Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 68074 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68074 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
“That’s fine. I already have her application,” the man said. He didn’t sound particularly interested one way or the other.
“Great, thanks.” I hung up. I reached the driveway and jogged upstairs to my bedroom. I started packing right then, already anticipating my new lease on life.
Idecided to skip the peacemaking activities with my mom, worried that if I dropped by the kitchen again, she would subject me to another drug test. Instead, I waited until work began the next day to talk to my dad in his office.
“Hey, Dad.” I poked my head in, just to make sure he was alone.
“Hey, Mike.” He waved me in.
“I was approved for the cabin,” I began.
“So I heard,” Dad said.
“I’d like Monday and possibly Tuesday off if that’s okay. I don’t have that much stuff to move, but I’m going to rent a U-Haul and do it myself.”
“You could ask some of the boys to help you out,” Dad suggested.
I shrugged. “It’s just one room. I don’t really want to pay anyone else to help.”
“Suit yourself,” Dad shrugged.
“Another thing,” I added. “Tammy, the girl I told you about, she’s going to come live with me.”
Dad raised an eyebrow, and I could sense a lecture coming on.
“She’s living in her cousin’s laundry room, and she needs a place of her own.”
“A place of her own is not your bed,” Dad reprimanded, sounding more like Mom than he had in the past.
“Jesus Christ, Dad. I’m not a horny teenager. I can have a female roommate and control myself.”
Dad held his hands up in mock surrender. “We’re just worried about you. We don’t want you to get your heart broken.” Dad stood up. “I’m proud of you for the way you’ve turned your life around. I’m excited you got this cabin, and I’d like to meet Tammy when you’re ready.”
I was pleasantly surprised. It was nice to hear that my dad had my back; I had been beginning to wonder. I stepped forward to wrap my old man into a hug. He thumped my back affectionately. I went to work with a spring in my step, excited to begin the next chapter of my life. Tammy and I were perfect together, and it might have been earlier than either of us expected but sharing a house could only bring us closer. I wasn’t worried about drama or heartache. I had faith in us and our relationship. We weren’t just lovers. We were also friends and living together would come naturally. Waking up across the hall, sharing breakfast and dinner would transport me away from my daily grind. And the sex would be fantastic. I couldn’t wait to finish my shift and start moving.
16
TAMMY
“So, what do you think?” I asked Macy over dinner.
“I think it’s too soon to move in together, but if you really feel like this is the right thing to do, you have my blessings,” Macy said. “But you have to promise to come back if anything goes wrong.”
“I promise,” I agreed.
“What did Lindsey say?” Dillon asked with a chuckle.
“She’s picking out wedding presents already,” I sighed.
Both Macy and Dillon laughed. We finished dinner talking about the cabin and logistics of moving. I had just two suitcases here but a fair amount of stuff in storage outside of town. I was going to have to rent a U-Haul and get some help with the furniture.
“I can come down,” Dillon said. “And we can probably get Bradley from the storage place to help us move at that end.”
“I can help,” I offered.
Dillon nodded his agreement.
“Tomorrow’s my day off,” I said. “Can we go tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow I have a call at nine,” Dillon said, “but I could go in the afternoon.”
Macy took pity on me, seeing my pinched face. “I can go in the morning.”
Dillon opened his mouth to protest.
“It’s just a dresser and a mattress,” she pointed out. “Tammy and I can handle it. And like you said, we can get help from Mr. Bradley.”
Dillon shrugged. “If you want to wait, I can help.”
“We’ll be fine.” Macy stood up and kissed him on the top of his head, clearing away the dishes.
I spent my last night in the laundry room, staring up at the ceiling, too excited to sleep. I texted Mike when it became apparent that I would be lying awake all night. He texted back immediately.
Thinking about the cabin, I texted.
Do you have a TV? he wrote.
Yes. A small one.
Do you have any lamps?
Maybe. I don’t remember, I answered.
We went back and forth about our day, about how we were going to organize things in the cabin, and about our jobs. I told him Lindsey was picking out China patterns already. He sent back three laughing emojis and one heart.
I was finally able to sleep, hugging my phone to my chest. By tomorrow, I would be able to cross the hall if I wanted to talk to him. We could lie in bed together and let our thoughts wander. We could make love anytime we felt like it. It made me nervous to be moving this fast, but it also felt right. I had been down in the dumps in Austin for too long, emotionally. This could be just what I needed.