“Same. But I guess I have another question if you’ve got some time.”
“I sure do. This is kind of exciting, although I’m not trying to get rid of you. You’re welcome to stay. I was looking forward to having a roommate and friend.”
“And I was looking forward to staying and having a change of pace, although the idea of getting my horses back and hopefully getting most of my clients back really has me excited.”
It was also exciting for her to be in contact with Gilbert some more. He…had some kind of aura around him that drew her. She wasn’t sure what it was. But she remembered how nervous she was when he had been watching her. She hadn’t really thought about it too much then, other than it was strange, but… She noticed him in a way she didn’t normally notice people.
“I’m sure it does, and I’m excited for you. Mostly because I know how good you are. But what did you want to ask?”
“He’s offering to let me stay in his house. My house. I guess it’s his house now, but… There’s also an apartment over the barn, but it’s not very nice, and I’m not even sure that everything works. It’s not furnished at all. I’d rather stay in the house, but I’m not sure that that might be too much, you know?”
“Too much in what way? Because he’s a man? Doesn’t he have three children?”
“Yeah. I wasn’t worried about that so much, because of the kids. It’s not like we would be without chaperones and living together. But I don’t know… Wouldn’t I be interrupting his family time?”
“Maybe he’s looking for a babysitter?”
“I don’t think so, his kids are old enough that they don’t really need one. I think the youngest is nine. So it’s not like he would need that.”
“Maybe he’s looking for a housekeeper.”
“He does have a lovely kitchen.” She paused. “My old kitchen.” It was so hard to remember that it wasn’t hers anymore. “That’s something else I’m concerned about. If I’m living there, will I feel like it should be mine? Will I forget that it’s not mine anymore? It will feel weird to not be in charge of what happens to my house. And what if the kids destroy it? And he allows it? Will I be able to just stand there and take it?”
“Those are good questions to ask yourself. I’m not sure I’ll be able to answer them for you though. You’re probably the only one with the answers to those questions.”
“Yeah. I don’t know. I guess… I guess it will be a little bit depressing to be there and know that it’ll never be mine again.”
“Maybe you can flip that thought.”
“How so?” She drew down her brow, unsure what she meant.
“Look at it as a positive.”
“How?” she asked, confused.
“Well, if the septic system backs up, it’s not your baby. If the electricity goes out, you don’t have to worry about it. If the roof needs to be replaced, it doesn’t come out of your pocket. I mean, sure, it’s nice to own it, but you have no responsibility at all. Just all the benefits of living there. And… If he’s being honest and doesn’t charge you, you can only benefit.”
“Wow. I never thought about it like that. Instead of focusing on what I don’t have, focus on what I do. Everything I want, and none of the responsibility that goes with it. I wouldn’t have any bills. None. Unless one of the horses got sick.”
“Yeah. And then you might make a hard decision, because sending your horse down to have an operation that only had a fifty-percent success rate maybe wasn’t the best choice you’ve ever made.”
She’d told Sunny all about what had led her to be so far in debt that she had to sell, and part of her wished she wouldn’t have, because she didn’t need that rubbed in, except maybe she did. Maybe she needed to be reminded that sometimes she had to make the hard decisions.
“Yeah. If I could go back and do that over…” She sighed. “I’d like to say I’d make the choice I know I need to make, but there was just something inside of me that didn’t want to let Princess go, I wanted to do everything I could to save her.”
“And I totally get that. But sometimes you have to make that tough choice.”
“I know.”
“I say go for it. If you’re asking me. But if you just need to use me as a sounding board, keep talking.” She stood back, with the tray pressed against her stomach, as though she were willing to wait all day to listen and be a sounding board.
“I think I’m leaning toward saying yes. He is going to be here after closing time on Wednesday, and we’re going to chat about it more then.”
“I’ll try to make sure that I’m here early so you can knock off if he comes before that.”
“You are going to be in the parade.”
“The parade isn’t going to last all night. I’ll get back, go upstairs, change my clothes, and be back down and throw my soul into my other favorite thing.”
