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I was practically giddy when I stepped into the Airbnb a few hours later. The cottage was adorable, situated on a quiet cul de sac with a natural area in the back. The entire space was clean and open, with an updated kitchen and beautiful hardwood floors. The trees and bushes surrounding the house were a far cry from the concrete wasteland that surrounded the roach hotel.

David was just letting me in when I heard a female voice call out, “Hey there!”

Turning in the direction of the voice, I saw a woman rushing towards us from the house next door, a toddler bouncing on her hip. The toddler was a perfect miniature version of her mother, from her straight dark hair to her slightly crooked nose to her huge brown eyes. They both looked vaguely familiar.

“Hi, I’m Josie, David’s wife,” she introduced herself with a friendly smile. “You must be Cassandra. I’ve heard so much about you.”

I gave David a curious look. We’d had almost no contact with each other during the three days that I’d been in town. I couldn’t imagine why he’d be talking about me. Seeing my confusion, Josie laughed.

“Oh no, not from this guy, he’s a vault. My brother George is the one who told me about you.” She watched me carefully as she added, “He was so upset when he found out where you were stayin’ I just had to offer up the rental.”

George had shared his views about the hotel in no uncertain terms when it came up yesterday. He’d insisted that I find another place to stay, seeming irritated when I told him to mind his own business. He hadn’t mentioned a sister with a rental. That was interesting. Maybe he thought I’d say no to this place if I realized that it was his sister’s. Clearly, he underestimated how much I hated the Value Inn. Suddenly my brain synapses fired, and I connected the dots.

“Wait, if you’re George’s sister,” I pointed at Josie, “then you must be his brother-in-law,” I said, turning to David. “I never would have guessed that you two had any connection.”

“We like to keep our work and personal lives separate,” David said. “Plus, our jobs don’t bring us into a lot of contact with each other.”

Josie showed me around the tiny one-bedroom cottage, chattering the entire time while her daughter raced around the space exploring with her father keeping an eye on her. George’s sister was about my age, maybe a little younger, with a bubbly personality that seemed to cover a hint of steel, like a lot of southern women. I liked her immediately.

“I lived here alone for a few years before this guy moved in next door,” she said, poking David in the ribs. “Then he swept me off my feet and I moved in with him. We got married not too much later.”

He put his arm around Josie’s shoulders.

“More like you swept me off my feet, baby,” he corrected. It was nice seeing his softer side. “So what do you say Cassandra, does this space work for you?”

“Oh gosh, yes, this is so much better than the Value Inn. Thank you so much.”

“Well don’t thank us,” Josie said, “Thank my big brother, he was fretting about you staying out there all alone. Anyway, he’ll be here for dinner in an hour, and you should join us. We’ll see you then. You don’t need to knock, just come on in through the side door.”

What?

“Wait!” I said as she started to leave. “I appreciate the invitation, but I don’t want to intrude on a family dinner. You’re already helping me out by letting me stay here.”

She gave me a smile that I couldn’t interpret.

“I insist. Besides, everyone’s like family around here,” she said with a smile. “I know George will want to make sure you get fed and to see for himself that you are all settled in here. We’ll see you in an hour.”

Before I could argue, she’d grabbed David’s wrist and pulled him out of the house. As I unpacked the few belongings I’d brought on this trip, I wondered what George had said to his sister about me.

I also wondered what we were having for dinner. I hadn’t had time for lunch today and honestly, after spending the last six weeks on the road for assignments, the idea of a home cooked meal was super appealing.

That was another reason I was looking for a new job. I’d grown tired of the constant traveling and the older I got, the harder it got to keep up this pace. I was tired of staying in questionable hotel rooms and trying to find decent food to eat in places where I generally was lucky to have a microwave and a mini fridge.

And, most of all, I was tired of not being in one place long enough to have a relationship. The truth was, I was lonely.

Funny how when I thought about settling in one place for the first time in ten years the first thing that came to my mind was George.

George

“Don’t worry big brother, she’ll be here.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lied. “I’m not worried.”

My sister just sent me a skeptical look. I was saved by twenty pounds of pure energy coming flying down the hallway from the bedroom.

“Unca Orge!”

Sofia crashed into my shins and lifted her arms in a not-so-subtle hint to pick her up. Of course I complied. My tiny niece had me wrapped around her little finger.