Page 17 of Colby
Excitement always made her smile at the thought of moving into the bigger home.She’d never thought that she’d want to live in a five-bedroom home as she’d had so little space in the rig.But the fact that she was looking forward to having so much room made her think that she could get used to it quickly.Plus, there was room at the new house where she could park her rig, and it wouldn’t be an eyesore out in the open like it was at her mom’s home.There were a lot of perks like that she was looking forward to.
Another thing was the pool.She’d never had a pool before and was looking forward to having a nice swim after a long day in the truck.The ocean was fairly close to them, but the thought of all that sand and people made her think that she’d be using their pool more than the beach.She also liked the fact that there was room on the property for a garden.
She’d never been one to garden at all.Not even to have a flower bed.But there was something so appealing about having fresh things to bring in from a little garden that was making her excited to have it.She knew that she’d not have a lot of time to devote to something larger than a few things, but she was definitely going to grow some things so that she could go out and pick something when she wanted it.The house already had a few fruit trees on the property, so there was that.But she wanted some carrots to grow as well as a few tomatoes.
On her way back after getting her back load, she was making good time and thought that she’d be finished up before one.That made it so that she could take her things to the house and get them putaway before Colby got there, and she thought that they’d have dinner at the house on their first night staying there.
Gathering up some of the things from the rig, she made her final trip into the house just as Colby contacted her.He said things were going very well without him being in charge.He also told her that he’d be staying tonight at the house too, as the charity company was coming by to pick up the last of his things this afternoon.That his brother was going to be there to let them in and lock up.
“That’s wonderful.I have my things there now.I was hoping you’d be home for dinner.”He said that it might be as late as eight o’clock for her not to wait on him.“I won’t if you think you’re going to be that late.But please be careful coming home.”He promised her that he would be.
“I have to go by and pick up some things that I didn’t have at home that I’ve been putting off buying.It’s just a few things like deodorant and toothpaste.I should have gotten it sooner, but I hate shopping for things like that.It’s nearly impossible to just get it and get out of the store without getting a hundred things that I don’t know if I need or not.”She laughed at him, telling him that she never went anywhere without her list.“I have trouble remembering that I need shoe laces, too.It’s one of those things that you never remember until you’re putting on your shoes.But I have a list now and I’m going to stick to it.”
“I’ll meet you at the house when you’re finished.Mom is excited to have the house to herself, I think.She was telling me that she’s going to go out and get herself something to work on at home.She wants to try needlepoint.”He said that would be wonderful for her.“I hope she likes it.Mom seems to think that if she doesn’t have anything to do, she’ll grow old before her time.I don’t know about that, she’s seemed to be young for her age since I’ve known her.”
“I forgot that you were her stepdaughter.”She said that her dad had met her mom when she’d been very young, and it had been the two of them since he passed away.“I remember you telling me that.It’s a good relationship that the two of you have that people don’t even notice that you’re not related.”
They talked a bit more, and he said that he had to go and get the galley cleaned up now that dinner was over for the people.There was a woman fishing with a couple of men this time, and he was amazed that she seemed to be enjoying herself more than the men were.It just goes to show you that you should never presume that things are just the same with all trips.Sometimes things just surprise you like that.
At eight thirty, she was ready for bed.There was only one trip out tomorrow, and then she’d be back by dinner time again.She loved being home at night every day and was happy that she had a job that she could get paid for doing such short trips.Most of the time, bigger companies wanted to pay you by the mile.Taylor was paying her weekly, and she was making good money, too.Enough that she was able to put a bit back weekly for house payments and such.
Getting the boxes broken down that were still in the garage, she had all the things that had been delivered put away.There were a few things that she’d ordered that had been for her rig, and she took them out to it so that she’d have it finished.With her rig enhanced like it was, she really didn’t need all that much, but it was nice to have meals put in the freezer from Jack that she could just pick up and go with.She was looking forward to having a nice meal on the road, like her mom used to make them when she was riding with them.
At ten, she’d heard from Colby twice.The traffic out of the harbor was thick, and he wasn’t able to just leave.Also, the people on the trip had had such a good time, they wanted to talk to him about booking another trip closer to the fall.He had room for one more trip, he told her, and that would have him booked up until the following year.
“I’m going to need the second boat before too much longer, the way things are going.”She told him again that she was proud of him, and he told her that he loved her.The times he said that made her heart tingle.Smiling to herself, she told him that she loved him as well.
When he got home, she was so tired that she had been napping on the couch.It was after eleven, and he told her how sorry he was several times before she finally told him it was fine, that he was home now, and that she just wanted to go to bed.
