AllFreeNovel
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I’ve never thought of myself as a person who looks down on anyone else. My mother, on the other hand? That is her exact M.O., which is why I strive constantly to not be that person. I rack my brain, trying to remember our initial meeting at Drip. What could I have possibly done to come off as a snob? Nothing immediately sticks out to me, but again I was distracted because of Hazel’s funeral.
The anger in my body is the exact fuel I need to get to work on cleaning. Hazel was a collector of many things, including her extensive wardrobe. She had an outfit or costume for every occasion. Her closet and dressers are crammed full of those pieces. I begin by making piles on the bed of different clothes. Before long, I have the floral quilt covered in piles of dresses, tops, pants and skirts.
I stand back and shake my head at the sheer amount of polyester before my eyes. I have no clue what I’m going to do with all this stuff, and just the thought of hauling it all to the thrift store downtown feels overwhelming. How do you just discard all the pieces of your favorite person?
“Knock, knock.”
I jump as Avery interrupts my thought process and enters the bedroom.
I narrow my brows at my friend. “Hey, how’d you get in here?”
“The door was unlocked. I figured you did that so I wouldn’t wake Juliet when I came in.” Avery answers with a shrug before plopping amongst the piles of clothes on the bed.
I shake my head. “No, I definitely locked it after I got into it with the asshole next door this morning.” I make a mental note to run to the hardware store for a doorknob after work.
Avery scrunches her nose. “The asshole next door? Are you talking about Andrew?”
I frown. “I was too busy listening to him tell me what a terrible person I am to ask for his name.”
“Beard, dark hair, chiseled abs?” She asks.
“That’s the one.” I roll my eyes. Although I won’t admit it to her, I definitely noticed his abs and the v at his waist running down the front of his jeans. He may be hot as hell, but the fact that he’s an asshole doesn’t do much to help him. I quickly run through the recap with Avery over what happened today.
She shakes her head, taking in every detail. “So weird. I’ve never known Andrew to be anything but kind to everyone. I wonder what you did to get his boxers in a wad.”
I shrug. “Beats me. All I know is, now I have a reason to get this house done as fast as possible so I can get the hell out of here. A jerk neighbor is the last thing I need to savor in Fawn Creek.”
“He’ll be gone soon enough.” She winks. “That was his grandpa’s house. He’s been coming up from Texas from time to time to get it cleaned up and updated to go on the market. Surely he’s about done by now.”
I feel a wave of relief come over me. It’s not like I have anywhere else to run to anytime soon. Honestly, I have no clue where I’m going next. I have no reason to go back to Oklahoma City. I had no friends, family or really anything else that I’m missing. Elliott was it. For years, my only identity was working remotely and waiting for him to get home each day. My friends were really just the partners of his friends. The house belongs to his parents and never really felt like mine. Hell, that’s even more obvious now that I was able to pack everything I owned into the back of my four-door sedan and drive it back to Kansas in one trip. As much as I hate to admit it, the longer I spend away from him, the more I realize that I have no actual idea who I am anymore. My entire persona was “Elliott’s girlfriend.” and I was just standing by waiting to be upgraded to “Elliott’s Wife.” Now, I’m none of those things and I’m honestly not sure who I’m supposed to be next.
“What do we have going on here?” Avery asks, eyeing the clothes piled around her, breaking my concentration on my existential crisis and bringing me back to reality. “New wardrobe for your new house?”
I roll my eyes. “Calm down, these are Hazel’s old clothes. I just need to figure out what to do with them. Do you think I’ll completely overwhelm the thrift store if I show up with 18 trash bags full of old lady clothes in tow?”
The horrified look on Avery’s face tells me my plan isn’t going to work. “Please don’t.”
I frown. “Avery, I know you are sentimental, but I am not. There is no way I’m going to hang on to all of this stuff.”
“You don’t have to keep it all, but definitely look through it first before you just toss it out. Hazel had some cute stuff for an old lady and I bet there are at least some things you can hang on to and add to your wardrobe.” She pauses. “And when you’re done, I’ll go through what’s left. I love vintage clothes.”
“Don’t lie, you love all clothes.” I interrupt.
“True.” She shrugs. “Then we can have a big yard sale.”
I frown. The idea of setting up tables full of Hazel’s belongings so that people can haggle over the price just doesn’t sit right with me. Avery reads my mind, as usual.
“You can either do that and make a little bit of cash, or you can give it all to the thrift store and who knows what will be done with it.” When I don’t agree quickly enough, Avery sticks out her lower lip into a pout. “Please? I need a reason to go through my house too, and this will be the best motivation to get it done.”
I huff. “Fine, but only for one weekend. Whatever is left over is being donated, and I’m moving on with my life.”
“Don’t be bitter.” Avery side eyes me. “Some of this stuff around here will bring in some money. Money you’ll need to buy the building downtown and open your bookstore.” She winks. “I saw you peering in the windows this morning.”
I frown. I was hoping she would have forgotten all about that after the chaos of today. “Avery, I told you I’m not staying in Fawn Creek. And I can’t afford to open a bookstore. It’ll never make it in a town this size.”
Down the hall, Juliet coos.
“Great, now you woke my baby.” I add with an eye roll.
