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Before the natural light fades, I take pictures with the polish bottle and the new color on my nails in the living room. I open the photo editing app, apply my usual filter, make a few adjustments so the polish color is a true representation, and save it to the camera roll. I schedule posts for the next week, some with the polish, others with pictures I took over the last few days.
I close the app, stow my phone, and prep for movie night.
With Oliver on pizza duty, Delilah and I have popcorn, drinks, and the movie covered. Skylar may stop at the store for her favorite movie snacks since they no longer take up shelf space in the pantry. We vow to keep movie nights stress-free. Agreeing on a movie is the hardest part of the evening and Oliver added to the challenge tonight.
No romance.
Psh. What is wrong with him?
Wandering into the kitchen, I grab sodas and the sparkling flavored water Delilah loves from the pantry and stock the fridge. I fetch the jar of popping corn, the air popper, and the flavor shakers and set them on the kitchen island. Then I shift my focus as I wait for everyone.
While I tidy the house, I mull over the question I asked my followers during the live.Should I get a pet?I was serious when I confessed to never having a pet. I’ve wanted a cat or dog for years, but the timing never worked out. Until now.
Before we moved to Stone Bay, Mom and Dad said they’d consider a pet when I got older and could better care for it.
“Pets are more than something cute to cuddle. They are family and need lots of care,” Dad says, then bops my nose.
He promised we’d find the perfect addition for our family when the time was right. Unfortunately, he and I never got the opportunity to return to the pet store and make good on his promise.
The summer before fifth grade, Dad passed away while I trembled under my bed with my hand over my mouth and tears rolling down my cheeks.
Wanting to pad the summer vacation fund, Mom had picked up the occasional extra shift at the factory and wasn’t home when the thief shattered the glass front door. She wasn’t there when Dad dashed into my room and told me to hide, to not come out until he said it was safe. She wasn’t there when the gunshots rang throughout the house, followed by a distinguishablethumpwhen Dad hit the floor. And she wasn’t there when red and white lights lit up my bedroom and police entered our home, asking if anyone else was in the house.
As dawn peaked over the horizon, Mom parked in the driveway and ran to the front door, mascara streaks on her cheeks. She wrapped me in the fiercest hug as I watched sunlight dance on the shattered glass. Her tears wet my hair as I cried in silence, numb.
Not long after Dad passed, we moved to Stone Bay. Neither Mom nor I were able to sleep or feel safe in our own home. So she packed our bags, sold everything with no personal meaning, and drove us to Stone Bay. It wasn’t far from Smoky Creek, but far enough for a fresh start.
Mom worked at Northcott Farms while I went to school. When school was out, Mom was with me every minute. Money was tight, but we made it work. We found our way.
A couple years later, Mom sat me down and asked if I would be okay with her spending time with Joseph, the man who ran Northcott Farms. For weeks, we fought. I yelled and asked how she was able to love someone else. Each time, she handled my fits with grace. Told me she would never forget Dad, but that she was also lonely, and Joseph made her smile.
It took a while for me to warm up to Joseph. But after spending time with him and seeing how he looked at my mom, I opened my heart to him too. Gave him the chance to make Mom smile every day. Gave her permission to love someone new without guilt or shame.
In return, I got the best stepdad and stepsister. Was gifted a second family with so much love.
Joseph will never replace Dad. On our first family date, he told me he had no plans to take Dad’s place or snub out his memory. All he asked for was a piece of our hearts, and he’d share a piece of his. With time, our families blended together, and Mom and I moved onto the Northcott Farm.
The cows and chickens were a source of company when I needed someone to spill my secrets to, but I never considered them pets. Not like a dog or cat or bunny. Not like the pet I wanted as a young girl.
“What pet would Dad have gotten me?” I mutter as I shift furniture in the living room, making more room to sit on the floor between the couch and table.
I picture me and Dad in the pet store years ago, me swooning over puppies while Dad scratched kittens behind their ears. Dad calm and content while I laughed uncontrollably when I’d all but tipped over as half a dozen puppies begged for my attention.
Flipping to another memory, I recall a different trip to the pet store. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, I held a bunny in my lap, stroking its unbelievably soft fur for almost an hour. God, I’d wanted to leave with that little bundle of fluff, but Dad encouraged me to spend time with another animal.“How will you know which is your favorite if you don’t give all of them a chance?”And while ferrets were oddly cute, I only played with them a few minutes. Not only were they a little smelly, but they also had more energy than expected.
But what I remember most about every trip… Dad only loved on the cats.
“A cat,” I say, without giving it another thought. “Dad would’ve gotten me a cat, so a cat it is.”
“How’s life in the new digs?” Oliver asks Skylar before stuffing pizza in his mouth.
“Different, but good.” Skylar loses focus a moment, a dreamy look on her face. I love seeing her like this—blissful, at peace, in love.
I envy my friend. How easily she found and fell in love. How being in love lifts her up and makes her smile more. How love doesn’t scare her.
Star Wars: Attack of the Clonesplays on the screen as we devour pizza. Cracked open cans sit on the coffee table, the room lit only by the television and a low-burning fire. All four of us sit cross-legged on a large, soft blanket sprawled across the floor, half paying attention to the movie as we chat.
While scrolling movie options, a grin lit my face when I hit theStar Warsfilms. Technically, it isn’t romance. But the budding love in this particular movie is enough to make me, Delilah, and Skylar happy while not listening to Oliver groan.
