Honeysuckle Hollow

by Jennifer Moorman

  Charlie nodded. “No backyard mishaps to worry about. I don’t think this neighborhood would take too kindly to that kind of funny business. But…are you planning on moving in here, I mean, before it’s finished?”

  Tessa tucked her hair behind her ears. “Tonight most likely.”

  Charlie grimaced. “I’m not sure that’s a great idea.”

  “Oh, it’s not, but it’s the only plan I’ve come up with so far.”

  Charlie thumbed over her shoulder. “There aren’t doors in the kitchen. There’s a tarp keeping the outside from creeping in.”

  Tessa walked out of the bathroom, up the short hallway, and into the kitchen. She stared at the thick, canvas material covering the busted-up French doors. “It’ll be like camping.”

  “Don’t you have somewhere else you could stay?”

  Tessa shook her head. “Nope. This is it. This is my home.” The word home tingled her lips. “My only other option is to stay in a one-bedroom apartment with a handsome Italian traveler who cooks like a chef.”

  Charlie’s eyes widened. “And you’re choosing this over him? Should I even ask why?”

  Tessa’s heart expanded and forced a sigh from her lips. “Best not to.” Tessa glanced around the room. “When can they start?”

  “A few are heading out to gather supplies, and they’ll be back in a couple of hours. Now that I know you’re planning on staying here, we might want to go ahead and check this framing and get a new pair of doors put in here.” Charlie lifted the tarp and studied the walls around the French doors.

  An older man shaped like a wine barrel stepped into the kitchen. “You fixing this place up?”

  Tessa nodded. “I’m gonna try.”

  “When my mama’s house burned twenty years ago, Dr. Hamilton let her and my daddy stay here for a few months. I remember walking around this place, thinking it was a castle. He was a good man, and I’d hate to see this place fall apart. You looking for a pair of doors?”

  “French doors,” Charlie said.

  “I got a pair in my garage,” he said. “The lady at the last build decided against them, and I was gonna return them next week, but if you’re needing a pair.”

  Tessa smiled. A guy who had been spontaneously called to help rebuild Honeysuckle Hollow had just what the house needed.

  Charlie nodded. “You think they’ll work?”

  He nodded. “I measured the opening earlier. They’re a perfect fit. I can probably get them installed today if the walls around it are sound.”

  “We just inspected them. They’re good,” Charlie said. “Thanks, Leon.”

  “Be back in an hour.”

  Leon walked away, and Tessa’s heart pounded. The house seemed to be aligning everything so that she could start making it her home.

  Charlie turned to look at Tessa. “You know there’s not electricity, right?”

  Tessa shrugged. “I’ll get it sorted out on Monday. I can rough it until then.”

  Charlie smiled. “You don’t strike me as the roughing-it type.”

  “Oh, I’m not, but I’m going to think of this as an adventure. That’s going to be what keeps me from completely falling into a blubbering mess and eating the grocery store’s summer supply of ice cream and cookie dough.”

  “Where are you gonna sleep? I don’t imagine the dining room table is gonna be comfortable. Maybe a sleeping bag?” Charlie asked and chuckled.

  Tessa whirled around and stared at her. “Think I can get one at the hardware store?”

  “I was kidding.”

  “I’m not,” Tessa said.

  Charlie yelled to one of the workers. “Thad, does your dad sell sleeping bags at his store?”

  A lanky young man with legs like a praying mantis loped into the room. “Sure. Tents too. All the basic gear you’d need. You going hiking?”

  Charlie nodded her head toward Tessa, and Thad’s eyes widened. He smirked and adjusted his ball cap.

  Tessa fisted her hands on her hips. “You think I don’t camp, right?”

  Thad shrugged, still grinning. “I’m not one to judge, ma’am, but I should warn you that the woods are full of wild animals, and when someone isn’t used to camping, it could be an unsettling experience.”

  Charlie chuckled. “She’s camping in here.”

  Thad made a show of wiping the back of his hand across his brow. “Shew, that’s good to hear. I certainly didn’t want to hear about you getting lost in the woods or eaten by a cougar. Then where would we work?” He lifted his hat before pulling it back down again and walking off.

