Page 6 of A Magnolia Move-In
I could lie to Jackson. I could lie to the doctor. I could even lie to Henry, but I knew the truth.
I was the furthest thing from okay. And I feared I’d never get there.
“Ready?” Jackson asked. His curly hair was damp with sweat and clung to his forehead as he stepped into the room.
Despite the fact that it was fall, summer was still hanging on with over ninety-degree heat. On days like this, Rhode Island sounded exciting. I was ready for a reprieve from the oven-like temperatures.
“I don’t know, Jackson.” I didn’t want to go. The uncertainty of the future terrified me. Leaving my home. Leaving my job. It all seemed like too much. I could feel the cloud of depression hang over me.
Plus, what if Walker did come back? What if something had happened to him, and he forgot who I was? If I left, I was closing the door on our relationship.
Was I ready to drive the last nail into that coffin?
He shook his head and let out a sigh. He was tired of talking about this. “Once you get to Magnolia, things will get better. Fiona set up a space for you in my guest room, and Archer finished the ramp on the deck. It’s all ready to go.”
Leave it to my brother to think the things I feared werethe logistics. To him it was all about where I was going to sleep and if I could get around. He didn’t look at things on an emotional level. I was giving up my friends, my life, and my romantic relationship to move to Magnolia.
He would never understand how helpless I felt. I was an independent woman. I liked my autonomy. I still wanted the father of my child in my life, and I feared once I was gone, that chance might be gone as well.
“The rideshare is waiting for us, so if you’re done, we should go.” He nodded toward the front door and moved to stand behind my chair.
“Wait,” I said, raising my hand. I wanted to memorize this place. I never wanted to forget.
This was my life, and I needed a minute to say goodbye to it. Maybe I was silently hoping that if I stayed just a little bit longer, Walker would come walking through the door I was about to be pushed out of.
Jackson growled but stayed put.
I stared out the window. I stared out at the memories I’d made here. I stared at my past and whispered, “Goodbye.”
Then I nodded as I turned to face Jackson. “I’m ready.”
Walker wasn’t coming, and I needed to move on for me and my child.
If my brother could have cheered, he would have. He pushed me at a pace that meant he was ready to get out of here. He locked the door and then pushed me to the car and lifted me inside.
I tried to adjust myself as he put my wheelchair in the trunk. A truck with my things was already on its way to Magnolia. Since Jackson lost his license because of his worsening eyesight, we were flying.
Which was good for me. I doubted I could sit in a car for long.
I stared out the window as the car started driving down my street. Tears filled my eyes once more, and even though I wanted to blame it on pregnancy hormones, I knew that was a lie.
The life I’d been living was over. My home. My job. My friends. My relationship with Walker. It was all over, and I couldn’t ignore the pain in my heart.
My life was forever changed, and there was nothing I could do about it.
That was a terrifying thought.
THREE
Penny
Iwas getting used to Magnolia.
After Maggie’s wedding, I officially moved into the small basement room of Cordelia Swanson—an old friend of my mother. She was sweet but nosy. I mainly kept to myself the days when I was there. Lucky for me, those were few and far between. After I boughtMagnolia Dailyfrom Georgette, I had my work cut out for me.
So many nights were spent holed up in the small office, fixing aging machines and revamping the newspaper’s website. I knew that if we didn’t go digital, we were going to fail.
Maggie and I had fallen into a smooth rhythm. I wanted to give her space, so I never pushed her to include me in her activities. If she wanted me there, she would let me know. Which I think she appreciated.
