Page 24 of By Your Side

Nodding, I try it. “Home!”

Crashing sounds as they come running up to us, Kane moving to sit by my side, Stella following after a cue from Owen.

Work goes a lot slower, with the dogs adding a bit of distraction as they get to know their new home. When Owen leaves at the end of the day we haven’t finished laying the new flooring, but as he drives away, I feel safe knowing I have Kane and Stella to keep large animals away.

Settling onto the couch after a shower and dinner, the dogs on their beds, Nora creeps around from behind the couch and comes to lie on my lap.

Holding her close, I snuggle her a bit to reassure her before I head to meet Raelynn.

fourteen

Adeline

Kane’s head perks up, listening intently before he lowers his head again. I hear a door shut and glance at the time.

Owen is right on schedule. He went to pick up my new bedroom furniture to move into the now finished second bedroom while an overhaul of my primary bedroom is completed.

The dogs follow on my heels, running out the door to greet him as he lowers the tailgate. Slipping into my sandals, I skip down the steps as he unveils my new furniture. It’s all custom-made and for the first time since moving here, when I crawl into bed tonight, it won’t be an air mattress on the floor.

Owen kicks me out of the room after I help carry it upstairs, insisting I would just be in his way while he puts it all together.

Scowling, I head downstairs to clean the kitchen and call my parents.

My mom’s warm voice is like a hug when she answers. “Hi, sweetheart.”

Sitting down, I get caught up on everything they’ve been doing over the summer. It’s hard to believe that I’ve been in Willowbrook Lake for over three months. “I was hoping you and Dad would come visit. I don’t have a bed for you, but maybe you could bring the trailer and camp in my yard. I miss you.”

“We miss you too and we would love that.” She pauses for a moment, her voice soft as she asks, “How are you doing?”

Settling in, I think about her question. When I first came to Willowbrook Lake, there was a gaping hole in my heart, since moving here as I feel more settled, that hole is feeling less and less.

“I’m actually doing okay. I’ve made some friends who I chat with almost every day. And the guy I hired to renovate the house is growing on me.” Smiling as I share with her some of the changes that have been happening, I can’t help but think of the man upstairs.

He’s more than grown on me. I’ve found myself looking forward to his arrival every day. Spending the time with him as he patiently teaches me things about renovating. His passion for the town and for the people in it is something I admire. And there’s just something about the way he looks at me when I’m talking. It makes my stomach flutter. It’s confusing, but I shrug it off as nothing more than excitement about the house.

“That sounds wonderful, we can’t wait to see it all.”

Firming up the plans, I hang up and give a wiggle. They were my rock after Scott passed and I know how hard it was for them when I packed up and moved away. It will be incredible to show them my new home and how this place has helped me manage my new life. They’ve seen photos, but it doesn’t have the same impact as in person.

Owen comes down the stairs, his face serious. “Okay, you’re free to come upstairs again.”

“You mean move freely in my own house?”

He grins at my sarcasm, and I follow him upstairs.

The small bedroom is full of my furniture, and it looks incredible. I finally have one complete room in the house. The freshly painted walls are a calming ocean blue, complemented by the clean, white trim. The flooring is everything I could’ve hoped for, the wood a warm honey that goes better with the blue than I expected.

Gasping at how Owen not only built all the furniture, but also arranged it just how I envisioned, I press my hand to my chest and smile. In the months since Owen has worked on the house, I’ve noticed how he always tries to do more than what is asked, but never in an imposing way.

When I ordered, I told him in passing how I wanted to set the room up while I made it my temporary space and he remembered it exactly.

“It looks . . . wow.” Walking in, I run my hands over the dresser, stopping at the foot of my king-sized bed. He had also picked up my mattress this morning and took the plastic off, setting it in place, going so far as to find the sheets I had set out on my air mattress and completing the entire ensemble. “You made my bed.”

For the first time since I met him, he looks uncertain. “I thought it might be nice for you to walk in and know everything is done. Now you can just crawl into bed at the end of the day and not have to do anything. I hope you don’t mind.”

Fingering the duvet, I whisper, “I don’t mind.”

Silence fills the room, building until Owen excuses himself to get some water before we tackle the rest of the work that needs to be done in preparation for the primary bedroom.

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