Page 36 of A Me and You Thing
She walks downstairs and throws the sheets in the washer. I follow her as though she’s an intruder in my home. Actually, she is.
I lean against the washroom doorframe. “What about your job?”
“I took a leave of absence.” She marches up the stairs.
I follow, feeling like a lost puppy dog. Not a feeling I enjoy. “I don’t need help, Bree.”
“Yes, you do, Sawyer.” She picks up a pile of books on the nightstand and shoves them at me. She points behind her into the guest room. “My room.” She points down the hall. “Your room. Go.”
I’ve been given my marching orders. I obey only because I know it’s time for me to face my master bedroom. I just needed a little push. Bree gave me a shove. A much needed one. I walk down the hall and slowly open the door to the room I once shared with Quinn. Some of the happiest times of my life happened in here. Now it’s the loneliest place in the world.
The memories wash over me, making my chest burn. I should move, find a new home and start fresh. But I can’t leave the memories. It will feel like I’m losing Quinn all over again. Of course, I can’t face the memories either. They surround me and make me feel as though I’m drowning. I’m trapped and living in a paradox.
Quinn’s hand cream still sits on her nightstand along with the book she was reading, bookmark in place—one more thing in her life left unfinished. Her robe still hangs on a hook in the master bath. Her favorite pillow still sits on her side of the bed, slightly indented where her head used to lay.
So many memories. I can hardly stand it. I set down my books on my nightstand, thinking I’ll probably sleep on the couch bed in my office. I’m not ready to be in here.
Bree walks in carrying around ten hangers in each hand, my shirts dangling across the carpet.
“Which one is your closet?”
I nod toward the correct door and she neatly hangs them up.
“Would you please bring my luggage up? I’d rather not haul it up the stairs myself.”
She breezes out of the room just as fast as she breezed in. The name Breezy suits her in more ways than one. I’m left standing there wondering what the heck is happening in my own home. I just lost control, but then I’ve been out of control since I lost Quinn. So nothing’s new.
I grab two of her suitcases and haul them up the stairs. I hesitate at the doorway of the guest room. She’s still gathering up paraphernalia, kicking me out of my safe place.
She faces me, her arms full, a determined look on her features. I fill the doorway, making it impossible for her to pass.
“Why? Why are you doing this?” I ask in a rough whisper.
Her face softens. “Because she was my best friend in the world, and I miss her so much I can hardly bear it. Being here makes me feel close to her. And those precious little girls need me as much as I need them. I want to take care of them. Quinn would want me to do this. No. She wouldexpectme to be here for them. I want to be the one to take care of them when you return to work.”
“So, you’ve nominated yourself for the job. I have no say in the matter?”
“Do you have someone else in mind?”
Man, I forgot how cheeky she can be. “No, actually I don’t. I visited a few pre-schools. Good ones too. Frankly, the baby rooms suck. They’re understaffed, and there’s always one baby crying in a corner. I can’t do that to them.”
“I can’t either. That’s why I’m here.”
“I have my parents and Quinn’s parents close by. They help me all the time.”
“I know. But the Grandma Gang can’t watch the girls full time, right?”
She has me there. “No. My mom is taking care of my dad. He’s not doing well right now. Quinn’s father is dealing with arthritis and her mother has mornings where she can’t even get out of bed until noon. I’m amazed she did what she did for the two weeks I was gone. It took a lot out of her.” That, and losing her only daughter.
“See, you need me.”
“I could use the help, yes. But you can’t stay here forever, Bree. You have a life, a job, a townhome.”
“I know. Let me worry about that.”
“The thing is, the girls will become attached to you. Then you’ll leave and go back to your life.” Like the breezy person you are. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Do you realize how hard that will be on them? They don’t need any more heartbreak.”
“I’m not staying for just a few days, Sawyer.”
