Room For You (Cranberry Inn)

by Beth Ehemann

  “No, he doesn’t see them. He left right before their first birthday. I haven’t seen him since. I don’t even know where he is,” I blurted out, one sentence right after the other.

  “Wow, he left you?” He looked at me incredulously, shaking his head. “What an idiot.”

  His comment embarrassed me slightly, but also made my heart soar. It had been a long time since a man had complimented me, and never someone as good-looking as Brody. I didn’t have time to respond before he continued his inquiry into my past.

  “So, that was like four years ago, right? Have you dated since?”

  I quickly thought about yawning or faking a sudden headache and going off to bed, but what I did next surprised even me. For once, I didn’t feel like running. Talking to Brody and looking into his sincere, green eyes was comfortable, like I had been friends with him for years.

  “I’ve dated a little here and there, nothing serious. I’m pretty picky about who I go out with.”

  “Picky? How come?”

  “My life isn’t just about me anymore. I’m dragging two innocent little girls along on this ride, so I definitely have a pretty solid idea of what I want in a partner.”

  “Partner. Hmm, that sounds so … official. We’ll get back to that—right now, though, I’m dying to know these qualities you’re looking for.”

  He pulled the stool out, sat down and leaned in closer, anxious to hear what I was going to say next.

  I pulled out the other stool and followed suit.

  “Well … he has to be responsible, stable, grounded…”

  Brody’s face was unreadable, as though he couldn’t compute what I had just said.

  “What?” I asked him defensively.

  He didn’t answer, he just dropped his head into his arms and pretended to snore, loudly.

  I reached over and smacked his arm. “Knock it off!”

  His head snapped back up, and he looked bewildered. “Why the hell would you want that guy? He sounds like a total buzzkill.”

  “He’s not a buzzkill, he’s responsible. A good role model for the girls.”

  “No way! The girls are five. They have you to be their good role model. They want someone who will stomp around in the mud with them and let them stay up late and eat junk food when you’re not home. They need someone fun. Sounds like you do too.”

  “I have fun!” I blurted out.

  “Calm down, Killer, I wasn’t being mean. I think all the qualities you want in a guy are … nice. I just think you also need someone who will show you how fun life can be. Ya know, make it exciting too. Don’t you want that?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. That’s not really a priority to me. I just need someone who is willing to take on the dad role and not bail when it gets tough.”

  Saying that sentence out loud made a huge lump form in my throat.

  “Your own happiness isn’t a priority?” Brody looked at me with wide, shocked eyes. “Wow. That’s incredible. How will your girls ever be happy if you aren’t?”

  “I don’t know. I never really thought about that,” I said quietly.

  “Well, how about this … how about you let me come back up here in a week and show you a good time? Show you how fun life can be?” His eyes danced with an excitement that made me want to get up off the stool and twirl around with them.

  I woke up to the smell of bacon assaulting my nose, and my stomach responded with a loud growl.

  “Is he dead?” A tiny voice whispered.

  I cracked my eye open just a bit to see Lucy and Piper sitting on the fireplace bench staring at me.

  “No, he’s not. He just moved,” Lucy whispered to Piper.

  “His nose holes are opening and closing,” Piper responded, making a gross face.

  Unable to hold it together, I laughed out loud at Piper’s comment.

  “Girls, get over here!” Kacie whispered sternly. “Did you wake him?”

  Lucy cupped her hands around her mouth and turned to face her mom. “We were making sure he wasn’t dead.” She not-so-quietly whispered back.

  I laughed again as they scurried back to the kitchen. Rolling onto my stomach, I propped myself up on my elbows to face Kacie.

  “I’m so sorry, go back to sleep. I’ll make them hush.” She apologized.

  She looked even cuter than she did last night, if that was possible. She had on little black pants that said Pink across the back and made her ass look phenomenal, and a Minnesota Twins t-shirt.

  She’s a sports fan too? This girl just got better and better.

  “It’s ok, really. What time is it?” I rubbed my eyes and looked around for my cell phone.

