Page 63 of When It's Us
Wren nods with a smile. “Yep. They all but kicked me out the door. Hank had a few things to finish up and wanted to take Apollo out since he didn’t get a chance to this morning.”
“I’m sure you’ll catch them when you go pick up Oakley. Norah said something about having dinner with Mom and Pop tonight,” Finn supplies.
Hutch nods with a small smile before picking up the two biggest suitcases. “Thanks.”
“Let’s head inside and get you settled,” Wren says, making her way around me to help Hutch. “Hales stocked the fridge with literally all your favorites before she left.”
Hayley Hayes is a PE teacher and assistant soccer coach for the girls’ soccer team at the school she works for. While I’m ready torelax, I’m glad WrenandFinn made it a point to be here. Spending the first couple of hours in town with familiar faces will be nice.
“And how did she know what all my favorites were?” I ask Wren pointedly.
“Um, from your best friend, of course,” Wren says, taking my laptop bag from me and slinging it over her shoulder. “Come on, bestie.”
“I wish you wouldn’t have made such a fuss,” I tell her, but I secretly adore that she did this for me. I’ve missed having her around, missed having someone other than me think about groceries.
“She even made sure to buy the kind of toilet paper you like,” Finn points out with a laugh.
Wren spins back around, dropping her hands on her hips to shoot Finnley a look. “Yeah, and who made her a little gift basket for her bedroom with her favorite chocolates, snacks, and bottled water? There’s even a sleep mask in there scented with lavender.”
Finn at least has the wherewithal to look sheepish. “Hey, it’s the B&B owner in me. Plus, I’m nesting.”
I shake my head and laugh at both of them. “Well, thank you. It feels nice to be taken care of. I love you guys.”
Wren throws me a wink, and Finn lets out a sigh, flapping her hands in front of her face.
“Oh God, you’re gonna make me cry again,” Finn sniffles and blows out a breath.
Hutch’s chuckle sounds from the porch as he makes his way inside ahead of us, making me smile.
“Again?” I ask.
“Ohhh, yeah.” Wren nods dramatically. “It’s a whole thing.”
“Shut up.” Finn laughs and reaches for my garment bag. I let her take it because it’s not that heavy.
“Listen, I get it. We all have our weird pregnancy stuff. Mine was being horny all the time and yours is crying.” Wren shrugs. “It is what it is.”
That makes Finn laugh and press a hand to her lower back as she waddles along. “Oh, trust me, I have the horny thing, too.”
I scoff and slam the door to the Vanagon closed, lowering my voice conspiratorially. “Okay, you bitches, enough talk about sex with your disgustingly handsome husbands.”
I follow Finn and Wren up the short set of stairs into Hales’ place.
We step into a newly renovated space, and the interior further screams Hayley. Granted, I don’t know her as well as I know Wren, or even Finnley, but I can definitely see her mark on the place. The living room is an eclectic mix of new and old, a low, velvety emerald-green, sectional takes up the largest part of the space. It’s the kind of couch that you could fall into at the end of a long day and never want to get out of.
Next to that is a bright yellow, tufted, egg chair with pink and green throw pillows nestled in it. The honey blonde wood floors are covered in a colorful patchwork rug, and cozy boho poufs dot the open floor space. Two multi-colored afghans drape over the couch, and the space is peppered with potted plants. Hales even has an old wooden ladder turned on its side, and various plants hang from it in front of the window to take advantage of the natural light pouring in. The room is bright, but not overpowering, and is inviting in a sort of hippie modern chic way.
Wren leads me through the white and stainless-steel kitchen, pointing to a closed bedroom door. “Hayley’s room is there, the powder room is here.” She swings the door open wide, revealing a small bathroom with a toilet and a pedestal sink. The walls are done in subway tile, with pops of pink and green in the art, hand towels, and rugs.
“Her place is adorable,” I comment as we cross the kitchen to a short flight of stairs that lead to the second floor.
“That’s one thing about Hales. She’s got a hell of an eye,” Finn agrees. “When Huddy brought up buying this place as an investment, I told him I’d agree, but only if he asked Hales to helpHutch design the space. Left to his own devices, it would have been a design disaster, and well, I’m in no condition to contribute. There were solid bones, but with all her flourish, it really adds to the charm, I think.”
“Yeah, you two did amazing with the space,” Wren adds, nudging Hutch with her elbow and a smile.
He returned hers with a small smile of his own before nodding to my bags. “You want me to take these up?” he asks.
“I think we can get them,” Wren tells him.
