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“I can have a maid service come through,” he said. “But you’ve cleaned out what you wanted?”
“Yes.” Lauren nodded, her back and shoulders testifying of the work she’d done yesterday to get the house ready for Miles to look at today. She’d moved out furniture, sold it, packed more boxes to take with her to Hilton Head, and much more.
She hadn’t had enough time or energy to clean completely, and she’d gotten up early to start on that. The house needed more, she was sure, and she’d gladly take advantage of a maid service.
“Let’s go take a look,” he said.
She led the way up her steps to the porch, and Miles paused there. “Nice porch,” he said. “Looks thirty-foot wide.” He looked at her, and Lauren finally felt prepared.
“It’s forty-two feet,” she said. “I have the blueprints inside, along with the original square footage.”
He scratched the dimensions out on his clipboard, and they proceeded through the house. Lauren answered his questions about when the carpet had been laid, and if the windows were double-paned or not. When the walls in the bedroom had been painted, and how much the HOA fees were.
“All right,” he said. “I’m not sure how much you’re hoping to get for the house, but this is a beautiful home. I think we can list it at five-ninety easily, and I think I’ll go in at five-ninety-nine.” He looked at her with questions in his eyes and cocked eyebrows. “Does that give you what you need for your next place?”
Lauren swallowed, because it was more than enough. Far more. “Yes,” she said. “Five-nintey-nine? Really?”
Miles smiled. “I think it’ll sell quickly too. I’ll get my girls in here to clean, and then Josh will come get pictures. We’ll use a drone on the property, and I’ll make sure they do the video tours. Those are pretty great for out-of-towners looking to relocate. Sound good?”
“Yes,” Lauren said. “Thank you.” She signed the necessary paperwork for Miles to do all he’d said, and he left.
She stood in the house she’d lived in for the past fifteen years, the weight of it lifting from her shoulders inch by inch. When it finally dissipated completely, Lauren smiled. “This is the right thing to do.”
She did walk back into the dining room behind her and trail her fingers along the table and chairs she was leaving here. Eight people could enjoy a meal here comfortably, and she’d hosted Supper Club here many times.
The laughter of her friends, the sniffles when they’d cried, the tense moments when they’d argued, all assaulted her, and Lauren let herself weep for the past. Weep for the woman she’d been then, and the hard work she’d done on herself to get better and better and better.
When she tried to name how she felt about the five women in her Supper Club, it always came back to love.
“Lord,” she prayed. “Bless Joy and Bessie.” She didn’t know what else to say, but she couldn’t imagine Supper Club—or her daily life without them, and she wanted everyone to end up in Hilton Head. It would be crazy and Lauren didn’t understand how changes came about sometimes, but she could imagine her friends gathered round a new table, this one on the beach, in her new house, with Blake and Tommy retreating to their rooms so she could host Supper Club.
It was a good fantasy, and Lauren left her house with a smile on her face.
* * *
Blake reached overand took her hand from her mouth. “You’re so nervous, it’s making me nervous.”
She looked at him, wishing she could internalize his calm, relaxed smile.
“Part of your seaside strategy,” he said. “Is to relax more. Do what you do. This is just dinner with me.”
“And your family,” she said.
He’d put together a meal that included everyone in his family, from his momma to his nieces and nephews. Lauren was the only one who hadn’t been through this before, and she couldn’t stop chewing her nails as the downtown buildings in Charleston kept growing and growing and growing.
“They’re going to love you,” he said. “Really. I’ve been talking you up.” He smiled at her, but that only made Lauren feel worse.
“Great, then I’ll be a disappointment.” She couldn’t help feeling the way she did when her mother had packed up and left Texas. She hadn’t been good enough then, so why should she expect this to go well?
She tried to banish the thoughts, and she succeeded for a few minutes. By then, Blake was turning away from the city and starting through the more suburban areas of Charleston.
“You missed the road, Dad,” Tommy said.
“That one’s closed,” Blake said. He’d told her about the conversation with Tommy, and Blake had him on watch-dog mode now. He could track his phone at any moment, and if he tapped a button on the app, and Tommy didn’t respond within sixty seconds, Blake would literally get in his car and go find him.
The boy was so good, and he’d been so apologetic. Blake said he’d hated disciplining him, and that he and Jacinda were talking about having him come live with Blake for his high school years.
“Tommy.” She twisted in her seat. “Tell me how that art project went.” She gave him a smile and watched his face light up. The boy could draw, and she’d found one of his notebooks at his father’s place and then texted him to ask if she could look at it. They’d been talking about art and design since, as Lauren did a bit of that with marketing.
