Page 41 of The Workaholic Down the Hall

“George?”

“Who?”

“The man you just passed in the hallway. His name is George.”

Her eyebrows popped up. “Really?” She looked at the front of the house, where George was climbing a ladder and putting a very fit, very muscular body, obvious even through his sweatshirt and jeans, on full display. May appeared to be completely unaffected. “Huh, I thought his name was Gary. He's a bit of a deadbeat, isn't he? Working odd jobs here like an hour a day.”

“He's an English professor at the college.”

She turned back to me, grimacing. “Dullsville, am I right?” She flicked the bell on the desk and sighed. “I'm bored, Aubrey. I need some excitement.”

I laughed. “Please tell me you aren't so desperate that you're asking the pregnant lady for excitement.”

She groaned. “I am, Aubrey. I am that desperate.”

“Why don't you call Carrie and Dilly? They'd probably go out with you.”

She rolled her eyes. “Dilly's dating some guy she says is changing her life, and Carrie has kids at home and a job she has to get up early for. Come on, Aubrey. Say you'll come out with me.”

“Sorry, sugar. I crash at about eight-thirty these days. Why don't you ask George?”

May glanced toward the window, where George's sweatshirt had ridden up to reveal an impressive six-pack as he reached above his head. May shrugged and turned back to me. “He's like almost thirty. I'm not that desperate.”

She didn't meet my eyes when she spoke and I thought it rather telling that she knew how old George was when she didn't even know his name. “We could have a girls' night in,” I said. “Watch some movies and eat fattening food?”

She grimaced. “I really need to find some younger friends.”

I studied her for a long moment. “Why don't you go back to Atlanta? You have friends there.”

She shrugged. “I like it here, I guess. There are so many gorgeous places to take pictures and…” Her cheeks pinked. “One of the shops in town has agreed to try and sell some of my photos.”

I squealed. “Really? May, that's fantastic. I'm so happy for you.”

She bit her lower lip and glanced toward the window again, before returning her attention to me. “It's probably nothing. I haven't sold anything, yet, but I met a woman who sells photos there and she's agreed to help me get better. I guess…” She shrugged. “There's just something about this place, it kind of sucks you in by the soul and won't let go.”

I wasn't going to pretend to understand what May was saying, but I had to agree there was something special about Catalpa Creek. “I like it here, too.”

“Except that sometimes I want excitement and there isn't a lot to be had here.”

“I bet you could find another version of excitement, if you wanted to. Carrie's friend Lance is really into rock climbing, maybe he'd teach you.”

Her eyes lit. “Think of the pictures I could take.” She slapped the top of the counter. “That's a wonderful idea. Thanks, Aubrey.”

I watched her walk away and felt a bit envious. Work helped me not to think about Noah every moment, but I could use something to take my mind off him every other moment.

“We don't have any planned check-ins for this afternoon,” Nora said, stepping out of the kitchen to stand beside me. “I can handle things here, if you want to take some time for yourself.”

It's not like I had a million things scheduled to do, at this point I was just keeping busy and waiting for my daughter to arrive. The thought of going back to an empty house and staring at the wall didn't tempt me. “It's fine,” I said. “I can stay.”

Nora frowned. “I really don't have anything for you to do, dear, and you should take every chance to rest before the baby arrives.”

I sighed. I adored Nora, I really did, but her hovering and worrying had only gotten worse the closer I got to my due date. That morning, she'd pulled out a chair and insisted I sit while I worked behind the check-in counter and she'd hidden the cinnamon buns. “Sure. I could rest. Just call me if you need me to come in.” Please, please call me, I thought.

I drove back to the cabin. I hadn't decided about keeping it, but the more time I spent there, the more I did want to keep it. It was a tad big for just me and one child, but I could picture my daughter playing in the yard, tromping through the woods, having friends over to help her explore. I could give her the kind of childhood I'd never had, one where she was free to roam and play, rather than confined to the shadows so as not to disturb relatives who didn't really want her there.

I would put up a swing set in the backyard and we could have Nora, Carrie, Cody, May, and the kids over for cook outs. In the summer, there'd be plenty of space for a sprinkler and water balloon fights.

It would be a good home for my daughter and it already felt like home to me. The only downside was that every time I walked through the front door, I expected to see Noah on the couch. I could still smell him in my sheets and my pillow, probably because I hadn't been able to bear the thought of erasing him completely from my life by washing them. It caused me pain, but made me smile, too, when I was tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

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