Page 40 of Worth the Want
“We went on a hike a couple of weeks ago. It wasn’t a big deal.” Can they all tell that I'm lying to myself? Playing it cool is not something I’m very good at. “Moving on…this is a few of the interior shots I got of the kitchen and Winnie baking.”
“Oh my gosh, stop. Winnie. You are so freaking adorable. If that’s on the website, Rhett is going to demand your ring be front and center. You look hot,” Ivy tells her. I smile, happy that I have successfully steered the conversation back to familiarand comfortable territory. Well, for me. Winnie is blushing at the compliments.
“I think Indie just got some good angles is all,” she deflects.
“That’s bullshit. I mean, I may have gotten some good angles, but you don’t have a bad one,” I tell her.
“Okay! Move on to the ones of the food and the bakery, please.” She laughs.
I finish showing them the rest of the photos and demonstrate how I’m planning to showcase them online. I’m met with admiration. It feels nice to be validated by women who all run their own businesses and are their own bosses.
For much of my life, I didn’t think I was capable of handling everything on my own. Other people's problems? I’ve always been able to solve, but my own always feel bigger. I start feeling out of control. Scared to let anyone down if they were counting on me. Lately, though, I’ve been thinking that there’s a lot more I can do on my own than I’ve given myself credit for.
Florence gives me a hug, and I let myself sink into it for a moment. I miss Han. I miss my mom and dad. I didn’t realize until this moment that I needed a hug this badly. “Thank you again for having us over, Indie. Can I call you next week and work out some dates for the hotel?”
“Yes, that sounds great! Do you need my number?”
“Nope, I already have it.” I don’t askhowshe has it; I just accept it.
“I’ll be calling you too! I’m thinking we could do something with the mountain biking and then maybe update with the snow once we open for the ski season,” Ivy tells me.
“Absolutely, I’d love to be involved.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow at work, Indie!”
“And I’m hoping to see you out at AJ’s. Have we set that up yet?”
“What’s AJ’s?”
“That would be my uncle’s brewery in town,” Winnie says. “And it’s kind of the last step in a welcome to Silverthorne.”
“Oh yeah?”
“I’m thinking a night out is in order. I’ll talk to you more tomorrow about it.” Everyone gives me one more wave before walking back over to the big house.
I watch them laugh as they go. They’re all so close. It’s nice to be welcomed into their group. Smiling, I make my way back inside. My photos are still up on the TV, and I tap my laptop screen to pull up the picture of Knox I took on our hike. I sigh. Yeah, this is frame-worthy. I allow myself a few more moments to appreciate the hard planes of his body before disconnecting the screen. I pour myself a glass of wine and sit out back at the small, metal bistro set.
I’m enjoying the cool evening. It’s been a good day, and I’m really starting to feel like I have my footing here when my phone rings. I flinch. Now that I’ve given more people my number, I’ll have to check who’s calling. I blow out a breath and walk back into the house and into my bedroom to pick it up. One look at the flashing name tells me it’s not a call I’m ready for.
I ignore it, dump the rest of my wine into the sink, and crawl under the blankets on the bed, like sinking into them could keep the thoughts and dreams away from me.
“Ithink that’s enough water for the fairy pond, Hazey.”
“Almost,” she says while dumping the rest of the watering can out.
“You sure are doing a good job with that.”
“Thank you.” She smiles sweetly.
She’s been three for less than a week and already feels bigger—talking bigger, acting bigger. Every day, she finds something new to tell me or a new word I’m surprised she knows and knows how to use it correctly. I watch her carefully place pebbles as a walkway for her fairies, singing softly.
Sally’s bark has us both turning our heads down the road. She’s running toward us beside my not-so-temporary tenant. Winnie called yesterday to say that when the pipes in her house were getting replaced, they found mold. It’s going to be a while before anyone is able to live there. I may have put on a little show of being annoyed, but when Florence called saying she could probably swing a room for her to stay in, I told her it wasn’t necessary if Indie wanted to stay here longer.
“Indie!” Hazel shouts as she approaches us. Sally comes up to nudge my hand with her wet nose, so I’ll scratch her head.
“Hi, Hazel. What are you up to?” she asks, only a little out of breath.
“Making a fairy garden! Come see!” Hazel walks over, grabbing her hand and pulls her along. Indie catches my eye as she passes. She’s not wearing one of her T-shirts tonight, in its place is a tight, pink jacket that isn’t zipped up completely. The color matches the stitching on her black shorts.
