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2
All For It
Two Months Later
“What doyou think of your new room, Josie?” Avery asked after they dropped their bags and moved into the rented house on Amore Island.
Hard to believe almost one year ago her life had changed forever. In a few weeks, it would be a year and it was best to start it over in a new place.
“It’s okay,” Josie said. “Smaller than my other room.”
She wasn’t sure what room Josie was talking about. The one she had with Colleen or the one at Avery’s old house that was under contract to sell next week. It was best to move and get here now. She’d be starting at the practice next Monday, but she knew she’d need this week to get her and Josie settled and finding their way around the island.
“The whole house is smaller,” Avery said. “But we are going to make do for now. Once we get settled and decide the best place to be on the island, I’ll start to look for a house of our own.”
“So we are staying here?” Josie asked. “Not going back to Danbury?”
“No, honey. I know you had friends there, but you’ll make some here. There are so many sad memories there, even you said it’s hard.”
Josie started to sniffle a little. Avery was going to see if she could find a counselor on this island. She should have thought of that before, but life hadn’t been kind in the past year.
Telling Josie about her mother had been heartbreaking. The services more so. They all barely got through.
She’d taken a month off of work to move Josie into her house and get Colleen’s affairs in order. Though she was named Josie’s guardian, there were still legal issues to square away.
Not to mention time to heal for them both. Counseling for them both too.
“It is,” Josie said. “But then I can’t visit Mom either.”
She knew this was going to be part of it. They went to the cemetery weekly to talk and tell Colleen about their life.
She had it covered though.
“You know Mommy is watching out for you no matter where you are, right? That you can talk to her right now and she’ll hear you. Remember what I said, that the cemetery was a formal place for it?”
“Yes,” Josie said. “But there isn’t a formal place now.”
The rented house they were in two down from the clinic had three bedrooms and two baths. The main bedroom was on the first floor with a bath across the hall and shared by guests. The second floor was more of a loft. Probably an attic that had been converted, but she was giving the whole space to Josie.
Though each of the two rooms was smaller than her other bedrooms, she had the whole space to herself and she was going to let Josie know that. They’d been told they could paint it any color they wanted and she planned on doing that this week too.
Josie was creative and loved to draw. Why not draw on the walls? She’d cleared a blackboard wall with the owners of the house. Drew Bond had been overly nice and said the island had waited long enough for a full-time vet.
She knew the history somewhat of Amore Island. She figured she better read up on it since she’d be living here.
Her friend from college, Laine Connors, was on the town board and called her months ago when this subject was brought up.
Sometimes things in life happened at the right time when you least expect it.
“I know this room is smaller than your old room, but we are only going to put your bed and dresser in here when the movers come. Your desk can go in this room.”
She pulled Josie along. “Really?”
“Yes,” Avery said. “And this can be your formal room for your mom. That little alcove there with the window is the perfect place to put a picture of you and your mom and that can be your designated place to talk. It doesn’t even have to be once a week. It can be any time you want.”
Josie walked over and looked out the window. “You can see the water from here.”
“Can you?” she asked, moving closer. They were about a mile from the water, close to the middle of the island but nearer to the Romeo port. But since they were higher up in elevation with nothing blocking them, Josie was right—in the distance you could see the water to the left.
