Page 56 of Eternal Hoptimist

I followed Ethan inside. If I had to guess, the room was once a formal living room. Bookshelves lined two walls and a plum-colored chaise sat in a comfy reading nook.

“I love it. You’ve transformed it into a completely different place.” Ethan spun in a slow circle as he took in the space.

He’d been nervous about returning to his late grandparents’ home, where so many of his bad childhood memories stemmed. I was glad I could be there to support him on his first trip back to the house since his grandma passed.

I wandered over to examine books on display in artful arrangements and groupings. Classy—something out of an article showing the best home libraries for interior design.

She smiled. “I appreciate that. I didn’t want it to feel like their place, you know? It was important to me to make it mine and replace the tough memories with good ones.”

Evie was even more petite than Ethan. She had the same big smile, dimples under her bottom lip, and crinkles at her eyes.

Ethan’s eyes widened for a moment, and he looked at me before returning his attention to her. “Well, you’ve succeeded. It’s amazing in here. I didn’t realize you were so talented with interior design.”

She shot a quick glance in my direction, then stepped closer to Ethan and lowered her voice. “I’m sorry I never stopped him sniping at you. It’s my biggest regret.”

Ethan pulled his sister into a hug. “It wasn’t your place to do that. You were a kid too.”

“Don’t you pull your older brother shit on me.”

I didn’t hear the rest of what they said because I slipped out to give them privacy. Time to find Rosie and her homemade cookies.

“I suppose you expect me to share.” She sat at the dining table, hunched over the tin of cookies she’d brought with us.

“Of course I do. I’m not going to risk that there’s not any left back at your house.”

“You know I left a batch for you boys.” She pulled a cookie out of the tin. “I made ’em, so I should get to enjoy them.” She winked.

“They’re amazing. I’d hoard them if I were you.” I grinned and tugged the container toward me, grabbing two. The woman knew how to make a mean snickerdoodle.

“What are they doing?”

“Sounded like they were about to have a long overdue conversation. I wanted to give them some privacy.”

She nodded. “Good. Too much drama in this family, especially considering the main source of it is six feet under.”

“Damn, Rosie. That’s brutal.”

“The man doesn’t deserve my kindness. I see a lot of myself in Ethan. I don’t want him alienating all his family or feeling alienated by them. We’ve always been the oddballs, and it’s not always the best place to be.”

I couldn't imagine Ethan being alone, but I supposed I associated him with his family in Oregon. In my world, everyone adored Ethan. I’d heard about “the charming brewery guy with the brilliant smile” long before meeting him. My entire family loved him. Even the Yelp reviews I’d read raved about him and how welcome he made people feel. I couldn’t imagine him being an outsider.

I seized the opportunity of a moment alone with Rosie to ask some questions about the house and the offers. We’d talked about it with Ethan, but he was so passionate about it that sometimes—likely without realizing it or meaning to—he spoke for her.

“Something was said at the city council meeting about the wetlands. It got me thinking there might be some opportunity to research environmental protections in the area. Maybe there’s something with your land that would stop it from being developed or stop the plan as it stands.” I hated not offering concrete ideas, but I needed some time to research after gaining a better understanding of the situation from the meeting.

Rosie studied me for a long moment, weighing and measuring me with her shrewd gaze. “Is anything we talk about protected under attorney-client privilege?”

“Not legally since I’m not licensed to practice law in this state, but I can tell you I’m trustworthy, and if you don’t want me to share something, I won’t.”

She nodded once. I expected her to tell me she knew of some dirty secret we could use to get the developer to back off, or there was oil on her land or something. “I’m thinking of selling,” she said quietly but firmly.

I looked around to make sure we were still alone. That was the last thing I expected. “If you’re thinking of selling, why are you fighting the developers?”

Her small fingers, crooked and swollen with age, gripped her mug of tea. “I’m not. I just haven’t accepted any of their offers.” She gave me a meaningful look.

I dropped back into the chair as my mouth hung open. “Ethan’s the one fighting it, and you haven’t said otherwise.”

Rosie nodded. “That boy has the biggest heart of anyone I know. All he cares about is me being happy, but it would crush him to lose that place. I don’t know if he told you much about his childhood, and it’s not my place to tell his story, but he spent a lot of time with me.”

---