Page 13 of Worth the Want
“Bye, Hazey,” Ivy calls from beside Alder. “I had so much fun with you today.”
“Bye, Andy Ivy,” she says to her, yawning. Both Ivy and Alder step forward to give her a hug and a kiss. If I do everything else wrong in this life, at least I’ve given Hazel this family. She’ll always know how loved she is.
“You’ll be ready for a bull in no time, Haze,” Alder tells her, tapping his knuckles to her tiny closed fist. I stifle my eye roll.
“Night, everyone!” I call over my shoulder, carrying Hazel out to the truck. I get her buckled in, tucking her blanket and the shark stuffy she’s obsessed with at the moment next to her. Pressing my lips to her head, and smoothing the wild hair from her face, I breathe her in before starting the truck. Our drive home is peaceful. The sun is starting to set, casting neon orange across the sky, painting the clouds with it, and reflecting off the lake’s surfacebelow.
When we pull up to our house, I check the rearview and see that Hazel has fallen asleep on the drive. I cut the engine and just sit there for a moment, listening to the distant sounds of an owl hooting and the frogs by the water. My mind wanders back to my brothers and how happy they are, how genuinely happy I am for them that they’ve found that.
Looking out over the water, I see the lone chair sitting on the dock, and just for a moment, I think seeing two wouldn’t be so bad.
“Okay.” The tiny woman claps her hands together. “Let’s get you moved into your new place. Knox is probably waiting for us.”Knox.The name plucks on a string tethered to an embarrassing memory. I quickly dismiss it, swinging my camera strap over my head. Winnie’s here to take me over to my temporary home until the cottage is fixed, and the nervous energy in me is most likely just a side effect of having only tea in my system this morning.
“Sounds good, I just need to grab my bags over by the door.”
“Need any help?”
“Nah, it’s only two small bags. Should I just follow you?”
“Yeah, it’s only about a thirty-minute drive or so, and it’s a pretty one.”
“Great. Everything I’ve seen so far has been beautiful. I can’t wait to see more.”
“I saw you had a camera. Do you take all the photos for the websites you work on?” she asks, pointing to my side where Han’s camera hangs from the worn leather strap.
“I actually need to get a new one eventually. This is my sister’s I’m borrowing. I haven’t been the main photographer for the projects I’ve worked on, but I took all the photos for the mock-ups I showed you.”
“Those were great. I’m chomping at the bit to see what you do with the site.”
“Everything here makes me want to take a picture of it—Thistle and Sage is no exception. You did something special there.”
“Ah, thanks. Well, you’ll have plenty of sights at the lake. Knox’s property is one of the most beautiful I’ve seen,” she tells me before holding the door for me.
With every new snippet of information she gives me, it just makes me more excited to see this place. I let my mind wander as we walk out of the hotel and down the sidewalk to my car. I stow my bags in the trunk before getting into the driver’s seat. Winnie pulls away from the curb, and I do the same, following close behind her as we clear downtown and make it to the main road.
As soon as we hit the two-lane highway, I roll my windows down, letting the wind whip my short hair around in front of my sunglasses. Being out on this road is surprisingly thrilling. I watch the mountains in the distance become bigger the further we travel into them. I’m daydreaming about exploring them when I see Winnie’s right blinker ticking. Slowing, I turn onto a side road that takes us deeper into the forest.
If I didn’t have a good sense about people, I might think Winnie was taking me to a secluded lake to murder me—or maybe I’ve just listened to one too many true crime podcasts on my runs.
We drive along a river for another ten minutes before weturn again onto a winding dirt road, marked only by a mailbox that looks like a cuckoo clock. My chest aches at the sight. Making me homesick for a tiny apartment that’s filled with laughter and eccentric art. I blink, and the trees start to thin.
When they do, I have to remind myself to also watch the road. This view is—indescribable. Stunning, unreal, movie set material. The smile on my face physically hurts because I’m grinning so hard.Are you kidding me?This is where I get to live?
A large, green, two-story house catches my eye, sitting just up the way a little farther. There’s a familiar-looking yellow and tan truck parked beside it. It could be a coincidence, but it looks just like the one I took a picture of yesterday in town. We slow even more, coming to a stop in front of the big house. From here, I can see a smaller white one, similar to the big house, about half a mile down the dirt road from this one. It’s so cute I can’t stand it. I squeal.Inwardly.On the outside, I keep it together like an adult.
When I get out of my car, I’m drawn toward the sparkling lake. I push my sunglasses up onto my head, breathing in the fresh air. My vision begins to blur, emotion climbing up my throat as tears threaten.Oh god, how embarrassing.I wipe at my eyes and put on a bright smile, turning just as Winnie gets out of her car.
“Come on!” She waves me over, and I jog to her side as we approach the house.
“Winnie. It’s gorgeous out here. I’ve never been anywhere like this before,” I tell her, and then she does something that has my throat threatening to tighten again. Linking her arm into mine like we’ve been friends for years, she falls into step with me, sighing contently.
“I know. It’s like a little secret hideaway. We love coming out here in the spring and summers, occasionally in the fall for a bonfire or camping trip.” Her casual familiarity takes me by surprise but is absolutely welcomed. I squeeze her arm in mine once more before we take the final step up to the porch. Winnie knocks on the door before she rings the doorbell. I take another moment to peek behind us, admiring the view once more.
“You’re late,” I hear a deep, gravelly voice huff out behind me. I turn to meet the owner of that voice, who I presume will be my new landlord. Our gazes collide, a rush of recognition there. His navy-blue eyes widen slightly, confusion swirling in them. They widen further when Winnie stumbles backward, tripping over her own feet and into me, causing me to tumble off the porch into perfectly manicured hedges.Shit.
It’s first time in years that I’ve seen the man who left me a little heart sick at a pizza place in Brooklyn, and I just showed up at his house without warning before falling off his porch.
“Indiana! Oh my gosh, are you alright?” I hear Winnie ask nervously.I want to die.Please just leave me here and tell my family that I had a great last few moments. I went peacefully, sinking into the ground—gracefully.
