Going Home
The bags were packed in a rush. Despite the late hour, Jordan was at the front door within forty-five minutes. He lacked his usual suit, and Etta had to take a few seconds to process the image of the buttoned-down man in shorts. “Sorry about this,” Etta managed through her tears. “I put on a pot of coffee. Can I get you some?”
Jordan said nothing. He simply hugged her, foregoing any professional distance he usually tried to maintain. “Sit down.” When Etta let loose a sob before she could choke it back, he lowered her to the barstool at the counter. “There you go. I’ve got you booked on the next flight out, but that doesn’t leave until six in the morning.” He went to grab the blanket off the couch to wrap around Etta, but stopped when he found Anson unconscious. “What’s he doing sleeping here?”
“Oh, he had a little too much to drink. I didn’t want to try dragging him up the stairs.”
Jordan grimaced at the strange behavior. “Well, he’s going to have to get up soon. I’ll go upstairs and pack bags for both of you, and then wake him up when I come down.”
“No,” she sniffed, blowing her nose on her tissue. “No, he should sleep. I’ll call him in the morning so he knows where I’m at. He’s got those phone interviews tomorrow, and I don’t want him missing work for this.”
Jordan looked her over and sized up the situation. “Is this you not wanting to be a burden?”
Etta nodded, sipping her coffee with shaking hands. Chloe was crying in the guest room, while Ekaterina and Oksana packed her things back into her luggage.
Jordan shook his head and faced Etta with the rare display of authority. “You would wreck him if he woke up and you were gone. I can reschedule his radio interviews, no problem. He’s going with you.” He held up his hand to Etta’s protest. “Your friend died. Now, I’m going to wake him up. I don’t want you to even mention that you tried to leave without telling him a thing. You have to stop looking at this as if you’re some big inconvenience to everyone. Just let him love you.” Before Etta could respond, Jordan was already thumping Anson on the forehead, annoying him until he stirred.
Five hours later, the three of them were in the air on their way back to the mountains. Chloe, for once, had very little to say. She’d cried out her tears hours ago, but had yet to find the will to engage in the world around her.
Jordan was a godsend, booking their flights, packing their bags and even going so far as to schedule a cab to pick them up at the airport. The day was a blur until the familiar sights of Foot Town wakened them from their haze.
Anson handled his hangover, lack of sleep and agoraphobia like a champ, making his anxiety noticeable only in the form of clenching Etta’s hand when he was feeling particularly tense. He served as the official hug-giver for both girls, feeling gratified when they both nodded off on his shoulders at one point during the flight.
They dropped Chloe off at Benjamin’s house. Anson carried Chloe’s bags to the door for her and shook Benjamin’s hand in response to the profuse thanks he lavished on the man for bringing his daughter home so quickly.
Etta said precious little since they left the mansion. Anson tried to get her to talk about it, but she had no words. He watched her well up when the French Connection came into view. In that glimpse of longing hopefulness, he knew he had been wrong to take her away from her home. No matter how diplomatic she tried to be about it, he was determined they would stay in the mountains.
Anson took the bags into the house, and for once, Etta did not argue. The weight of the world pushed the fight out of her, and she had barely the strength to make it to her home.
One step inside, and all her composure broke. The sight of Cooper cleaning up the kitchen after the guests ate their dinner was too much to be brave through. “Cassoulet? Is that cassoulet?” she asked in a desperate whisper. The house smelled like her grandfather had been cooking in it, and her heart lurched for the comfort he gave.
Cooper stared back at his best friend, noting the changes just a few months made to her. She was tanned and somehow lacked her usual spark. Her hair was trimmed more stylishly than she’d ever allowed, and her shoes were designer label. In the next breath, she was in his arms, sobbing out her sadness onto his stained white t-shirt. “How can she be dead?”
Emotion Cooper had been holding back sprung to his tear ducts, ran down his cheeks and dampened her hair. “She was old, Etta. Vera was eighty-two. It’s normal for stuff like that to happen.”
