I roll my eyes. “Not the same thing.”
“Then what? Explain it to me. Why him? Why do you like him?”
Oh boy. Things I’ve been asking myself since I saw Austin last. Whyisit him?
“I shouldn’t feel anything for him, that’s for certain. He’s kind of my boss, he lives literally next door, and he’s been off and on rude to me since I arrived. I want to remove a hedge that sits on our property line, one that he doesn’t want me to touch, which kind of makes me his nemesis. Yet, when I’m in the same room with him or anywhere near him, all I can think about is him. It’s like the air is pulled from me and I’m in a vacuum that exists for him.”
“And he’s such a ray of sunshine—” Georgie starts to say, but I hold up a hand to stop her.
“He is, actually, it’s just everyone around him forgot.” I turn so I can face her. “Nobody’s fault, it’s just a pattern that was easy to slip into for everyone. Including Austin.”
“And you see something different?”
“I do,” I say as I nod. “He was so interesting to me when I met him because he was so good. I fell for him then and held a torch for him until I moved here. Then, I see him again and he’s changed. Yet at the core of it all, he is still Austin, right? I wanted to give him a chance because good people mess up. Good people make mistakes. Good people stumble.”
“But you weren’t seeing all the good when you first got here,” she says with her voice low. “Yet you stuck it out.”
“Well, I could see the potential. The greatness,” I say, wagging a finger in the air. “Great people get back up. Great people don’t see themselves as falling to the ground, they see it eroding up to greet them. Great people give reality a good PR spin because they get it. It’s about what is in”—I tap my head—“here. And he’s got a lot going on up there, let me tell you. And it is sexy.”
For the second time this morning, I watch as her mouth goes slack. Again, being the good friend I am, I lean over to close it for her.
“Thanks,” she whispers.
The sound of yet another car pulling into the lane makes us turn our heads. It’s a dark blue van with “Anderson’s Cleaning” painted on the side. Sitting in the car are two older women, I’ll guess about fifty or so, waving to us as they scoot past, headed for Austin’s.
I look at Georgie and shrug. “Not sure who they are.”
“That’s easy,” she says with a wave of her hand. “The new housekeeping service.”
Our eyes meet, and we can’t hold our laughter back any longer. We take each other’s hands and crack up, the sound echoing across the fields, filling the air with our joy.
“So, now what?” Georgie asks as the laughter dies down and we settle back into our seats.
I look out across the fields, feeling the warmth of the moment still lingering. “I’m not sure,” I reply, my voice soft but sure. “For once, I don’t have all the answers, and maybe that’s okay. Maybe it’s exactly what I need.”
The uncertainty no longer feels like something to fear—it feels like the beginning of something new, something that could be even better than what I’ve imagined.
But only time will tell.
NINETEEN
Austin
“So, it’s officially official,” Emma announces, handing me a manila folder and giving my back a solid pat. “You’re cleared to return to the field. Healthy as a horse.”
“Yeah?” I ask, not wanting to move for fear that something, anything, could happen now to burst my happy bubble.
Emma nods. “Yeah. Go ahead. Be happy, you did it.”
“Yes, I did!” I pump my fist in the air like I just won the Super Bowl and scoop her into a bear hug. “Thank you. Seriously, thank you for everything.”
“You did all the heavy lifting,” she says, laughing as I drop her back in place. She bends down to pick up her pack, slinging it over her shoulder like she’s headed off to the next adventure. “I showed up, barked orders, and made you sweat.”
“You also dealt with me, my overly involved family—”
“And your housekeeper,” she interrupts, raising an eyebrow. “Who the rumor mill has said, by the way, got canned.”
“Wasn’t me,” I say, holding up my hands like I’m under interrogation. “I was actually going to file a complaint this week.”