  Tessa didn’t bother to tell him that she was more of a danger to herself than any cougar could have been.

  When Tessa cranked the engine on the Great Pumpkin, her cell phone vibrated in her back pocket. Paul. Tessa blew out a puff of air and answered. “Are you stalking me?”

  “That depends,” Paul said. “Are you ignoring me?”

  Not exactly. “You’re not easy to ignore. I’m working at the house, trying to get the workers started.”

  “Really?” Paul asked. “I didn’t think they could start until next week.”

  “A different crew is helping out. Some of them are here now, and they’re gonna work for the rest of the day. A new pair of doors is going in to replace the broken ones in the kitchen. That way I can stay here tonight and be able to lock myself in. I’m about to head out and gather supplies.” For my camping adventure.

  The phone call fell so silent that Tessa thought she’d lost service. She pulled the phone away from her face and stared at it. “You still there?”

  “You’re staying in the house tonight? Why?”

  Tessa’s throat tightened. She wiped her clammy palm on her pants. When she spoke, she tried to force happiness into her tone. “I’m just so excited to move in. It’s rustic for now, but the plumbing works. And you’ll finally have the apartment all to yourself. I appreciate how accommodating you’ve been, but now I have a place to go. No more couch surfing for you. You can have the bedroom, at least for your last night in town.”

  Paul paused again. “I don’t mind having you here.”

  Tessa held her breath. His words trembled against her heart, shoved at the wall she was trying to build around it. She wanted to ask, “What about Natalie?” Instead, she said, “I appreciate it, but I think this is for the best. I’ll come over this afternoon and pack up my stuff.”

  “I won’t be at the apartment this afternoon. I’m going out with my parents.”

  Why did he sound put out?

  Tessa cleared her throat. “That’s okay. I can get everything together by myself. I should go, work to do…and stuff.”

  Paul made a noise of objection in his throat, but as soon as he said goodbye, Tessa ended the call. She dropped her phone in her purse and drove to the hardware store. Outside the store, Tessa made a list of the items she thought she’d need in order to survive in the house. Near the bottom of the list she wrote, Sanity.

  Tessa unlocked the apartment and peered inside. “Hello?” No one responded. She shuffled into the living room and hefted the flattened boxes and heavy-duty tape onto the couch. The living room smelled like cloves and mint, and a pink bag of caramel crèmes sat opened on the coffee table along with Paul’s laptop.

  Tessa felt the need to tape the boxes together and pack up as quickly as possible. The idea of still being in the apartment when Paul came home raced her heart. His easy smile would lure her back in again, tempting her to give in to his charm, but in less than a day, he would be gone.

  Within an hour, Tessa had all of her belongings boxed and in the car. She returned to the apartment one last time and left open the door. She needed to wrangle the mint plant away from the map and out to the Great Pumpkin. The mint had used the pushpins the way honeysuckle used lattice; it climbed and stretched and curled around itself into impossible knots.

  She fisted her hands on her hips. “How am I going to get you home? I can’t leave you here. Paul will be gone, and then
you’ll be all by yourself.”

  The spring wind rushed up the stairs and banged the door against its stopper. The air swooped around the living room, and the mint leaves flapped against the map like green butterflies. Then, like magic, all of the tendrils dropped from the pushpins and dangled down the edges of the pot and carpeted the floor. Tessa gaped at the plant.

  “Oooh-kay. I guess you’re ready to go too.”

  Tessa gathered up the mint’s long vines and piled them on top of the pot. Then she hefted the plant and carried it down the stairs and placed it into the car. She buckled it against the passenger seat. By the time she was done, the Great Pumpkin smelled like Christmas.

  Tessa rolled down the windows and cranked the engine. Her cell phone rang, and she smiled at the caller’s name and picture blinking at her. “Lily!”

  “Hey, stranger! I am so sorry I haven’t called sooner. I know you’ve probably been knee deep in work and water and mud, and I had totally forgotten about this weekend when I was with you last weekend. Are you okay? How’s the condo? Did you decide to sell it? Who’s this Paul guy you’re talking about? Did you end up staying together? Tell me everything.”