  “Seven-thirty. I’m making breakfast. You hungry?” she asked, wiping her hands on a dishtowel.

  “Starving.”

  “Wanna help me cut up some fruit?” she asked shyly, biting her lip.

  Can I eat it off of you after we cut it?

  “Sure, I’ll be right there, just gimme a minute to wake up.”

  That was a lie. I didn’t need to wake up. I was wide awake, but if I stood up right now I would most likely embarrass both of us.

  “Okay, everyone else should be down soon. I’d better get cooking.” She smiled again and turned back to whatever she was mixing on the counter.

  I lay there for a minute, wishing the others weren’t coming down. I couldn’t pinpoint what it was exactly, but I liked being around her, especially alone. We had a blast talking late last night. She had no idea who I was but seemed to be into me. I wanted to explore that a little more.

  I got up and folded up the blankets Kacie had given me the night before and piled them on the floor next to the fireplace.

  “Good morning, everyone!” Ashley chirped loudly as she bounced into the kitchen.

  “Morning, Ashley.” I heard Kacie greet back.

  “Hey, handsome.” She cooed annoyingly when she came into the family room.

  I studied her face as she got closer. Who wore that much makeup this early in the morning? She looked like she got smacked in the face by a drunk rainbow.

  “Good morning,” I said back politely.

  She walked behind me, running her hand up my arm and over my shoulder. “Maybe today we can watch that movie?”

  “Uh, maybe,” I replied, trying to be polite.

  I was used to girls throwing themselves at me and handing me phone numbers, even the occasional hotel room key, but I never followed up. It wasn’t my style, and Ashley certainly wasn’t the one changing that for me. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Kacie watching us, cracking a grin when Ashley made the movie suggestion, again. Kacie knew I’d lied to Ashley about having a girlfriend the night before, and she was thoroughly enjoying my squirming. Ashley turned around to look out the back door of the family room, and I shot Kacie a playful glare and shook my head. She threw her head back and laughed silently.

  “How’s the weather looking?” Fred said as he came into the family room.

  “Mornin’, Fred. Not sure, I haven’t turned the TV on yet,” I replied, shaking his hand.

  “Well, let’s check it out.” Fred grabbed the remote and flipped on the morning news.

  “Yes, Bob, raining cats and dogs is an understatement, and it doesn’t look like it’s stopping any time soon. Folks, if you had plans today, you’d better cancel them. We are expecting more rain and lots of it. In some areas it’s coming down at the rate of one inch per hour. Massive flooding all over the county and power outages galore-”

  Fred clicked the TV off in the middle of the weatherman’s report and dropped the remote on the couch, his head falling back in exasperation. He looked over toward Sophia and my eyes followed. Poor Sophia. I knew that look anywhere—my mom made it too. She was panicked, clutching her necklace, staring back at Fred. He got up off the couch and walked over to her, putting his arm around her shoulders.

  “It’s okay, don’t worry. The sandbags are keeping the lake at bay and you bought that back-up generator for a
reason. It’s business as usual around here.” She looked over and smiled at him, her face more relaxed.

  I walked into the kitchen, up behind Kacie who was on her tiptoes trying to reach something in the fridge.

  “Need help?”

  “Ah!” she yelled, spinning around. Her back slammed against the refrigerator shelves.

  “Whoa! Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry. My mind was somewhere else.”

  “I hope wherever it was, it was having fun.” I winked at her playfully. “What can I help you with?”

  “Knowing my brain, it was re-organizing a closet and sorting dirty laundry into color coordinated piles.” She grinned up at me. “Um … wanna cut up some strawberries?”

  “Yep, I’m all over it.” I grabbed the cutting board and pint of strawberries and got to work.

  “Kacie, did Fred tell you about the shower?” Sophia asked her.

  “The shower?” Kacie pulled her brows in close and looked at her mom, confused.

  “Nothing major. I think it’s just a broken cartridge, but no water comes out, so no one can use it until it’s fixed. I’ll get to it this afternoon,” Fred said, walking over to pour himself a cup of coffee.

