost in the music, but now she’s soft.
Her shoulders relax. She smiles and angles her face upward.
The man leans in, and they kiss. One sweet, short kiss and then a kiss on the forehead. And she never stops playing.
The little scene tugs at my heart, but I’m also feeling salty that my neighbor didn’t tell me she had a boyfriend.
Then I remember everything that happened a month ago, and I’m kicking myself.
Of course! That time Maddie fell ill, I barged in on a conversation she was having with her girlfriends about her ex.
She’d been recovering from a bad bout of the flu, and I brought over some groceries and some of those books she likes to read.
So I guess she and her ex are officially, openly, back together.
I smile as I stare brazenly at their kissing, visible through the window.
Then, to my horror, they both turn and see me watching. I startle in embarrassment and spill wine down my front. Oh, god.
I stand up and begin to wipe myself down.
“Hey!” Maddie says, “Don’t go anywhere! I have a question for you.”
Hopefully not a question about how I’m a world-class peeping Tom.
I meet them on the shared driveway between our homes.
“Sorry, I was spacing out, I swear I wasn’t being a pervert.”
Maddie shakes her head. “Don’t worry about that.”
I peer over at the man standing slightly behind but also next to Maddie, about her height with some gray hair at the temples.
I knew who Maddie and Ewan were back in high school, but I didn’t know them well. I also knew about the drama surrounding their breakup, but I was older, in my own friend group, doing my own thing, so I never paid much attention.
“I was wondering if you could make me a wedding dress.”
I look between the two of them. “You’re getting remarried?” I ask, confused.
“Next year,” Maddie says. “Well, we’re still married. We never got divorced.”
“Oh…you need a dress for a vow renewal!” I say, excited for a different sort of project.
“Yes!” Maddie says, laughing and bouncing on the balls of her feet.
“That’s incredible news! I’m so happy for the two of you,” I exclaim, throwing my arms around my neighbor.
“It’s been a few weeks since we’ve been back together, but this is forever,” she says, her eyes softening as she folds one hand over the other, clutching her wedding band to her chest.
“I don’t actually want to wait that long, but Maddie wants something a little more planned out this time,” Ewan says.
I smile at him and give him the once-over. I’m only sensing good vibes here, and I’m genuinely thrilled for them.
“Honestly, I can’t believe I missed so much. I feel like I’ve been living under a rock. I’m sorry,” I say.
Maddie shakes her head. “Don’t apologize. Between all the renovations going on in your backyard, plus you’re working so hard on dresses for this summer’s wedding season, I’m just happy to get face-to-face time with you for a hot minute.”
I smile, knowing that my face shows every bit of exhaustion. The good news is, the backyard is finished now and the carriage house renovation is complete.
“Well, I’m finally ahead of schedule for the weddings, but right on schedule for the Dogwood Festival.”
Ewan comments, “Oh right, I almost forgot about that.”
How a hometown boy could forget about the biggest festival of the year, I’ll never know.
Maddie turns to him and feigns offense. “You’re telling me you forgot that your high school sweetheart was Dogwood Festival Queen four years in a row?”
Ewan slaps his forehead. “Oh, you mean that Dogwood Festival.”
Maddie laughs and elbows him in the ribs.
“Speaking of the festival,” I say, “it just so happens that I have a present for you both to express my congratulations on y’all getting back together.”
“You do? That was quick,” Maddie says with a smirk.
“Well, it’s a shamelessly self-serving gift,” I say. “I’d love it if you two would test out the carriage house for me.”
Maddie’s eyes widen with excitement. “It’s finished?”
I smile. “Yes. My first renter arrives tomorrow.” When my MiMi’s house, built in 1902, was passed on to me, I had no idea how to take care of it. Now, I’m proud to say it’s becoming the home of my dreams, complete with space to earn a little extra income.
Maddie and Ewan look at each other, and at first I think they must think this is a terrible idea. They are literally my neighbors. Why would they want to walk across the side yard and spend the night in my shed, as if that’s actually a present?
But to my delight, Ewan says to me, “Sounds cool. Let’s do it.”
Maddie is all in. “I don’t even have to pack a bag. Let’s go.”
As I lead them through the side gate to the backyard, I explain that I want a full critique in the morning. “Tell me what works, what doesn’t work, if you have enough pillows, towels. Is it dark enough? Too dark? Does the koi pond fountain make too much noise? Rake me over the coals.”
I glance over my shoulder, but Maddie and Ewan are about fifteen paces behind me, taking their time to look at the flowers, the fish, and everything else I’ve put my energy into over the past year.
Maddie coos over the koi. Ewan nods approvingly at the sturdiness of the wood on the new patio. “You have a pizza oven out here?” Maddie shrieks.
That’s one feature I’m particularly proud of, sourced by a local craftsman with native clay. “Ingredients can be provided for guests to make their own pizza if they arrange ahead of time, or I can do it for an extra fee. As well as s’mores for the fire pit.”
It seems chintzy when I say it out loud, but adding on extras for guests of a small bed and breakfast takes some creativity in a town this size.
I finally show them the inside of the carriage house, and they are overly complimentary. Not going to lie, though, it does make me feel good.
“Sorry, no TV, but I have a dedicated Wi-Fi.”
“No, that’s smart,” Ewan says. “You don’t need a TV. People can use their own passwords to watch stuff on their laptops at night.”
Maddie nods. “Yeah. Nobody’s coming here to watch TV.”
“That’s for sure,” Ewan says, causing his wife to blush. “Speaking of, where’s the bed?”
“Oh my god, I meant they’re here for the festival,” Maddie says. “Don’t listen to him.”
I point upward to the loft and show them the set of narrow but sturdy stairs. The loft level is mostly one huge bed with a fluffy duvet, a mountain of pillows, a simple side table and lamp.
“Oh, and I offer my guests fresh biscuits in the morning, because I want it to have more of a legit bed and breakfast feel. I suppose most of them will want it dropped off, room-service style, but I’d love it if you dropped by the main house to have breakfast with me in the morning and give me a full rundown of what you liked and didn’t like. ”
I give them the code and tell them they can crash whenever they’re ready, and then I scoot out of there because the way these two are looking at each other, I think they’re ready to retire for the night immediately.
It feels weird knowing my neighbors are about to have sex in my carriage house. But that’s what I signed up for. I’m renting out a room. People are going to have sex in it. That’s just how it is.
At least someone is getting lucky at this address, because it’s not going to be me. I’ve got a bad picker, and I’m not going to pick another man anytime soon.