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Early in the morning, I slipped out of bed and put my nightgown back on, careful not to wake Chet.
I couldn’t believe that we had made love. My body was still humming from the way he touched me and the way he made me feel, and every single part of me wanted to crawl back into bed with him. But I knew that I couldn’t.
I had to get away from Horseshoe Ranch. I didn’t want Chet to think that I needed him. I didn’t want him to think that he was responsible for me and Arya. I didn’t want him to feel obligated to take care of us. Eloise was my responsibility. As much as I loved the Hamilton family, and as much as I knew they cared about us, I didn’t want to take advantage of them. I was going to have to find a job. Maybe the job at 12 Point Buck Bar had fallen through, but that didn’t mean there weren’t other opportunities in town. I didn’t have high standards when it came to a job. I would do what I had to do. I had to make money. I couldn’t let us be dependent on anyone else.
I walked into the kitchen to find Amelia there making tea. “Morning,” I said.
She looked up and smiled. “Good morning, Arya. Sleep well?”
“Yes, thank you.”
“And Eloise, did she sleep well?”
“Uh…yes,” I stammered. I’d forgotten to go to the bedroom to check on Eloise. “In fact, I left Eloise in the bedroom by mistake,” I said quickly and hurried out of the kitchen.
I wondered if Amelia knew that I’d spent the night in her son’s room. I was already slipping. I was already putting my own needs before Eloise’s.
I hurried back to my bedroom and opened the door. Eloise was lying on the bed, reading a book. She smiled as I walked in.
“Morning, Auntie Arya,” she said.
“Morning.” I rushed over to her and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “Are you okay?”
“Yes. I was just reading my book about Spot.” She showed me a page with a picture of a dog, and I smiled.
“And did you sleep well?”
“Yes, Auntie Arya. Did you sleep well?”
I wondered if she knew I hadn’t slept in the bedroom with her. I didn’t want to say anything. I didn’t want her asking questions. “Very well. Thank you,” I replied.
“What are we going to do today? Are we going to bake cookies with Amelia?”
“Um, I’m not sure what the plan is. Why don’t we head into the kitchen and see?” I needed to ask Amelia if she’d look after Eloise today. I was going to drive into town and search for jobs. I would take Eloise if I had to, but I didn’t want any potential employers to think that I had an issue with childcare.
Eloise got out of the bed and stretched. “I’m hungry. Can I have pancakes for breakfast and scrambled eggs?”
“I’m not sure. Let’s see,” I said, not wanting to promise anything. Of course, if we were in our own place, I would make her scrambled eggs and pancakes without thinking. But I didn’t want to go into Amelia’s kitchen and make a mess. It wasn’t my place to do so. Just one more reason that it was so important for us to get our own home.
“And some orange juice, please,” she said as we left the bedroom.
“We’ll see,” I said as we made our way toward the kitchen.
“Morning, Eloise,” Amelia said with a bright smile as we walked in.
“Morning, Grandma Amelia.” Eloise ran over to her and gave her a quick hug. Amelia’s face glowed with happiness. Their bond really was something special.
“Amelia, I was wondering if you had any plans today,” I asked.
“No, not really. Why, dear?”
“I was hoping to go into town to look for a job, and I was wondering if you could look after Eloise for a couple of hours for me?”
“Of course. You don’t even have to ask.”
“I mean, I do, but thank you,” I said.
“Oh, you’re welcome. And what would you two like for breakfast?”
