Page 46 of Stay With Me

“Morgan is renting a small house on a farm. The farmer, Nathan, is a quiet sort. Seems a bit shy. He’s a fair bit older than you too, isn’t he?” Mary asks, turning to make a chai latte.

Morgan smiles a little. “I guess. He’s thirty-nine.”

“So twelve years. I guess it’s not like he’s twenty years older and renting to a young woman. Just make sure he treats you with respect.” Mary turns, handing Morgan the drink.

“Of course, Momma.” Morgan takes it, smiling indulgently. “Anyway, I just felt like getting out, so I figured I would pop in. We should go get pedicures one day.”

Taking another bite of my banana muffin, I watch as Mary rounds the counter to give her daughter a hug. It warms my heart to see such a close mother-daughter bond. I wonder if that’s how my relationship with my own mom would’ve been had she not passed. “Sounds good. Let me know when.”

“It was nice to meet you, Elise.” She waves and leaves with her drink.

Mary sighs. “Being a parent never gets any easier. I can see how lonely she is and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

“You’re doing everything you need to. You’re there for her when she needs you.” Covering my mouth, I fight off a yawn.

Mary’s eyes narrow on me. “You’ve been yawning all day. You okay?”

Turning, I toss the wrapper from the muffin into the garbage. “Yeah, I think I’m just fighting something. I’m going to go home and go to bed. The sunflower bread is rising. And—oh my god! The pies.”

Rushing into the kitchen, I open the oven and pull them out. My shoulders drop when I see they’re perfect.

“Go home. Rest. I will finish the bread,” Mary shoos me out, her mom voice brooking no room for argument.

Young Jae isn’t home when I get there since it’s so early, so I let Kimchi outside before calling her to bed for a nap.

When I wake up, it’s dark and Young Jae is sitting on the edge of the bed rubbing my back.

“What time is it?” Rubbing my eyes, I feel super groggy.

“It’s seven. Dinner is ready and I already cleaned the kitchen. I went into Perk Up earlier and Mary said you were exhausted all day. Are you feeling better?” He helps me sit up, handing me a glass of water.

Stretching my neck, I feel sluggish and still exhausted. “Not really. I think I’m going to come right back to bed after dinner.”

“Good idea. I just made a simple meal. Roasted chicken breast, asparagus, and some fried rice.” He stands, holding his hand out for mine.

Taking his hand, I stand and follow him out of the room. “It smells delicious.”

I feel his eyes on me throughout dinner, even though I try to be fully engaged in the conversation. Despite my hopes, dinner doesn’t help me with my energy, so I kiss him and head back to bed, my eyes closing before I finish laying down.

***

The next morning I wake up feeling fresh and perky. Young Jae isn’t in bed, which is unusual considering the early morning.

I wash up and get ready for the day before heading downstairs. I find Young Jae in the kitchen making breakfast burritos.

“You seem well-rested.” He smiles as he hands me a plate. “I thought I would make breakfast in case you wanted to rest a little longer.”

Kissing him on the cheek, I take the plate. “Thank you. I do feel much better, I guess I just needed a solid night’s sleep. What do you have going on today?”

“Thistle Creek just sent me updated info on the grain elevator, so just a continuation of that project.” He dives into details of what he’s working on and I love seeing his passion. The creation of something new while also maintaining a piece of history. I can tell that he loves this more than just creating something new.

“I can’t wait to visit it when it’s done.” I finish breakfast and sip my coffee.

He laughs. “Same, but that’s a couple years down the road. Even though we’re not rebuilding, a lot of internal structure needs to be developed.”

“I still can’t wait. Will there be an opening gala? Something I can dress up for and be arm candy when you go as the amazing architect that designed the space?” Young Jae is it for me, I know in one, two, three years we will still be together.

His eyes soften as he looks at me. “I’m sure there will at least be a grand opening we could attend.”

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