Page 32 of Peach

“I do bookkeeping. It’s flexible. I usually work while the kids are at school. This summer, I’m going to have to stay up late or wake up early and get some work accomplished while they are in bed or when they watch a movie. It’s going to be different, but I’m glad to be earning money.”

Haisley understood what Ava meant. She missed having money that she didn't have to beg for. Maybe she could do bookkeeping. She didn't know what that entailed. Really, she didn't know much. Maybe moving to California would open new opportunities for her, ones she never knew existed.

Chapter 22

Peach was excitedto spend the evening with Haisley. It was weird that she’d only lived with him for a few days, but he felt like she’d been with him longer, in a good way. They got along well, which surprised him.

Honestly, he’d never really spent much time with women, at least not in a long while. He wasn’t great at picking people to date. Going for flashy women had been his thing. A lot of those women were probably great people, but he’d not given them a chance.

The one time he'd been serious with a woman, it had ended so badly he didn't think he would recover. Now, he was living with Haisley but not dating her.

Would it be wrong to take their relationship to another level? Probably. She needed safety and stability. If something went wrong between them, he couldn’t kick her out. No way would he be able to make her leave if their relationship turned sour.

His mom would come after him, even from the grave, if he didn't treat Haisley with respect. Being friends with her would be good for him. One thing he'd learned wasshe really was a lot like him but totally different in some ways.

At least she liked to keep the place clean. He had been up in her room once, and it was completely picked up with no dust. They needed to buy her a bed. He wasn’t sure how much space a crib would take up. There was so much to having a baby. At least Andy’s baby would be born before Haisley was due. Having someone as an example would help.

Grilling burgers with Haisley was fun. She came out and brought him a beer then sat out of the way of the smoke and chatted about her day.

“I totally didn’t know which way to go when I left the store and had to go back to retrace my steps. But I did meet Mel. Ava drove me back home, and I arranged a time to get together with Mel next week.”

“That’s great.”

“I like them.”

“Both of them are good people.” Peach flipped the burgers, happy with how they were looking.

“Though I feel really stupid.”

A rush of protectiveness rose up in him. “Wait, why do you feel stupid?”

She shook her head. "They didn't say or do anything. It's just that I don't know much. I never traveled much, and I didn't get anything after high school. Ava got a certificate to do bookkeeping. I didn't really even know what that was. I looked it up after I got home. I thought it sounded like something I could do, but then I saw what it entailed, and I'm not that good at math."

Peach felt better. He knew Ava would never make anyone feel stupid on purpose. He didn't know Mel very well because he hadn't been around her as long, but hetrusted her and was glad his impressions of her weren't wrong.

“You aren’t stupid. When I first left home, I didn’t know what I do now.”

“But you weren’t ignorant like me,” Haisley said.

“Really, the only thing I knew about was plants.”

“How did you know plants?”

"We lived next door to a botanical garden, and I used to sneak over the fence. They eventually caught me, and instead of calling the police, they made me work with one of the groundskeepers. It was amazing. I learned about edible plants, what medicines could be made from plants, and what plants caused problems with digestion. It was great."

“Wow, that’s awesome.” Haisley frowned. “I need something other than just existing.”

The burgers were done, and he pulled them off the grill and then cleaned the grates before shutting down the burners. He carried the plate of meat into the house, setting it on the counter. Haisley had come in after him and he met and held her gaze.

“You know, just existing is okay. You don’t have to be someone who tackles everything. You can be a good person who is nice and kind, and you don’t have to stand out in any other way.”

“So just working at the grocery store would be enough? Like you wouldn’t think of me as a failure?”

Peach shook his head as he handed her a bun. Haisley had cut tomato slices, onions, and washed lettuce, so they could really make the burger great.

“No, you wouldn’t be a failure. The only failures in life are the people who try to make other people feel smaller. People who terrorize others or destroy other people, those are the failures.”

Haisley put together her burger, not saying anything. It looked like she was thinking deeply about his words. At one point, he probably believed that all people had to do something great to be valid, but as he'd grown up and traveled the world, going into hot war zones, he learned that some of the greatest people were normal everyday people. They were the ones who kept life stable for others. The ordinary people who did mostly mundane work held communities together. It was the ones who wanted to stand out who got in trouble.

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