  Tessa sagged against the seat and laughed. “I will when you stop talking. I can’t believe you said all of that without breathing.”

  “It’s a skill. So, how are you? Oh, and Anna’s here. She says hello.”

  Tessa heard Anna’s voice in the background. “Hey, Anna! Lily, put us on speaker. I have something to tell both of you.”

  “Oh, the suspense,” Lily said. “Okay, go for it. We’re both here. Should we be sitting down? Are you having Paul’s baby?”

  Tessa choked on a laugh. “Lily—”

  “I’m kidding.”

  Anna laughed. “Go on, Tessa. Spill the beans. I’ll tape Lily’s mouth shut.”

  Tessa cleared her throat and cast a sideways glance at the mint plant. “I decided to sell my condo, although I didn’t have much choice since all of the owners wanted to. And…well, I…I bought a new house. I mean, I bought a house. It’s not new, but it’s new to me.”

  Lily squealed. “Tessa! You’ve been holding out! When did this happen? I’ve only been gone for a long weekend. What did you buy?”

  “Let her talk,” Anna scolded.

  Tessa smiled. “I bought a house on your street, Lily. On Dogwood Lane.”

  “You did?” Lily asked. “I didn’t know there was a house for sale.”

  “Well…Honeysuckle Hollow,” Tessa said.

  The phone fell silent. Tessa heard waves crashing in the background. A lone seagull called.

  “Uh, hello?” Tessa said. She tried to imagine the faces of her two best friends. Were their eyes bulging? Were their mouths hanging agape like cartoon characters?

  “I could be wrong,” Lily said, “but isn’t Honeysuckle Hollow the place Dr. Hamilton used to own?”

  “Yes.”

  “Didn’t he pass away?” Anna asked.

  “Two years ago,” Tessa said.

  “And the house hasn’t been touched in just as long,” Lily said. “Tessa, is this a joke?”

  Tessa’s throat tightened. She squeezed the steering wheel. “It has great bones.”

  “Tell me you’re not serious,” Lily said. “It’s a dump. I mean, it was great years ago, but now it could pass for a haunted house.”

  “Lily,” Anna argued, “Tessa knows about houses. She wouldn’t buy something if she thought it was awful. Right, Tessa?”

  “It needs work,” Tessa said.

  “It needs more than work. First of all, how can you afford it? How are you going to afford fixing it up? It’s going to cost a fortune.”

  “I have my savings,” Tessa explained. “And I’m going to use the money from the sale of the condo to pay for the rehab.”

  Someone coughed, and Tessa sighed.

  “You know I love you, Tess,” Lily said, “but I think this is an awful idea. Anna hasn’t seen the place, so she can’t vouch for its dilapidation, but you should know better. What in the world were you thinking? Why would you use your savings on a gigantic house that’s falling apart? Why not buy a new house? A house that doesn’t look like nature is reclaiming it? Where’s your notebook? Did you get five people to tell you this was a great idea? I can’t believe your mama agreed to this decision.”

  Anger flared in Tessa. She clenched her jaw. “Look, you don’t know what you’re talking about. You don’t know anything about Honeysuckle Hollow. It’s a house worth preserving, and I don’t need a stupid notebook to tell me what I should and shouldn’t do—”

  “Tessa,” Anna interrupted, “you have been impulsive before—”

  “This is different,” Tessa argued. “This house needs me, and I need it. We need each other.” Tessa’s voice squeaked, and she sounded like someone who was losing her sanity, but she kept on. “I’m going to live there, and I’m going to live there starting tonight.”

  The phone fell silent again. Tessa’s heart thumped in her ears.

  “Have you talked to your mama?” Anna asked quietly.

  Tessa pressed her forehead against the steering wheel. “No.”

  “Don’t you think you should at least call her?”

  “No. Yes. I dunno.” Tessa lifted her head. “Why can’t you both just support my decision?”

  Lily scoffed. “Because it sounds half-cocked, that’s why.”

  Tears prickled in Tessa’s eyes.

  “Lily,” Anna scolded. She cleared her throat. “What she means is that we’re not trying to sound unsupportive. But we’re concerned, and we want what’s best for you. Buying an expensive run-down house sounds a little scary, and we don’t want you to get in over your head.”

