Page 97 of Thanks for the Friendship
“When did you decide to do this?”
“After our last date, I went to talk to my parents. I told them about your concerns, and my mom totally took your side.”
I laugh. “I really like her.”
He rolls his eyes playfully. “Anyway, we talked about everything you’ve been dealing with lately, and that’s when I got the idea to reach out to your parents. I’ve been looking into investments for a while, so it wasn’t an idea I pulled out of the blue.”
“And Theo knows? What about the girls?”
“Yes, I talked to Theo about it. He had your parents’ info, I guess for neighborhood emergencies. He thinks it’s a great idea.”
Wow. Theo continues to surprise me.
“The girls don’t know. Theo didn’t want to get Gabby’s hopes up until we knew it was a possibility.”
I still can’t believe this. We don’t have to move out, and it’s all because of Cal. It’s astounding how much life can change in an instant.
“I can’t wait to tell them,” I squeal.
“I have to know what my parents said when you called them,” I beg. “I wish I could have heard that conversation.”
He smiles. “Well, your mother was mostly concerned about our relationship. She even warned me not to hurt you again.”
“Really?”
This is unexpected. I thought my mother would be more concerned about the business over my personal life.
“Oh, yeah. Then we finally got to the discussion about the house. I had no idea what to offer, so I threw out a few figures. The first one was too high, I guess. They were very receptive to the second, so we agreed on it verbally. Then I asked them not to tell you it was me—I wanted the timing to be right.”
“You’re good,” I say. “You didn’t let on to anything when I first brought it up.”
“I wasn’t planning to tell you tonight, but I couldn’t let you stress about it any longer. I had some grand ideas about how I wanted to do it.”
I run my fingers through his hair. “It was perfect.”
I jump to my feet. “I think we should celebrate.”
He raises an eyebrow. “I like the sound of that. Keep talking.”
“We could go do something fun.”
He stands up and takes my hand.
“How about miniature golf?”
I lean in to kiss him. “I love that idea.”
* * *
When I open my eyes, it only takes a few seconds to remember everything that happened yesterday. I sit up and stretch my arms above my head. I feel so refreshed today, like a weight has a finally lifted. Honestly, I have no idea how long I carried that weight around. Maybe years? I went about every day focused and driven, all the while feeling unsettled. When it came to relationships, I bailed out before I had to commit for fear of getting my heart broken.
There’s no telling what the future holds for Cal and me, but I have no doubt that he’s worth the risk. If he’s willing to put up with me and go as far as buying my parents’ house, he must be a keeper.
I hop out of bed and take a quick shower.
I left my roommates a note last night that we needed to talk this morning. I’m anxious to give them the exciting news that we don’t have to move out. Cal and I called my parents back last night and discussed the details. I’m going to start the paperwork today, and then it will be official.
Cal had fun making lots of jokes about raising our rent and being a super strict landlord.