“I was gone! I was in another state when she fell and broke her leg. Then falling down the stairs and breaking her neck? Coop, she was probably trying to bring the jams up from the basement, which is my job!”
“Shh.” He bunched her hair with his fist and squeezed her. “It’s not your job to take care of everyone. And it happened on Thursday, which isn’t jam day, anyway.”
“You made cassoulet.”
Cooper grinned and wiped his face clean of moisture. “Of course I did. It’s Saturday night. Papa Henri had a schedule. I’m just following it.” He pointed to a faded and worn piece of paper on the fridge that held the menu on it. “I’ve got a few guests upstairs and a couple on a walk in the woods. You hungry?”
Etta shook her head, though she knew he could see the fib. “Could we just lie down for a bit? We hopped on the first plane out when we heard. We’re kinda beat.”
Cooper looked up, and for the first time noticed Anson standing in the doorway wearing a stony expression. He unhanded Etta and extended a greeting to Anson. “Hey, man. Good to see you.”
Anson shook his hand. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Let me just clean up the room a little, and it’s all yours.”
“Cooper, no. You’re running the business. You should have the big room down here.”
“Are you kidding me? Papa’s room is perfect. The newlyweds are big into making babies, but they think it has to be done really loudly. They’re right above your bedroom. You’re welcome.” He disappeared into her bedroom and emerged a few minutes later, depositing several armloads of clothes in his new room. “Go lay down, kids,” he ordered. “I’ll bring you in some dinner in a bit.”
“Coop, you don’t have to wait on me. You’re mourning, too.”
“Have you forgotten our dynamic? Has it been that long? You get sad, and you shut down in your bedroom for months on end. I get sad, and everything in the house magically gets fixed.”
Etta nodded. “I forgot.” She took her bag from Anson and led him to the bedroom they had spent so many nights in together. The only effort she made in getting comfortable was to take off her shoes before climbing under the covers. When Anson did not join her, she reached up and pulled him down next to her. “Much better.” She closed her eyes as she made herself comfortable against his firm chest, needing his warmth more than ever. Etta took a deep breath and exhaled out the tension that had been building since she left the French Connection. Finally, she was home.
Anson and Cooper
The funeral for Vera was closed-casket, which is what Etta preferred. Papa’s memorial had been the same way, and Etta wondered what horrors Vera’s body had undergone that made a closed-casket necessary. Anson sat with her and held her hand through the entire week of mourning, even pitching in around the house when Cooper’s grief got the best of him. He slowly learned the ropes of running the B&B when there were guests to take care of. He tried to stay out of sight, but he was occasionally spotted by a guest now and then, and was grateful no one seemed to recognize him.
One evening after Etta was asleep, Anson brought Cooper some supper he made himself. It was Beef Burgundy, which was the only dinner recipe he had been able to master. The aroma filled every room, and the meal was appreciated throughout the house. “Thanks, Anson,” Cooper said. “But you don’t have to wait on me. You’re the guest.”
“I’m not a guest. Etta and I still have to talk more about it, but we’re moving back here. So if you could show me what needs to be done, that’d be great.
I don’t really know what I’m doing.”
Cooper blinked a few times before his slow response came. “Oh. I had no idea. I thought you two were just back for the funeral.”
“I’m not really rooted in LA, and Etta loves it here. Just makes sense. She wasn’t making many friends, and she’s got you and Chloe here.”
“Okay. Um, I guess I can move back home, then.” He chewed the beef that was a little tougher than the recipe usually produced. “I was actually thinking of making a bid for Vera’s place. Thomas can’t run the business himself. I heard him talking about moving out of state and putting the house up for sale. I wasn’t going to because I made a commitment to Etta’s place first. But if she’s coming back…”
“She is. We are. I need you to show me how to run things, though. I don’t have any experience taking care of an old house or running a Bed and Breakfast. Etta doesn’t show me how to help her. She just does everything herself and gets stressed out.”