  “Too late,” Tessa said. She squared her shoulders. “But I’m not changing my mind. I need to go. I have to get back to the house. Thanks for…” For making me feel worse? For making me feel as though I’ve made another stupid harebrained decision? “For calling. I’ll talk with y’all later.”

  “Tess—”

  She ended the call and dropped her phone into her lap. Then she covered her face and cried. If no one else on the planet agreed with her decision, Tessa had held on to the hope that her best friends would be on her side. If they thought buying the house was a moronic idea, what would they say about her clingy feelings for a kinda-sorta stranger?

  Tessa gave herself exactly five minutes to feel sorry for herself, and then she wiped her eyes and blew her nose. She looked over at the mint plant. “Should I call my mama?” The mint plant wiggled in the breeze. “You’re right. Best to get this over with.” Tessa grabbed her phone and called her parents.

  “Tessa?” her mama asked. “Hang on. Clayton, it’s Tessa, will you please turn that down. I can’t even hear myself think. Nobody on this street gives two licks about what we’re watching, but at that volume, they can surely hear it. Okay, now, let’s try this again.”

  “Hey, Mama.”

  “Don’t just hey, mama me. You haven’t called me back for days. Are you avoiding me? You’re not sitting around moping are you?”

  “Only for the past five minutes,” Tessa said, sniffling.

  “Is that sarcasm?” her mama asked. “Tell me about the condo. What’s happening? I feel out of the loop.”

  “You’re on vacation. You’re supposed to be out of the loop. First, how’re you and Daddy?” she asked, stalling and trying to breathe courage into her lungs.

  “Your dad is as happy as a clam at high tide. Did you know they have all you can eat apple pie out here? I think he’s going to eat himself sick every night, but every day he starts all over again. The weather is gorgeous. No humidity, of course, which means we can take a walk without needing a shower afterward. The house we’re in is a real class act. A turn of the century Victorian with all original hardwood, moldings, two-inch thick pocket doors, you name it. You should see the staircase, especially when the sunrise hits it.”

  Tessa sighed, picturing Honeysuck
le Hollow in her mind. “Wow, Mama, that sounds nice. I’m glad y’all are having a good time. Everything here is…fine.”

  “Fine is a loaded word.”

  Tessa’s eye twitched. She pressed her fingertips against it. “I’ve pretty much sold my condo. The final paperwork will be addressed on Monday, and I feel okay about it. And if you can believe it, a new listing popped up, and I think it’s a good fit for me.”

  Tessa’s mama inhaled. “You did? Well, honey, that was fast. I’m proud of you for making a plan and following through with it. Clayton, Tessa found a house.”

  Tessa heard her daddy’s grumbly voice in the background. “It’s an historic home, and it needs a bit of work, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

  Her mama made a noise in her throat. “How much work? Where’s the house?”

  “Dogwood Lane.”

  “Are you being vague on purpose?”

  Tessa puffed out air, and the mint quivered beside her. Rip it off like a Band-Aid. “I bought Honeysuckle Hollow, and I’ve already put down my earnest money, and I can’t turn back now, and I’m moving in tonight,” she said in one breath.

  Tessa’s mama made a choking noise. “I’m sorry, what? Dr. Hamilton’s place? Tessa, the last time I saw that house it was hiding behind a forest of weeds. I don’t think a bit of work is an honest description. No one has lived in that house in years as far as I know.”

  “It’s a great house, Mama.”

  “It was a great house twenty years ago. Now, it’s a money pit. Here’s what you should do. You should call back the seller and tell him that you suffered from temporary insanity because you lost your condo in the flood and you would like your earnest money back. There is no reason on this earth that you should purchase a fixer-upper, especially a mansion that’s falling apart. You can’t even change a flat tire. What in the world makes you think you can rehab a home or even have the money for it?”

  Tessa’s body trembled. Why was everyone so determined to destroy Honeysuckle Hollow or leave it to decay? “I used my savings to purchase the home. I’m not asking for my money back because I can’t. And even if I could, I don’t want to. This is what’s best for me.”