“Definitely. So once it’s up and running again, will you be there most days? Are you the ownerandmanager? Or do you manage from afar? I’m friends with a couple who own a restaurant, and there is always one of them there. It seems like a lot of work.”
“It definitely is. Ultimately, I’d love to have managers I trust to take over a lot of the time, but I have a little trouble with that. With turning over something so important to me. It’s a lot for me.”
“You have trouble trusting people?”
“Yeah. I have trouble feeling like I can count on people. It was probably five years before I felt like I could really trust Micah.”
“For what it’s worth, I’ve always been very dependable.”
Ivy laughs. “That’s good to know. Maybe in five years, I’ll agree.”
“I hope it doesn’t take quite that long.” I smile as I hear her moving around on her bed. At least that’s what I assume is happening. “I love your accent.”
“You know, I was fixin’ to say the same thing to you. And just your voice in general. I think I could listen to you read a refrigerator manual.”
I give a surprised laugh. “I think it would eventually put youto sleep.”
“Maybe that’s what I need to get to sleep tonight. Have a manual handy?”
“I don’t, but I have a mystery novel by the bed,” I say, reaching for the book. “I’ll read you to sleep.”
She laughs in response.
“I’m serious. I was going to read anyway.”
I hear her yawn. “You don’t need to do that.”
“I don’t mind.”
“You might spoil me, and I’ll never be able to fall asleep on my own again.”
“I’m counting on it.”
There’s a pause, and I just know she’s smiling, shaking her head. “Alright, read to me, Alex.”
Alex.No one has called me Alex since secondary school. I love that she did. I hope she’ll do it again.
“Are you settled in?” I ask.
“Mmm hmm.”
Half an hour passes before my asking "are you awake" receives no response. My heart pounds as I end the call. What I’m feeling doesn’t make sense. I’ve known this woman for less than a day. And logistically, the odds stack against us, but I can’t help but be hopeful.
Before I try to sleep, I text Grey. I want to tell her about Ivy, because I know that Grey, ever the optimist, will pump me upeven further.
Late the next morning I wake and join Mrs. Brown in the kitchen. She has breakfast waiting (including baked beans) and asks me if I’m ever going to be up at a normal breakfast time. The answer is, who knows?
“How is your father?” I ask as I settle at the kitchen table. Mrs. Brown and I speak on the phone once a month when I’m in the US. During our last conversation she said her father was in the hospital recovering from an appendectomy.
“He’s recovered well. Thank you for asking.” She pats my arm as she bends to join me at the table. “What do you have planned for the day? Any riddles to solve?”
“I don’t have anything planned until this afternoon. I’m meeting someone at Tower Bridge. That was the answer to my latest riddle.”
“That seems odd given how personal the last one was.”
“I’m going into this assuming there will be neither rhyme nor reason. But I’ll keep you up to date.”
We continue to chat as I finish my breakfast, then I swim some laps in the indoor pool. I smile at the children’s toys sitting in a bin in the corner. The Browns must have had their grandchildren over for a swim. Good. I’m glad it’s gettingsome use. If you ask me, this is the best part of the house. I wonder if Ivy and her family would want to come for a swim.
