Home to me.
Same as the title of one of Grandma’s columns. I’m beginning to think that it would make a great title for her book.
I hear the back door open, and my heart rate quickens. I’m excited for Mom to get to know Elias because I think she’ll like him, especially once she learns all he’s done for her mother in our absence.
“You’ll come with me? Back to New York?” Mom asks.
“Of course,” I rush out as I wait for Elias to pop out of the kitchen. “We can leave whenever you want.”
He never shows up and I hear the door click closed.
Strange.
“It shouldn’t take long to pack my things up,” Mom says. “I can have a company haul my car cross country. Just need to button up some things and say goodbye to my friends.”
“And break up with Ron?”
She sighs. “That too. He won’t be happy.”
“But you will be.” I rise to my feet and peek out the window, a thrill shooting through me when I see Elias’s truck. “Hey, I’m going to go check on Elias. He may think he’s intruding, so I’ll grab him and let him know he can come in.”
“Go ahead,” she says. “I’ll be right here.”
I give her a quick hug and then slip out the back door. He’s not sitting on his porch, and I can’t see him inside the aviary. But his shop door is open, so I head that way to see if he needs help putting his tools away.
When I peek my head inside, I expect to be greeted with excitement. His features are haggard and his shoulders are slumped. I rush over to him.
“Elias, what’s wrong?” I capture his bearded face in my hands. “Talk to me.”
His eyes dart back and forth as he studies me. “It’s okay, you know. I’ll be all right.”
I frown at his words. “With what?”
“This was a place to land. I’m glad I could be that for you.”
I’m not keen on the finality in his words. He’s not making sense.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I understand what’s going on,” I say slowly. “Did I miss something?”
He leans his forehead to mine and closes his eyes. “I’m going to miss us.”
With those cryptic words, he pulls away and mutters something about needing to check on the budgies. I’m stunned for several minutes, unable to move or make sense of what he’s saying. What happened between this morning when he left and now?
“You’ll come with me? Back to New York?”
“Of course. We can leave whenever you want.”
It was him. I’d heard him enter the house and then abruptly leave. The part he’d overheard was out of context. No wonder he’s upset.
I race after him. He’s already inside the aviary by the time I reach him. Pretty quick for a man who’s perfected sloth-mode. I find him on the side with the newly rescued budgies.
“You heard wrong,” I tell him, voice wobbling. “Gonna give up on me that easily?”
His head whips my way and he frowns. “Give up? Nora, I just want you to be happy. That’s all. However that looks for you.” He sighs. “You were acting strangely before we found out about Amos. It was a distraction for the inevitable. You have a life back in New York.”
I walk over to him and hug his middle. “My life is here now. I’d like it to be with you.”
He’s stiff but relaxes at my words.
