Page 76 of My One
As we walked to get the car, I beamed because my husband was finally smiling again. The last time we were here sucked. It was still a shitty situation, but each day was getting easier.
“Mmmm,” I moaned around my bite of taco. I couldn’t even explain why these tacos were so good. New York had tacos, but they didn’t compare. Avery stared at me, mid-bite. “What?” I asked.
He shook his head and chuckled. “Nothing,” he said and then took another bite.
“I’m excited to see Edna,” I admitted.
“Me too.”
“I hope she’s doing okay.”
“Yeah.”
“Are you going to tell her what Jimmy and Jane told us?”
Avery thought for a few moments. “Yeah, I think I am.”
“Good,” I replied. “I know we barely know her, but she was there when we watched the tape.”
“I know. I don’t mind telling her.”
We finished our tacos and then headed to the house. If we didn’t have a life in New York, I would have suggested moving into it. It was perfect to start a family in, and I loved being on the West Coast. But I would miss my family and all of the Crawfords, plus Avery had the bar.
The very first thing we did when we got inside was open all the windows. It was a nice September afternoon, and the house had been locked up for a few weeks. Once the air was flowing, we walked across the street to say hello to Edna and to let her know we would be staying until Sunday.
Avery knocked, and a few moments later Edna opened the door. Her eyes widened. “What are you two doing back?” she asked.
“We’re dealing with all the loose ends and selling the house,” Avery answered. Tomorrow he would be meeting with a real estate agent about selling the house. We knew that the house wouldn’t sell before we headed back to the East Coast, but at least it would be on the market and out of our hands until we needed to sign papers when it sold.
“Well, come in.” She stepped back and gestured for us to enter.
“We actually were just coming to tell you hello. We have a lot of things to do across the street. We’re going to have an estate sale on Friday and Saturday,” I advised her.
“Oh, well it’s good to see you two again.”
“You too, Ed.” Avery stepped forward and gave her a hug. I did the same. “Tomorrow we’ll stop by for some of your lemonade.”
She smiled. “I’d like that.”
We walked back across the street. “I’m going to mow the backyard,” Avery stated.
“Is there a lawnmower?” I asked because even though I didn’t know Doug Scott, I didn’t peg him for a guy who would mow his own grass.
“Oh,” Avery stammered. “I’ll check the garage.”
“Okay. I’m going to go upstairs and sort out your mom’s closet.”
When we’d talked about what we were going to keep and what to get rid of, I made the decision to keep only her jewelry and a few designer handbags I had my eye on. If Avery and I ever had a daughter, at least we could give her the jewelry from her grandmother that was sentimental.
After we ate our burgers at the packed burger joint, Avery drove us to the beach. We’d spent hours going through stuff and needed a break. Avery wasn’t able to mow the yard like he’d wanted to, so instead, we went through the house deciding what price everything we were selling should be.
Avery parked in the lot, and we walked down to the sand. We took off our shoes, carrying them in our hands as we walked hand in hand along the coastline. The sun was starting to set, and the ocean breeze played with my blonde hair. Life was beginning to feel normal again.
“What are winters like here?” I asked, realizing that in a few short months it would be snowing in New York.
“Mild, from what I remember when I lived here.”
“No snow, obviously.”
