Page 38 of The Path To Us

Chapter Ten

Beau

“It’s perfect.”

Richard Noosma stands in the barn with a proud but sad smile aimed at me and I look around a little more, relishing in the distinct smell of poo that lingers. Strange that it’s comforting. The smell of shit normally isn’t. But it isn’t offensive or overpowering. Maybe that’s because Richard hasn’t had animals on this farm beside cats and dogs in almost five years, from what he tells me.

This morning I woke up once again in Addy’s guest bedroom after leaving her a few hours after she fell asleep and I had made sure that she was healthy and through the reaction. I was scared out of my mind and didn’t want to leave her, but I also wasn’t sure what she was ready for and definitely didn’t want to make anything worse for her.

She doesn’t know what I was set off to do today, we simply parted ways when she was ready to go pick up Zoey from Mom and Dad’s.

Simply parted might not be the right wording. It was more awkwardly parting ways as I resisted giving her a kiss goodbye and she laughed uncomfortably. We got into our vehicles barely looking at one another. It’s never been weird between us and I hate it. It’s time to get us back to normal. I hate the idea of living the rest of my life being only Zoey’s uncle and Addy’s friend, but that’s the way it’s going to have to be.

It’s either a lifetime of me skating around the fact that I want her with every cell in my body, or moving forward knowing that I can’t risk our friendship. Whatever awkwardness that happened this morning was because of the way I was behaving last night. Getting too close. Touching too often. Being too intimate. Crossing lines.

Richard’s voice brings me out of my thoughts. “I hoped you’d think so. So, you’ll take it?”

I look around once more and rub the stubble on my chin. “You’re sure you want to sell? It’s your family home, after all.”

“I can’t stay here much longer. My health just can’t handle it, you know? My son, he doesn’t want it. What good would it do him, living in Seattle, you know? He wouldn’t be happy here. And I’m ready to move on.”

One more look around and I find myself nodding. “If you’re sure, if you promise me you’ve spoken to him first, then yes, I’ll take it.”

He blows out a breath and adjusts the cap that’s resting on his head. The one that looks like it’s been with him for decades. Beneath the cap, his hair is gray and thin. The lines on his face show the years spent working in the sun. His pale blue eyes show nothing but kindness.

“He knows. He approves. I only ask one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“Keep this house a home.”

I’m not entirely sure what he means by that but I agree anyway. “Of course.”

He gives me a little half smile. “You don’t understand, do you?”

I laugh. “No. I assume if I live here, it’ll be my home.”

“You don’t understand yet, but you will.”

“Sounds ominous.”

He winks a bright blue eye at me. “Well, then. If you’re gonna buy this place and kick me out of my home,” he jokes, smiling at me, “I’d say we have some phone calls to make.” Richard slaps me on the back and we cross the yard to go into the house as I laugh at his joke. He looks at me over his shoulder and gives me a little nod in the direction of the house.

My footsteps falter as I take it in. My new home. One I wouldn’t be able to afford if my other house didn’t already have a sale pending. The front porch alone on the house that stands before me is worth the hefty mortgage. It’s the perfect place to sit with a cup of coffee.

The old farmhouse isn’t what I pictured myself in when I was younger, but now I can’t imagine living anywhere else. Location? Yes. Absolutely. But I assumed I’d be in something new like the house I’m selling now, not a house that’s a century old. But then again, I’m learning that what I once saw for myself when I was younger, is no longer what I want.

We spend the next hour going over numbers and signing papers that wouldn’t hold up in court because they’re handwritten by Richard himself, but we made a gentleman’s agreement and there’s trust between us. Until everything is finalized and official? It’s enough for me. And for Richard, it seems. There’s an auction house that will sell off most of his belongings for the farm as well as the household items he won’t be able to fit in the duplex he purchased. Aside from the few pieces of equipment that we agreed upon including in the buying price, he’s getting rid of most of his things.

Standing next to my pickup, he looks to the house and back to me. Before I open the driver’s door, he stops me with a hand on my arm. “Bring her here. That’s how you’ll make it a home.”

“What? Who?”

“You heard me.”

“Now you’re talking in riddles, old man,” I joke and the corner of his mouth ticks up. “Just say what you mean.”

“I did. Now it’s for you to figure out the rest.”

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