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"He got it. We got it. He said yes! Can you believe it? He… and what's better is that… Beau… he asked his uncle about the summer. He asked if you could staythree months. He said you could. Can you believe it, Holland?"
"No, I… can't."
"Isn't it great news?"
"Uh, y-yeah," I said, stuttering uncertainly. "I've never had the urge to go to Arkansas, and I'm a little afraid of hillbillies, but I don't know what my other options are at this point."
"I promise there are no hillbillies there. It's a really cool place. The house is amazing. I'm almost jealous. He said there might be other people there, but you don't need to worry about it—it's huge. But he talked to his uncle, and they set a small apartment aside for you. It's connected to the house, but you'll have your own door to the outside with a bathroom and shower and everything. I've been in there before."
"Does it have a fridge and a microwave?"
"Oh, yeah it's nice. It's got a little kitchenette with a stove and everything—even laundry. My parents stayed in it when we were visiting last time. They call it the pineapple room because there are pineapples on the wallpaper in the bathroom. You're going to really like it. They're a nice family, and they'll leave you alone if you want to be left alone."
"Okay," I said, reluctantly.
Was I really doing this? Was I spending the summer in Arkansas? I knew nothing about Arkansas. I knew nothing about these people.
"Is that woman going to be there?" I asked. "The one who didn't want me to stay earlier?"
"She didn'tnotwant you to stay, she just—"
"You told me she said it was a ridiculous idea. You cried and told me she was really rude about it."
"I know, but she just didn't understand. She's a nice lady, and I don't think she's going to be there much, anyway, if at all. I think she only goes for a week or two during the summer. You could probably just avoid her if she's there."
"What about the guy?"
"Beau?"
"Yeah."
"What about him?"
"Is he going to be there?"
"No, why, do you like him?"
"You know better," I said, scoffing a little.
I was with a guy during my freshman and sophomore years of college. He cheated on me for long periods of time during our relationship, and it was with people I knew. I lost my boyfriend and multiple friends in that ordeal. I was not checking anybody out. I had a severe aversion to the thought of entering a relationship, and I didn't know if that would ever change. Needless to say, I was not interested in the guy from the stairwell, and I hoped that wasn't what this whole cabin deal was about.
"Is that guy going to be there?"
"No, he won't be there," Sophia said. "I asked him, and he said he had plans to travel all summer, but not to Arkansas. He's graduating in May, and he's using the summer to travel before he starts work. Japan and somewhere else. London, maybe."
"What kind of work does he do?" I asked.
"He's an architect. He told me he's got a job next fall with a landscape architect firm, designing patio and pool areas."
"Why did he offer to help?" I asked.
"I don't know. He talked to his mom after he saw us at the school. She told him what I said about you, and then he looked up your business—the Buddy Gear. He remembered a collar on your wrist at the school, and said it looked nice. Anyway, he looked it up and called his uncle, and here we are… one room, pro bono, all summer, thank the Lord Jesus! Do you think you're going to stay all three months? You should. Beau already told his uncle you wanted it for that long. Of course, you'll have to buy your own food and toiletries and everything. They won't supply any of that. And it's kind of in the country, so you have to travel to Little Rock if you want a big selection of anything. But it's right there on the lake, and the property is so big that you can have all the privacy you want, even if there are a lot of people staying in the house."
"Where are your parents going to stay if they go to visit and I'm in the pineapple bathroom?"
"They're not going this year. They don't do it every year. I knew that. That's why I asked Mrs. Morgan in the first place."
I took a deep breath. I did not want to take this deal but I figured it was as good as I was going to get.