Anson chuckled. “Well, that’s genetic. You should’ve seen her and Papa Henri. Got into some nasty fights over who was working too hard and who needed to back off. Pretty much the only time they disagreed.” He took another bite. “Sure. I can help you read the Etta brail.”
“Thanks. And I hope I don’t need to say this to you, but Etta and I are together. You had your chance, so don’t go kissing her anymore.”
Cooper’s hard expression surfaced for only a moment, taking the lecture in stride. “I won’t. I don’t know what happened last time. Lost my mind for a minute. After she left, Chloe took me down to Foot Town to blow off some steam. I met someone.” He refused to look up from his plate. “Not sure if it’s a real someone or not, but point is, I’m not interested in chasing Etta anymore. You’re the only one she’s ever let catch her. Oblivious to everyone else.” He postured. “But we’re still friends, and you need to be cool with that.”
“I can work on it, if that’s what Etta wants.”
“I was just going to split some wood after this. You should probably learn how to do that. Etta swings an axe like a little girl. She gets the job done, but it’s exhausting to watch.”
“Alright. Teach me how.”
The two spent ample time out back, splitting wood and doing other menial outdoor upkeep tasks. Cooper took Anson on a tour of the greenhouse, and Anson finally had to resort to writing the instructions down as they went. Crop rotation, composting, the water schedule and the harvesting were all new to him, but he was determined to learn. Etta had done her best to make a real life for them in LA, and succeeded in getting him to rejoin the city after years of hiding from it. He vowed to put in the same effort to fit in with her world.
Cooper was a patient teacher, going through each step and then making Anson try it to be sure he understood. “You’re not totally useless,” he commented as they made their way back inside. “I mean, you haven’t had one of your weird fits since you got back.”
Anson took a few seconds before responding. “I do better up here where no one recognizes me as anyone other than Etta’s boyfriend. It’s easier for me.” He took the juice from the fridge and poured them both a glass. “Thanks for this. You’re not a complete tool, like you used to be.”
“Aw, look at us,” Cooper commented, downing the sweet liquid. “Best buddies already. Wait till Jamie hears you’re moving back. You think I was trouble for Etta? My little cousin has it bad for his old babysitter.”
“I don’t think anyone could be worse than you, but thanks for the heads up.” Anson washed his cup in the sink. “So, did you need any help buying Vera’s house?”
Cooper shrugged. “I’m not really sure. I can figure it out. I mean, I’ve just never bought property before. But the money part’s fine. I’ve been working and not spending since I was a kid.”
Anson nodded. “If you need a realtor or a lawyer or whatever, let me know. Happy to help.”
“Thanks. That’s real decent of you. And well played, humanizing the demon. Makes it harder for me to hate your guts. I can almost get what Etta sees in you.”
“Watch it,” Anson said, turning to smile at the man he never thought he would share friendly banter with. “I’m taken.”
“Well, with that kinda charm, it’s no wonder.” Cooper motioned to the basement below them. “Did you want to learn about the water pipes? Sometimes they need tinkering with.”
“Sure.”
A quiet voice alerted them to Etta’s presence. “Why does Anson need to learn about the pipes?”
“Ah,” Cooper said, standing from the table. “I’ll leave you to your oncoming fight. Trying to help this one’s just asking for the lion to bite. Can’t change the butter churn.” He excused himself to his room.
“Anson?”
He motioned for her to sit at the table, and then heated her up a bowl of Beef Burgundy. “Cooper was just showing me around outside. If I’m going to be living here, I want to be helpful.”
Etta’s eyes bulged. “You still want to? I thought you were just saying things because you were drunk.”
“I was drunk, but I’m still here. I told you I’d go where you go. Did you think my life in LA was so important I wouldn’t move for you? I know how unhappy you were there.”
“I’m sorry,” Etta said with a frown. “I can do better. Maybe I didn’t try hard enough.”
“Cooper’s putting an offer in on Vera’s place. He won’t be here to run the business, so it just makes sense that we come back and do it.”