  “Oh, no biggie. If I smell today, it’s Fred’s fault.” Kacie teased, nudging him with her elbow as he walked by.

  I discreetly stared at Kacie as she continued small talk with her mom and Fred. I had found myself doing that a lot over the last eighteen hours, but I couldn’t help it. She was mesmerizing, every little thing about her. From her bright green eyes, to her cute little nose that crinkled just a little bit every time she smiled. When we were talking last night, I was trying hard to concentrate on what she was saying, but I kept drifting off, getting lost in her features. Twenty-four hours ago, I didn’t know this girl existed. Now I wanted to know every single detail about her, all the way down to her shoe size.

  “Mmmmm, I love strawberries. So sweet and juicy.” Ashley winked at me as she reached over and grabbed a berry, popping it into her mouth.

  I smiled politely, finding it hard to hide my annoyance with her any longer. Though this detour to the Cranberry Inn wasn’t planned, it had been surprisingly awesome so far, except for Ashley. She was a thorn in my side that I wish I could remove. I didn’t have a lot of time left here, and she was not the one I wanted to spend it with.

  Just then, Kacie wiggled in between Ashley and me with catlike prowess and set down a cast iron skillet full of gooey, delicious-looking cinnamon rolls on the island. She took the cutting board from me, brushing the strawberries into a bowl. Her eyes sparkled when she looked at me out of the corner of her eye and I knew what she was doing.

  She was saving me from Ashley, amongst other things.

  A few hours after breakfast, I was holed up in my bedroom, listening to the rain bounce off the roof and avoiding reality. I needed a break … from the house, from the girls, from Brody. Not that Brody being at the house was a bad thing, but his presence was awakening a part of my brain that had been dormant for a long time and that was exhausting. My life the last four years had been simple, and I liked that. I needed it. Our life with the inn was so chaotic that I craved as much routine as possible in our day-to-day lives. I woke up every day knowing what was going to happen and did my best to keep us organized and on schedule. Needless to say, the storm threw me off balance, especially with Brody showing up. I hadn’t planned on dating anyone until after I was done with nursing school, but now I was questioning things. Was there room in my life for someone now?

  Grabbing my cell phone, I decided to text Alexa to distract myself.

  HEY! HOW ARE YOU GUYS DOING OVER THERE?

  It was less than 30 seconds before my phone beeped in return.

  POOKS! WE’RE OKAY. POWER IS OUT. I’M BORED. DEREK KEEPS TRYING TO HAVE SEX. IT’S ANNOYING. HOW ARE YOU ALL DOING?

  I laughed at her ridiculous nickname for me. I called her Pookie Bear once in high school after a marathon wine cooler session and she had shortened it and called me Pooks ever since. I made the decision right then not to tell her about Brody. First, she wouldn’t understand my hesitation in opening myself up for an opportunity, then she would call my mom and they would be picking out my wedding dress together. Alexa wanted me to get married almost as badly as my mom did.

  WE’RE OKAY. COUPLE SURPRISE GUESTS WHO WERE STUCK. POWER KEEPS FLICKERING ON AND OFF, OTHER THAN THAT, NOTHING TOO EXCITING. I’LL TEXT YOU TOMORROW. HOPEFULLY THIS RAIN LETS UP AND WE CAN MEET FOR LUNCH LATER IN THE WEEK?

  Obviously, once high school ended and I had the girls, life had changed dramatically. I couldn’t always drop everything and run out and do what I wanted like most of my other friends. Sometimes I was jealous of Alexa and her freedom to do whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. My mom insisted I still have a life outside of the inn, so she agreed to babysit the girls once a week for a day out with Alexa. When I first moved back, we would go out to clubs or bars on the weekends, but I was a lightweight and was always yawning by ten o’clock. Eventually we switched the outings to lunch dates, or I would just grab takeout and hang out at her flower shop.

  YES, FOR SURE! OKAY, DEREK IS STICKING HIS HAND DOWN MY PANTS YET AGAIN, GOTTA GO BREAK IT OFF. STAY DRY. LOVE YA!

