AllFreeNovel
Share Us
1
EMERY
“Girl, look at you!” Anna says as she comes to a stop in front of me. Her brown eyes looking me up and down as a smile tugs at her lips.
“Me? Look at you! I mean, can those legs get any longer?” I motion toward her impossibly long legs—legs so long, they should be illegal.
She laughs, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. “Get over here.” Her hands grip my shoulders and she pulls me in for a long hug.
I smile as I wrap my arms around her waist. “I missed you.”
“Missed you more. Come on. Let’s go inside and catch up.” She releases me from the hug, but her hand latches onto my wrist as she drags me toward the entrance of her beautiful one-story home.
“This place is so cute,” I gush, taking in the green grass, the perfectly trimmed shrubs along the foundation, and the cute potted plants that are scattered around the front porch. It’s a white ranch style house with black accents.
She pushes open the front door, steps inside, and motions for me to come in. “Thank you. Would you believe this place was built in the fifties?” Her eyes double in size.
I scoff. “No way.”
She nods, shutting the door behind us. “Want anything to drink?” she asks, turning toward the kitchen.
“Sure. Whatever you have,” I answer, following her in and sliding onto one of the barstools at the island.
As she digs around in the stainless-steel fridge for a drink, I explore the kitchen area. The house has clearly been remodeled recently and is now sleek and modern. The kitchen is right off the entryway and then opens into the living room. Even though the house looks small from the outside, the kitchen is rather large. One side houses all the cabinets and appliances while the other side holds a dining table and chairs with the island bar, where I’m sitting.
Anna pulls out two bottles of water, sets one down in front of me, and then uncaps the other for herself. “I’m so glad you’re here. I’ll admit, when we talked about this as an option, I wasn’t sure you’d go along with it.”
I swallow a sip of water. “Well, my parents aren’t happy but they get it.”
I met Anna in college my freshman year and we quickly became the best of friends. However, she is a year older than me. Last year when she graduated, her grandmother was in the process of moving in with Anna’s mom due to old age. This house belonged to her grandmother who decided to gift it to her. I spent my senior year in the dorm and now that I’ve graduated, it’s time for my life to really start. My parents were expecting me to move back home, but I’ve fallen in love with Texas and have no desire to return to Michigan. Anna offered to rent me a room in her house so I don’t have to find my own place immediately. Plus, it was way easier to move thirty minutes away than halfway across the country.
I’m positive that moving to Texas for college was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I love the weather here, and I’ve always hated the snow and bitter cold in Michigan. I love the people and their values, and they make Texas feel like home to me. I can see myself living here for a long time, maybe forever.
It also helps that Anna is friends with a local business owner and was able to pull some strings and managed to get me a job at a daycare here in town. Of course, this is only my first step at planning my future. I don’t plan on working for someone else my whole life, but I’m willing to do so until I can save enough money to open my own daycare one day.
“So, how are things with you? How’s work?”
She runs her fingers through her brown hair, combing out a few tangles. “Work is great. I was really nervous getting started. I mean, I’ve never ran my own business before and I was terrified that I’d end up going bankrupt and my investors would be suing my pants off, but I couldn’t ask for any better results. From the day we opened, we’ve turned a profit. I never thought a little boutique could do so well.”
“Well, I’ve checked out your online store and everything is super cute so I’m not surprised at all. You’re staying ahead of the trends so everyone is racing to your store to get the next new thing. I think it’s great.” I nod once, completely sure of my statement.
She laughs. “You sure you really want to go wipe runny noses all day instead of working in the cutest boutique in the city?” She offers her wide smile, making me laugh.
“I’m sure, but you never know. I may change my mind one of these days.”
After leaning against the island while we’ve been drinking and chatting, she quickly jumps upright excitedly, “Come on. I have to give you the full tour.”
I stand and follow her through the house as she describes everything, clearly proud of the work she’s done. She shows me the pantry and laundry room that are just off the kitchen, then we check out the living room. There’s a sliding glass door that opens up to the fenced in backyard. We step out and I see the pool, which I’m assuming is a must for homes here in Texas, and a nice patio area for entertaining or just relaxing. She leads me back through the living room and down the hallway in the living room, taking me to the back portion of the house. She points out her room, the bathroom, and then finally, my room.
“It doesn’t have a private bathroom but it does have a large walk-in closet,” she says, opening the door and flipping on the light. “Plus, it’s already furnished.”
I walk into the room behind her, taking it all in. The room is rather large, especially after being cramped in a small dorm room for the last four years. There’s a queen size bed in the center of the room and bedside tables with lamps. There’s a desk in the corner, a lounge chair, and built-in shelves for storage. “Wow, this is perfect.”
She smiles and nods. “I almost took this room for myself, but I wanted the master suite with the private bathroom.” She shrugs.
“Guess I better go get my stuff from the car so I can start unpacking.”
“Yes, and then get some rest because we’re going out tonight to celebrate.”