Etta processed the new information as she took her first bite. “You made this?”
“Why? Did I do it wrong? If it’s off, then Cooper made it.”
Cooper’s voice boomed from the bedroom. “I heard that, traitor!”
“It’s not off. It’s wonderful. Thank you. I was starving.”
“Finally,” Anson said, sitting down across from her. “You’ve barely eaten since we got back. Are you alright?”
Etta shrugged. “Vera’s dead. I know she was horrible to you, but she was like a grandma to me. Plus I just feel awful about our fight before we left. I was so mean to you and selfish. It’s fine that Ekaterina’s your friend, and I really like her. I just got overwhelmed by the LA of it all for a second. I should’ve kept my mouth shut, but I ruined everything. I’m so sorry.”
Anson reached across the table and held her hand. “The only thing I got mad about was how long it upset you before you said anything. Don’t do that anymore. Talk to me. Be in this with me.”
Etta nodded. “Okay. I’m sorry. I don’t really know how to do relationships well.”
“That’s alright.” He watched her eat a few more bites, glad to see her not starving herself anymore. “Can I tell Jordan to send my stuff here? I won’t sell my place or anything. Just move here for as long as we want. I have two more contractual obligation events, but I’ve got months to do that. You okay with a couple quick trips to LA every now and then?”
Tears she thought she cried the last of sprang to her eyes as she jumped out of her seat and flung her arms around her boyfriend. “Yes! Really? Thank you so much! I missed it so bad up here.”
“I know.” He kissed the top of her head. Then he picked up the landline and placed the call to Jordan, who already started boxing up his things in anticipation of the move he knew was coming.
“Thank you, Anson! Thank you.” She repeated her gratitude over and over, relief crashing over her in gentle waves. So many things felt off about her life in LA. To solve them all with a simple location change was just the snap of the fingers that fixed the churning in her stomach.
Lumberjack John
“Thomas is leaving most of their stuff behind. He’s moving in with his sister, and she’s got all the household things. I don’t need another teapot, Etta.” Cooper placed the girly teapot back on the counter with minimal visible disdain and fished through the box to make sure she was not being overly generous. “This is your hammer. I’ve got plenty of my own tools without taking yours.”
“Stop momming me. I see what you’re doing.”
She smiled up at him and ruffled his messy hair. “You’re just so grown up!”
They had gutted and cleaned Vera’s house the week before. The crew was small, but determined that Vera’s house would not be sold to an outsider who would use it once a year as a vacation home. The whole town pitched in to help Cooper, who was cashing in on all the favors he had done for everyone over the years. Walls were stripped and painted, floors were sanded, inventory was taken of all the things Cooper had and would still need to run the business.
It was a town effort, and Anson was there for every swing of the hammer. He learned things he had never been taught before, and by the week’s end, he was known to the others as a very handy and humble man, and a proud member of the selective community.
Etta was so relieved Cooper and Anson were getting along that she lost track of the days they all spent together. When they were not working on polishing up Cooper’s new place, Anson was learning from Cooper how to more effectively take care of the house.
When Chloe and Jamie had a free day, the five went down to the creek for a swim. Etta was so free of her previous prudish preferences, she even wore a modest bathing suit with nothing over it when she went in for a dunk. Chloe warned the guys not to comment on the change, lest it scare her bravery away.
Everyone noticed the change in Etta. She hummed for no reason, she was not overwhelmed by the work, she picked up Vera’s job of making jams for the general store without a hitch, and her greenhouse was booming with new life.
Around town, Etta and Anson were usually seen together, and the residents began addressing him by name instead of “Etta’s special friend”. They treated him like one of their own. When Anson was recognized by a giddy shopper in the General Store, Benjamin did not miss a beat. “Oh, him? That’s John. He gets that all the time. I personally don’t see it. You should see John with an axe. Don’t think a posh actor would be able to handle his own up here.”
Liberating Mr. Gable Page 24
