Page 15 of Hound Dog
I pulled out of the hug, but before I could make it to the door, Aunt Meryl’s voice stopped me mid-step. “I have one more surprise for you before you go, though.”
I turned slowly, making my way back to her as she shuffled around in her tote bag, pulling a stack of papers out and sliding her readers onto the bridge of her nose.
“What’s up?” I asked, cautiously. Please, God, please don’t give me some sort of sex talk. I felt like it was written all over my damn face that I was going out tonight to get laid for the first time.
She slid a packet of papers across the table to me. “Well, I don’t know if you noticed, but I love this town. I’ve been looking for a change for a few years now, and with you going off to school in the fall, I’d rather not stick around Rochester.”
Aunt Meryl’s eyes grew glossy, and I watched carefully as the lines of her throat tightened with a swallow.
In the midst of all my pain from losing Mom, it never occurred to me how close Aunt Meryl had been with her. That I was escaping the house I’d grown up in with the constant reminders of what we’d lost, but Meryl was stuck living there—now with the two homes she owned. Her own house, and my mom’s.
“I’m selling my house in Rochester,” she said. “I’ll make sure the taxes for your house are still paid for and kept up with until you’re old enough to choose what to do with it—”
“My house?” I repeated. “I thought… I thought Mom left our house to you?”
Aunt Meryl’s brows creased. “No, sweetheart. The house was only briefly in my name until you turned eighteen.”
I exhaled with a whoosh and fell into the kitchen chair, all thoughts of my v-card out the window with this bomb. “I own ahouse?”
“The mortgage is completely paid off,” Aunt Meryl said. “And by selling my house in Rochester, I can cover the taxes until you’re old enough to be done with school and take over.”
I nodded. Okay. That was… well, I had no idea how much taxes on a house would cost. But regardless, that was generous of her.
I gulped. Because if I didn’t know what taxes cost, what else didn’t I know about owning a house?
“But… if you’re selling your house and you don’t want to live in Mom’s house, where are you going to live?”
Aunt Meryl’s smile beamed. “Right here.”
“What?”
“That’s what I was trying to tell you. I bought this house! Apparently, Jimmy’s been looking to sell for some time now and wants to just relax with his family in Florida. So, I’m moving to Maple Grove!”
I was stunned into silence. In some ways, it was the perfect place for her. On the water. Tons of land and space. A cute community that seemed to embrace her quirks, even if everyone else seemed more conservative.
After a moment’s thought, I matched her smile. “This place suits you,” I said.
She nodded and cupped my cheeks with warm hands. “It does. And on breaks from college, you can visit me here, or we can spend time in your Rochester house. You can bounce between them.”
A thought struck me. “What if… what if I don’t move into the dorms? It’s twelve thousand bucks a year to live in a glorified studio apartment that I share with another student.”
Aunt Meryl scrunched her nose. “Not even. Most studio apartments at least have their own bathrooms.”
I threw my arms up dramatically. “See? Exactly. Twelve thousand bucks would cover the cost of taxes, right?”
“Well, yes… but honey, won’t you be lonely?”
I bit my lip. The truth wasyes. But I couldn’t bear the thought of moving out of my home yet. “I can always get roommates. Which would also be good for me. Then I’d have extra spending money without needing to get a job while I’m in college.”
Meryl smiled. “Well, if that’s what you want, then go for it. It’s a very smart, practical decision. Very much like your mother.” Meryl pushed a stray curl off my shoulder.
If only she knew what I was heading out to do… a very un-Mom-like thing.
9:04p.m.
I huffed all the way up the stairs of the mill, panting and taking two steps at a time since I was late. Even still, I couldn’t wait to tell Finn the news. Thiswasn’ta once in a lifetime trip… I’d be back. I’d be back to visit as often as I wanted with Aunt Meryl living here.
I flung the door open and ran out onto the roof, ready to leap into Finn’s arms. Only… the roof was empty.
