A few hours after breakfast, I was holed up in my bedroom, listening to the rain bounce off the roof and avoiding reality. I needed a break … from the house, from the girls, from Brody. Not that Brody being at the house was a bad thing, but his presence was awakening a part of my brain that had been dormant for a long time and that was exhausting. My life the last four years had been simple, and I liked that. I needed it. Our life with the inn was so chaotic that I craved as much routine as possible in our day-to-day lives. I woke up every day knowing what was going to happen and did my best to keep us organized and on schedule. Needless to say, the storm threw me off balance, especially with Brody showing up. I hadn’t planned on dating anyone until after I was done with nursing school, but now I was questioning things. Was there room in my life for someone now?
Grabbing my cell phone, I decided to text Alexa to distract myself.
HEY! HOW ARE YOU GUYS DOING OVER THERE?
It was less than 30 seconds before my phone beeped in return.
POOKS! WE’RE OKAY. POWER IS OUT. I’M BORED. DEREK KEEPS TRYING TO HAVE SEX. IT’S ANNOYING. HOW ARE YOU ALL DOING?
I laughed at her ridiculous nickname for me. I called her Pookie Bear once in high school after a marathon wine cooler session and she had shortened it and called me Pooks ever since. I made the decision right then not to tell her about Brody. First, she wouldn’t understand my hesitation in opening myself up for an opportunity, then she would call my mom and they would be picking out my wedding dress together. Alexa wanted me to get married almost as badly as my mom did.
WE’RE OKAY. COUPLE SURPRISE GUESTS WHO WERE STUCK. POWER KEEPS FLICKERING ON AND OFF, OTHER THAN THAT, NOTHING TOO EXCITING. I’LL TEXT YOU TOMORROW. HOPEFULLY THIS RAIN LETS UP AND WE CAN MEET FOR LUNCH LATER IN THE WEEK?
Obviously, once high school ended and I had the girls, life had changed dramatically. I couldn’t always drop everything and run out and do what I wanted like most of my other friends. Sometimes I was jealous of Alexa and her freedom to do whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. My mom insisted I still have a life outside of the inn, so she agreed to babysit the girls once a week for a day out with Alexa. When I first moved back, we would go out to clubs or bars on the weekends, but I was a lightweight and was always yawning by ten o’clock. Eventually we switched the outings to lunch dates, or I would just grab takeout and hang out at her flower shop.
YES, FOR SURE! OKAY, DEREK IS STICKING HIS HAND DOWN MY PANTS YET AGAIN, GOTTA GO BREAK IT OFF. STAY DRY. LOVE YA!
I put my phone down and looked outside at the pouring rain. Maybe Alexa and my mom were right—I was too closed off from the possibility of love again. Was I even really in love with Zach the last time? Ugh, just saying his name to myself made my stomach turn. I couldn’t think about this right now, my brain was as cloudy as the sky out my window. I went to find the girls and persuade them to play a game with me.
The house was silent. No one was in the living room or the kitchen. I walked through the hallway to the front room and found my mom sitting on the couch looking out the window, smiling.
“Where is everyone?”
“Oh, they’re all milling around here somewhere.”
“Where are Piper and Lucy?”
“Brody was taking Diesel out to go potty and they asked if they could go with...” She smiled at me and nodded her head toward the window.
I walked over and looked out and my heart stuttered to a halt. Lucy and Piper were on the driveway with Brody, jumping in and out of rain puddles. I looked at my mom who was all teary-eyed watching them have fun.
“You’re such a sap,” I said, sticking my tongue out at her on my way through the front door.
I stepped discreetly out onto the large country-style covered porch and hugged myself because of the chill in the air. My arms were cold, but my heart was warm watching the girls. Their soaking wet hair was glued to their faces, but I don’t think I had ever seen them smile that big. They giggled wildly as the three of them held hands jumping in and out of every puddle they could find.
“This one, Brody, do this one!” Lucy squealed.
“This one? Okay, Twinkies … get ready!” Brody stepped back a few feet and pumped his arms, gaining momentum before he jumped as high as I’d ever seen a grown man jump. He landed right in the center of a huge puddle. They shrieked and shielded their faces from the wave of water crashing over them.
“You guys are going to catch pneumonia!” I called out to them, not really wanting them to stop. I was having too much fun watching. They looked over at me and whooped again when Brody jumped high and landed in the same puddle.
“Mom! Come jump with us!” Piper called out, marching around in a circle.
“No way, I’m just fine up here watching you. You have fun.”