  I put my phone down and looked outside at the pouring rain. Maybe Alexa and my mom were right—I was too closed off from the possibility of love again. Was I even really in love with Zach the last time? Ugh, just saying his name to myself made my stomach turn. I couldn’t think about this right now, my brain was as cloudy as the sky out my window. I went to find the girls and persuade them to play a game with me.

  The house was silent. No one was in the living room or the kitchen. I walked through the hallway to the front room and found my mom sitting on the couch looking out the window, smiling.

  “Where is everyone?”

  “Oh, they’re all milling around here somewhere.”

  “Where are Piper and Lucy?”

  “Brody was taking Diesel out to go potty and they asked if they could go with...” She smiled at me and nodded her head toward the window.

  I walked over and looked out and my heart stuttered to a halt. Lucy and Piper were on the driveway with Brody, jumping in and out of rain puddles. I looked at my mom who was all teary-eyed watching them have fun.

  “You’re such a sap,” I said, sticking my tongue out at her on my way through the front door.

  I stepped discreetly out onto the large country-style covered porch and hugged myself because of the chill in the air. My arms were cold, but my heart was warm watching the girls. Their soaking wet hair was glued to their faces, but I don’t think I had ever seen them smile that big. They giggled wildly as the three of them held hands jumping in and out of every puddle they could find.

  “This one, Brody, do this one!” Lucy squealed.

  “This one? Okay, Twinkies … get ready!” Brody stepped back a few feet and pumped his arms, gaining momentum before he jumped as high as I’d ever seen a grown man jump. He landed right in the center of a huge puddle. They shrieked and shielded their faces from the wave of water crashing over them.

  “You guys are going to catch pneumonia!” I called out to them, not really wanting them to stop. I was having too much fun watching. They looked over at me and whooped again when Brody jumped high and landed in the same puddle.

  “Mom! Come jump with us!” Piper called out, marching around in a circle.

  “No way, I’m just fine up here watching you. You have fun.”

  “Come on, Mom, pleeeeease!” Lucy begged.

  “Yeah, come on, Mom,” Brody teased, motioning me with his fingers. “Get out here.”

  “No thanks, you guys look like a bunch of wet dogs.” I looked over at Diesel who was curled up at the end of the porch watching them. He cocked his head and looked at me. “No offense, Diesel.”

  “Wet dogs? We look like wet dogs?” Brody exclaimed. “What do you
think of that, girls?”

  “Booooo!” They yelled in unison, still puddle jumping.

  “I have an idea,” Brody said, pulling the girls into a huddle. He put his arms around their shoulders and talked quietly.

  “Okay, ready … one … two…”

  “THREE!” The girls yelled out together as Brody took off in a sprint straight for me. I held my hands up in front of me, backing up toward the house.

  “No, no, no! What are you-?” Before I could finish the sentence, Brody picked me up and carried me out onto the driveway. I instinctively wrapped my hands around his neck, enjoying the feel of his strong shoulders under my arms. Before I had time to get comfortable, we were standing over a puddle and he was grinning devilishly at me.

  “No way, don’t you dare,” I warned him.

  “What do you think, Twinkies? She called us wet dogs. What should we do with her?”

  “Pud-dles! Pud-dles!” They chanted in unison.

  Little traitors.

  With the girls cheering him on, Brody marched around the driveway in circles, splashing my butt in drops of cold water. The girls laughed louder and harder with each puddle. I forgot how cold I was when I looked at their sweet little faces and how much fun they were having.

  “Jump! Jump!” Lucy jumped up and down clapping.

  Brody looked right into my eyes, our faces only inches apart. My heart was beating so hard I was wondering if he could feel it too. I hadn’t wanted to kiss someone that bad in a really long time. If the girls hadn’t been right there, I might have made the first move.

  “You wouldn’t do that to me.” I narrowed my eyes, looking straight into his.

  “Wouldn’t I?” He raised an eyebrow in defiance and with that, up in the air we both went. His feet slammed to the ground two seconds before a huge rush of cold water covered my whole backside. I squealed and arched my back, almost falling out of Brody’s grasp.