Page 38 of Irreplaceable

She had turned off the TV on her way out, but he folded the blanket they had laid under. As he did, he wished they were back under that blanket, watching some Christmas show. Or better yet, in her bedroom not watching some Christmas show.

When the apartment looked clean, he found his shoes and coat. They were stuffed between the couch and the wall. Must have been the first place she thought of when she had to open the door. Chuckling, he wondered how much fast talking she had to do with her friend.

So maybe he didn’t end up sleeping with her, but he got to spend a few hours on a holiday with his wife. It was a start. And he had a month to get her to stay in town and with him.

CHAPTER19

Winter

All Mia could say wasthat Rafferty owed her big time after today. She had just spent the entirety of her Tuesday off moving his stuff from one place to another. It was only six blocks, but it seemed like it was across the country. On top of moving, he hadn’t packed many of his things beforehand, so she had to do that, too.

Fortunately, she had Ruth’s help for some of it since Anderson had volunteered her. She wasn’t happy about it and made everyone know it. Most of the comments made Mia laugh at her friend. The woman wasn’t Rafferty’s biggest fan, but Mia was sure she was just doing it out of habit.

The guys were getting the last load of stuff as Mia and Ruth unpacked boxes in the kitchen. Ruth was taking stuff out of boxes and putting them on the counter, and Mia was finding homes for the items in the recently cleaned cabinets. It was up to Mia because she owned a café. Ruth promised she would set up his office. Which she wouldn’t—he didn’t have one in the old house or in the new one.

“Do you wish you had bought the house?” Mia asked Ruth.

Ruth looked around and said, “No, I like my place. It’s more airy. Less confined.”

Mia looked around. Ruth was right, her apartment was open concept, but this place had a room for every individual space, making it seem smaller. But Mia loved it, you could close off the mess when people came over. Unlike her own place that had no good hiding place for boots and coats when guest come and you don’t want them to know you already have a guest.

She wondered how Rafferty had found his things after she had left on Thanksgiving night. Not that she had asked him. She didn’t care that much.

“I like it. And I love the woodwork.” She looked at the dark wainscoting on the walls. It was in almost every room. She wondered if Rafferty was going to paint since he hadn’t had time before he moved in.

“It’s really dark in here,” her friend said, looking around herself.

“I guess,” Mia said, but she loved it. It was everything she had always imagined the inside would look like. She had always loved the outside, and now she loved the inside even more. She just wished there was less Rafferty in it.

“How is the Christmas thing coming?” Ruth asked.

“It’s called the Winter Carnival, and you know it. We’re raising money for a new gym floor, and it’s going better than expected for the first year.” Mia had started planning this event in September, and it was coming together wonderfully. And she had added the tree lighting since Rafferty had suggested it. In fact, the high school choir had taken over, and they sang carols every night as the lights came on. It was simply amazing.

Not that she was giving Rafferty all the credit, but it was a good idea. If she had stayed awake to watch the end of the movie, it would’ve been her idea anyway. And now she was paying for it by finding a home for all his two spatulas. How does a person live with only two spatulas? She had close to a dozen, which is maybe more than a single person needs, but she had yet to not have one when she needed it.

“The gym does need a new floor. Do you think you’ll get enough money?” Ruth asked.

“I think we’ll come close,” Mia said, adding the one broken wooden spoon to the spatula’s lonely drawer.

“We’ll have to visit when you have the numbers. See what can be done.” Ruth said innocently.

Mia smiled at her friend. She was always willing to donate as much as she could for anything happening around town. But she never made a fuss about it and never wanted people to know it was her. Mia knew for a fact that if she had just gone into the rental office and asked for the full amount, Ruth would’ve written the check. But she didn’t want to take advantage of her friend like that.

“I’ll do that,” Mia said, putting the plates in a cabinet that seemed right for them. Rafferty could move them later if he wanted to.

“So, Mia, why are you helping Rafferty today?” Ruth asked.

“Because he’s going to help me move when I go.” It was, after all, the reason. Not that she had wanted to see Rafferty again, and not at her workplace. “I’m moving a few hours away and need his pickup. My car will only hold so much.”

Ruth chuckled quietly. “You mean in three weeks or so? How’s that going?”

“I might have it figured out,” Mia hedged, hating that Ruth was seeing her plans to leave as a joke. An unobtainable joke.

She knew she would never be out of this town on her timetable and would have to move her exit date. She just hadn’t figured out when her new date was going to be. Not another year, that was for sure. Just another few months.

“I think he got the better part of this bargain. You had to pack and unpack for him,” Ruth said, adding a few more glasswares to the counter. What he lacked in utensils he made up for in glasses.

“I think so too.” She put the new glasses with the others. “How are you doing?”

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