Page 127 of You and Me, For Real
“I know. A mess.” She shuts the door and pushes her sweater sleeves up her forearms, only for them to slide down again. She bends to scoop up a couple of pairs of shoes and throws them into an entry closet.
I chuckle. “No. No, this is wonderful. Truly. Your house is beautiful. And homey!” I gesture to one of the canvases on the wall with no frame. “Did you paint this?”
“Yeah, it’s a recent piece. I’m experimenting with different styles.”
I place the dog crate on the floor and step closer, feeling its rough texture. “This is amazing. I can’t believe you painted this.” I face her. “You’ve got some serious talent.”
She shrugs like the beautiful work of art is no big deal. “Thanks. I’m still learning a lot.” She kneels in front of the puppies’ crate. “Aw. They’re so cute. Can I let them out?”
“Maybe just one first. If they both escape, they’ll run in different directions, get excited, and pee on something.”
Her eyes fly to mine. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. They’re cute, but puppies are little troublemakers. We’re still working on potty-training.”
She nods like I bestowed the sagest advice and opens the crate, slipping her hand in. She pulls out Cocoa. The puppy yelpsexcitedly and paws at her sweater. She draws Cocoa to her and nuzzles her face. “Aw. She’s so adorable.”
I plop onto the floor next to her, my ridiculous dress billowing around me like a parachute before the trapped air releases from under it. I sit and pet Teddy, who stands patiently next to me. “How long have you lived here?”
“I bought this place behind Mom’s back a handful of years ago with the money I saved from the show. For a while, I only used it as an escape. My refuge. Once I quit the show and moved out of Mom’s, I came here.”
“And you’ve managed to keep this place a secret?”
She continues to pet Cocoa’s back. “As far as I know. I only came here on the rare occasions we weren’t filming. I always made sure no one followed me. And my neighbors don’t really know me yet. I keep mostly to myself; I enjoy the peace and quiet. My college courses require me to be on campus a lot. Plus, I sort of have a mysterious admirer keeping me busy.” She glances up coyly, but her eyes are twinkling.
“A secret admirer, really?”
“Yes! I keep finding notes attached to the back of my canvases, though there’s never a name attached to it.”
“That’s exciting!”
“It is!” she gushes.
Her excitement over the possibility of a new love interest makes me ache for what had almost been between Griffin and me. I clench my eyes shut.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah, sorry. Rough day. I’m excited for you, I really am, but can we talk more about your admirer tomorrow?”
“Of course.” She opens the cage and slips Cocoa inside, only to grab Chip and snuggle him. She scratches behind his ears and asks softly, “Want to talk about what happened?”
I shake my head. “Not yet. I’m exhausted. If you don’t mind, I’d like to get the dogs set up and then crash.”
“No problem. Let me show you the spare bedroom. There’s only one bathroom, so we’ll have to share.”
The way she phrases it sounds like she anticipates me staying long-term. “We can manage for one night.”
She stands. “Right. Well, if you need to?—”
“Cecily, I’m not going to burden you with my problems.”
“You’re not a problem.”
“Ha! Yet. Spend a couple of days with two puppies, and you’ll be retracting that statement faster than you can blink.” Not to mention the media drama now trailing after me.
She lifts Chip and turns the puppy’s face to her, touching nose to nose. “This sweet thing? I don’t believe that.” She tucks Chip under her arm like a football and flips on the hallway light. She opens a door to the left, stopping only briefly. “Here’s the bathroom.” I follow her across the hall. “And here’s your room. The furthest door is my room.”
She turns on the guest bedroom light. The bed has a burnt-orange bedspread and wooden headboard, butted against a bright teal wall. A cream canopy hangs from the ceiling, giving the room a bohemian look. There’s a live plant tucked in the corner near the window. An easel sits on the opposite side of the room with a blank canvas propped on it.
