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“Kitchen first,” I smile.
He laughs with all of himself. “Yeah, that’s gotta go. It came with the place. But the towels were found at a thrift store.”
“I love a good thrift store shopping spree,” I confess. “Let’s start there since it’s a lot to replace.”
From the corner of his smiling eyes, Ben looks at me. “Frugal, or do you think I can’t afford it?”
“I have no idea what your financials are, but I know you have alimony, and it would be nice to travel in the future, and I’m not making that much — most of my payment was in room and board and food — so frugal…yes. However! I love a good treasure hunt in thrift stores. It’s the best place to find antiques for a song, and this place would look so good with them. Like they have at Sunflower. A mixture of new with old, you know?”
“I love it,” Ben exhales. “Sounds like fun. And believe it or not, Jonny likes to go to them, too. Oh, I didn’t tell you why he said I was lucky.”
“Because you found someone you love?”
“Nope. He wishes Mary could live with him.”
I rise up on my elbow, breasts falling under gravity’s power. “What? That’s so…adult!”
“He’s a Cocker.”
“What does that mean? Are you trying to say he’s thinking about sex? No, he probably just wants her here to play video games into the late hour.”
“He hardly plays video games.”
“Okay,” I laugh, “…stop! Ben, let me just put it out there: you’re going to be the one to have the birds-and-bees talk. I’m drawing the line.”
My love laughs, voice deep as he rolls over onto me, takes the flower from my hand and places it on the nightstand with the other, “Okay, Beautiful. I’ll take care of that. But let me give you a lesson in the subject. So I can remember what not to tell him.”
I laugh, and push Ben off me, or try to. But I’m not really trying, am I? No, because this is right where I want to be…for always.
Forever.
FORTY-ONE
Willow
I’m packing my boxes when Ben’s mom knocks on my door. “Hello? Can I come in?”
“Of course!” I pause packing, cutting a piece of tape with the jagged edge and smacking it into place before I turn and greet her with a smile.
“What’s up?”
“I hear you’re leaving.”
My spirits sink into guilt. “I’m sorry. Ben told me that Jaxson had planned on telling you I’m moving in with Ben and Jonny, and here I am already packing before we’ve had a conversation! I’m so sorry!”
“Will you still work with us?”
“Yes!” I tuck a stray lock of hair behind my ear. “I mean…I was hoping to?”
Rachel exhales. “Oh good. Because this hasn’t been a ruse to get you to Georgia. Well, it kind of was.” She laughs. “We really do love the help. And you’ve put so much time into it. But more than that, we’ve discovered it’s so much easier with three of us.”
Sitting on the edge of the bed, boxes surrounding me, I explain, “I’m sorry I didn’t come to you right away. What with you all being family, I assumed too much. That you’d already know. Truly sorry about that. Ben and I talked about a plan last night and this morning. Since there are only two retreats per month, sometimes only one, I’ll help him on his farm when I’m not here, but be here for the work whenever it comes. Is that okay?”
Rachel’s eyes are cast to the future. “For a time.”
I frown, “For a time?”
“I have a feeling…”
