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“Davis?” Bill said, shock lacing the two syllables as they hung in the air.
“Yes. I don’t know what he was doing here, I... I wasn’t expecting him at all. But I didn’t want you to not know.”
“Does he know?” Bill asked low and slow.
Bev gave him a glance, which Kim interpreted to mean just relax and let her talk.
She almost laughed. Bill was the least pushy man she knew.
“No. I was just opening my mouth to tell him. Literally I had my mouth open, I just didn’t know how to get the words out, when you knocked on the door.”
“I’m sorry. That was terrible timing.” Bev shook her head. “We should have stopped at that diner and eaten breakfast on the way out.” She looked at Bill. “I told you we should.”
“You’re right as usual, my dear,” Bill said, making Kim smile at his conciliatory and humble tone.
Bev chuckled and shook her head. “You don’t have to agree with everything I say.”
“Yes, dear.”
They laughed together, and Kim couldn’t help but smile. Her life might seem like it was falling apart, but she did have these two people who were really beautiful human beings in her corner. She knew she could ask them for anything, and they would do whatever they could to help her no matter what.
“That seems a little bit odd. That he would be here,” Bill said, and all traces of humor were gone from his voice.
“I know. I just feel so confused and mixed up and like I’m not even sure how to figure out my life, let alone to begin to process that Davis is here.”
“He seemed like a good man. Of course, men can hide a lot of things behind a humble exterior, but his humility really struck me.”
“I don’t know how someone can be so confident and so humble at the same time.” Kim couldn’t disagree. He did seem humble. Just an understated way of moving and talking that seemed respectful yet confident at the same time. She’d never really seen that mix in too many people and found it intriguing and attractive in Davis.
“I don’t know if we’re qualified to give you any advice, and I don’t know if you’d want any, but we’re definitely qualified to listen if you ever need to talk.” Bev had stepped back but kept an arm around her, while Bill came from the other side and she felt safe between the two of them.
This was what having parents felt like. Two people in a person’s corner who were always fighting for them. Always supporting them. Always there for them.
She supposed that was in an ideal situation. But how many of those ideal situations were there in the world anymore? Not many, she supposed.
“All right. We weren’t going to stay, just wanted to drop off some staples—ketchup, mustard, butter, salt, and pepper. Things like that.” Bev smiled and squeezed her waist. “We just want you to know that we love you.”
“Thanks.”
“And when you’re ready to start fixing up the stable, if you need any help with the house, if you want someone to go to appointments with you, let us know. We don’t know much, but we know people who do. And we’re happy to help however we can.”
“I appreciate it. Thank you. For everything.” She couldn’t quite get herself to say mom and dad, but in her heart, it felt like the words were there. Maybe next time.
They nodded and then slipped out the door.
Silence surrounded her, and she was grateful to have the peace and quiet for a bit where she could just sit and rest. She just needed time to think, time to plan, time to figure out what in the world she was going to do. But first, after she put the groceries away, she should take a walk through the house, familiarizing herself with it.
And then she needed to figure out what she was going to do about Davis; she couldn’t put off telling him indefinitely, and although she dreaded it, she knew it was something that she had to do. The sooner the better. Maybe that’s what she’d do as soon as she put the groceries away and took a tour of the house. She’d get that task out of the way, and then she could move on with her life.