Almost as soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out.When Colby joined her in the bed, shewrapped her arms around him and fell back to sleep.She knew on some level that she was going to sleep better tonight than she had in a long time.With a kiss to her forehead, Emma told Colby that she loved him and closed her eyes.It was too exhausting having a new home, she thought, and wondered if they might have been better off living in her truck.Sleep took her under quickly, and she couldn’t believe that she was sleeping with Colby, finally, and was actually sleeping.
The next morning dawned bright and early, and she found herself alone in the big bed.Colby had left her a note that said that he’d be back for lunch.He’d gotten one of his brothers to cover for him for the rest of the day, but he had to work at the foundation today and had forgotten.Disappointment made her angry, and she stomped her way to the bathroom.They were never going to have sex at this rate.
They’d been sleeping together for one night, and neither of them was getting any younger.That made her laugh out loud in the bathroom as she thought that they were about as young as they were going to be forever because of the magic.Getting in a better mood, she thought of wearing a pretty sundress and was glad that the one that appeared on her was bright yellow with tiny little daisies all over it.With a nice pair of summer shoes, she was ready for the day.She really didn’t have much to do today, but she was going to make the most of it.
Making arrangements for the last few things that they needed to be delivered, she was about as bored as she’d been in a while.Not that she minded being bored, it was by far better than being stressed out with driving.And that made her think about whether she was enjoying driving as much as she did before.
She didn’t know what she’d do with her free time, but the thought of getting in her rig and driving for hours again wasn’t as appealing as it had been before.Nor did she like the long hours of solitude that went along with it.Thinking that she was going to have to talk to Taylor again before she went out again, she didn’t want to leave them in a bind by not wanting to work anymore.She knew that she’d never be angry with her about it, but she was thinking that other than one or two days a week, she didn’t want to drive all the time anymore.
She wanted to be home when Colby was.Or waiting for him to come home to be with her.Never one to think that she’d be at the beck and call of a man before, she wondered if it just had to do with waking up alone in the bed.That was more than likely it, she told herself.It wasn’t that she wanted to be a housewife all the time.She didn’t know if she’d like that any more than she did driving right now.
Time would tell, she supposed, and wanted to talk it over with Colby before she made any decisions concerning her job.The big question was, what would she do with herself all day if she didn’t have anything to do?
Chapter 7
Taylor had taken Ivy with her to the reading of the will.She didn’t want to be here, and didn’t care who knew it.The attorney was an older man who looked like he’d rather be anyplace else but with her, too.She supposed it didn’t help that she’d been sniping at him since she’d arrived.She had better things to do other than to sit around hearing from people that she didn’t know or care enough about her to get to know her.As soon as the man, she’d forgotten his name twice now, got down to business, she understood a little more about what was going on with her mother, too.
“They wanted me to explain a few things to you, please, before we begin.They were an older couple when they had Gilda Jane.In their late forties by then, and they didn’t expect to have any children of their own.You might say that they were, at the beginning very happy to have a healthy little girl to see them into their golden age.”He cleared his throat before moving on.“Not to say that she did anything for her when she got older, but to make their lives a living hell.The child that she became was much worse than the adult that she eventually became.”
“I don’t understand.I was told that they pampered her every need, and that’s why she was like she was.Thinking that the world revolved only because she was in it.”He said that they had, but there was more.“More what then?I mean, they were feeling guilty about making her marry my dad, given the way that she was.What else could it be?”
“She killed two people by the time she was a teenager.”She didn’t know what to expect, but that would have been low on her list if at all.“They had to pay for her not to go to prison, and that was just the beginning of the trouble they had with her.They were forever paying to get her out of one thing or another.Millions of dollars were spent on getting her out of one thing or the next.In addition to the two deaths, there were numerous lawsuits brought against her because she didn’t like not being the center of attention.As you well know about.”
“She killed two people because she couldn’t—why wasn’t she in prison?I mean, most people would be because they killed someone.”He said it was her mental capacity.“I still don’t understand.Perhaps you should start at the beginning.That way, I can understand what she was about when she murdered two people and didn’t spend any time in jail for.”
“When she was born, she wasn’t very healthy.They pampered her too much, even I saw that, but they were loving, too.They didn’t just give her everything that she wanted, but they were able to afford to give her things just to keep her in line, too.A pony had been her third birthday gift.Then, when she was sixteen, they bought her a car.Things that most parents with a little bit of funding do for their kids.”She nodded, waiting for him to get to the part where they left her in her father’s care.“They never wanted her to marry and had even told your father that he shouldn’t marry her.But they needed out.They were getting too old to handle her temper tantrums all the time.They even warned him not to have children with her.”
“He never told my grandma that part.He said that they just got her married off to him and left him trying to get her to behave.”He said there was much more than that to the entire story.“I’m assuming so now.Why did he want her to have a child when he’d been warned and probably lived with her for a time, knowing what she was like?”
