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* * *
I pickedNatalie up and tried to act normal, but she realized something was off immediately.
“What’s wrong?” she asked as soon as we walked through the door of the cabin.
“Nothing,” I lied.
“No, it’s not nothing. You’re mad I kissed you in the office. It’s okay, you can tell me.”
“No, it’s not that. I just…I worry we’re moving too fast. That we should have taken things slower. We’re still just getting to know each other again.”
She looked down at the floor and nodded.
“Okay. Do you want me to leave?” she asked.
“No! No. I just…I think I need some time to think.”
She nodded and crossed her arms in front of her chest.
“Yeah, that’s probably wise. So, um, yeah. I think I should go home and give you that space.”
That wasn’t how I wanted things to go, but it was awkward having her here now.
So I took her home again.
“I’ll talk to you later?” I asked, and she just nodded as she got out of the car.
* * *
I went homeand made dinner, but all I could see was Natalie. Everywhere. All her stuff was still here.
I could even smell her on my sheets.
It was fine. The smell would fade. I put her things away in a closet. She could come get them anytime she wanted.
We weren’t ending things, we were just taking some time away from each other. Breathing room. People did that all the time and their relationships were better for it. What was the rush?
I told myself it was the right thing. I told myself it was the right thing all night as I pretended I couldn’t smell her on my pillows.
* * *
I hadnothing to look forward to at work the next day, so I ended up claiming I was ill and going home early.
Since I didn’t feel like cleaning the house and discovering more of Natalie’s stuff, I ended up sorting through the shells we’d collected and started laying them out to make some shell wreaths, picking the ones that I would crush and mix with resin to make coasters, and finding the ones that I could arrange on the glass jars that served as the bases of lamps. I also pulled the shells that spoke to me the most for my coffee table. Placing them was going to take forever, but that was all part of it. Working with the shells was meditative and I went ahead and ordered another new lamp base and shade to work on. I had a new idea for how I could arrange the shells, and I wanted to try it out. I also got some rope to really bring home the nautical theme.
My stomach growled hours later, and I realized I’d completely lost track of time.
At least I hadn’t been thinking about Natalie. If she was here, I might not have gotten as much work done. Now I felt more confident about contacting that woman from Boston and saying that I could provide some pieces for her shop.
Paige texted me and asked if I wanted to come over for dinner, so it was perfect timing. She invited Natalie, but I said that she was having dinner with her family so it would be just me. I didn’t want to admit that I’d maybe made a mistake with Natalie.
* * *
I was greeted by Stormy,the dog, and Potato, the cat, before I could even get through the door.
“Does Potato know he’s not a dog?” I called out.
“No, he’s part dog now,” Paige said from the kitchen.
