Page 23 of Crumbling Truth
“I’m glad you had a good time. I’m even more glad I didn’t have to kick Ollie’s ass for getting all up in our business.”
Esther laughed. “Well, my money’s definitely on you if it comes to a brawl.”
It was a silly, offhand sort of comment, but it felt like more. She’d trusted me enough to enter this arrangement, ventured well out of her comfort zone tonight, and, if my speculations were correct, had lowered her guard at least a little bit throughout the evening. I wasn’t stupid enough to believe that was my doing, but I could certainly appreciate it nonetheless.
By the time we pulled into the driveway at home, Esther had gone silent again, but it felt softer somehow. She was no longer buzzing with nerves or taut with tension, just cloaked in quiet.I was about to thank her for coming out with me and bid her goodnight when she made a little sound and swiveled toward me.
“Oh, dessert! I almost forgot. I have brownies and my favorite flavor of cupcakes, if you have room for dessert.”
Would this woman ever cease to surprise me?
“If there’s one thing you should know about me right now, Esther, it’s that Ialwayssave room for dessert.”
Instead of going home to my lonely couch and Toni’s judgment, I followed Esther back into the guest house. It felt a little like winning the lottery.
“I just need to change. Make yourself comfortable,” she called over her shoulder as she tossed the keys onto a table by the door.
My last trip inside to help carry out cupcakes had been brief, so I followed more slowly, taking in the changes that had been wrought over decades. The guest house was once a woodworking shop housing the original homeowner’s handmade furniture business. By the time my parents bought the property, the little outbuilding was in a state of disrepair. They’d converted it into something of an office for my mother, who loved us desperately but often needed an escape from our rambunctious crew in order to get some work done.
A handful of other renovations had taken place since then, including the addition of a decent-sized kitchen, a storage loft, and a full bathroom. The bedroom off the back had been completed during the final stage of redesign—I always thought my parents hoped one of their sons would choose to stay close to home for a while, but both of us left after graduation.
Alex, however, came back during every semester break and long weekend, while I had resolutely refused to return.
The place wasn’t large, but it felt homey and comfortable now. A variety of soft blankets lay draped over the loveseat and recliner in the small living room, colorful area rugs lined thewood floors, and artwork and a few knick-knacks broke up the studious nature of several overflowing bookshelves.
There wasn’t a single photograph anywhere to be seen, with the exception of a small framed image of my mother and Esther at her college graduation. I trailed a finger over the edge of the silver frame and wondered if it was a gift from my parents.
“Sorry, I don’t get a whole lot of company,” Esther said as she returned from the bedroom in a pair of loose pants and a blue sweatshirt. She grabbed two plates from the cupboard and set them on the small dining table.
I frowned. “Have you hadanycompany here?”
“Does your mother count?” She glared at me before gesturing for me to sit.
“Definitely not. She’s family,” I said, nodding toward the photo. “I have one just like that back home from my high school graduation. Clearly, she considers you one of her own.”
Esther bit her lip before responding. “Then no, I haven’t had any company here.”
I nodded, unsurprised. “That’s nothing to be ashamed of, Esther. I wasn’t teasing you about it, just asking.”
“Are you always this earnest?”
The way she said it, like she was utterly baffled by my attitude, made me laugh. “Is that a bad thing? I’m a straightforward kind of guy. The whole foot in mouth thing seems to be a terrible side effect, but it’s never been quite this bad before.”
Esther narrowed her eyes. “So you just say whatever comes into your head.”
“Pretty much,” I said with a shrug. “Though I’ll admit it usually doesn’t sound quite as stupid as half of what I’ve said to you so far. I don’t know what it is about you, but I apparently have no filter when I’m around you.”
“I don’t—is that a compliment?”
“If I hadn’t already asked you for a do-over, I’d request one right now. What the hell is wrong with me? I’ve been back in town for a week and I feel like I’ve been sucked back into middle school.”
“You don’t look like any middle schooler I’ve known,” Esther muttered under her breath, but my head snapped up.
“Wasthata compliment?” I demanded.
She made a point of looking around the room. “Do you think your mother knew how this was going to play out and planted cameras here?”
At that, I laughed. “I like you, Esther. I’m glad you’re not ninety.”
