Page 83 of Finding Home

“First, what would it do to him to know he wasn’t there to protect me?There was nothing he could have done, but you know he’ll blame himself. Second, he lost his parents. I don’t want to be the reason he loses his sister.”

“Third, you don’t want to take him away from her.” Tobey said, his voice resigned. “You’re still taking care of her, even though she never took care of you.”

“Are you Oprah-ing me?” Elle snarked, lightly elbowing his ribs.

“You get a car! You get a car! You get a car! Gayle! Steadman!” Tobey’s Oprah impression was truly horrific.

“Never do that again.”She chuckled. “Ugh, I am a mess.” She sat up, surveying her rumpled dress. She was certain her face was splotchy and eyes rimmed in red.

“Let me take you to the farmhouse. You can clean up and then I have a surefire solution to turn that frown upside down.” Tobey suggested, standing up and putting out his hand for Elle to take.

Forty-five minutes later, face washed, and clothes changed, Elle bounced on her feet excitedly like a squealing teenaged girl at a Taylor Swift concert. Tobey said he was taking her to the barber to pick up Lt. Scout from his monthly haircut, but this wasn’t an ordinary barber. Paws of Perry-dise was the premier, and only, dog groomer in Perry. The peanut butter cookie scented puppy salon featured bone-shaped dog beds for its clientele to lounge in between mani/pedis, trims, sudsy baths, teeth cleaning, and massages. It rivaled a human spa.

“Stop it!” Elle gushed, as a recently groomed Lt. Scout pranced into the room wearing a lavender bow tie.

“Damn right, he’s a sexy beast. All the Coates men are.” Tobey puffed out his chest.

“Aw, you’re a sexy beast.” Elle stood up, pinching her cousin’s cheeks.

“How was dinner?” Clayton asked as Elle walked into the farmhouse carrying her leftovers and a small mushroom pizza for him.

“Really good. How was your day?”

“My dad showed up at the clinic this afternoon.” Clayton grinned boyishly, taking the bags and pizza box from her.

“Really?”Her lips curled up.

“He showed up mid-afternoon. I gave him a short tour and introduced him to the staff. He even asked to stay and watch me work. He stayed for the rest of the day.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. When we were closing, he asked if he could take me for ice cream.”

“Really?” She may need to learn a new word, but joy was stealing all her other words.

“We used to go for ice cream when I was a kid and did well on a test or scored in a football game.”

“So, a celebratoryI’m proud of youice cream?” Elle’s voice was sweetly reassuring.

“Yeah,” he said, his smile reaching his eyes.

“Baby, that’s great.” She wove her arms around his torso, leaning into his strong chest to listen to the steady beat of his happy heart.

“How was seeing your grandma?” he murmured.

“A lot.” She looked up at him. “I want to tell you, but it’s a lot.”

“I have a proposal. How about we go upstairs and be not normal together, then we can have a snack and talk.”

“Counter proposal.” Elle bit her lip. “Let’s be not normal together, have a snack, take Fitz for a walk, burn off said snack with more not being normal, and then talk.”

“Deal.”He traced his fingers along her lips.

How did she fall in love with the boy whose eyes she once thought judgy but the man whose grey gaze she wanted to submerge herself in? She loved this man deeply, but she wouldn’t tell him. What would come of it? How could she stay here where too many ghosts lurked? How could she ask him to leave? They needed to talk about tomorrow, the metaphoric one hurtling toward them. But she didn’t want to discuss that today. Today they would be “not normal.”

Yet later, limbs twisted together on the couch, those words tapped on her lips, but remained unspoken.

I love you, Clayton.

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