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"Nothing, except that I need to work to live, to eat, to have the basics. But I'll get back out there."
"Having such incredible summer adventures must have made the rest of the year seem boring," she said.
"I have to admit, I didn't love school that much. But I did like being with my friends. That was the one downside of being away for so long at a time, especially when I became a teenager. I wanted to stay home, go to parties and football games. But we didn't travel as much when I got older. My dad would take months to write a book, and he generally liked to be at home for that."
She gave him a thoughtful look. "It's interesting that someone like you, who grew up wandering the world, would choose to build houses for a living. You're creating places for people to live permanently. I wonder if there's some kind of irony in that."
"Maybe. It would probably take a psychiatrist's couch to figure that out."
"Or an astute woman," she said with a laugh. "I think you want to have it all, a beautiful place to come home to, but also a wide world to explore."
"What's wrong with that?"
"Nothing. But does anyone really get it all? There's always some compromise somewhere, especially when you love someone, when you share your life with another person. It's easier to take risks when you only have yourself to think about."
"That's true. It's why I've found it easier to be on my own."
"But being on your own isn't really having it all. It's leaving out a hugely important part of the human experience—a relationship."
"Not every relationship has to be forever. In fact, most aren't. But I'm not worried about that experience. I don't know what the future will bring, and I never say never about anything."
"I say never a lot. And I'm using the word no a lot, too." She let out a little sigh. "Sometimes, I do feel a little stuck."
"Where would you go if you could go anywhere?"
"There are so many places I've never been. You could literally pick just about any country in the world, and I would not have seen it."
"Pick one place."
She thought for a moment. "I'd like to go to an island in the Caribbean where the water is that turquoise blue and the sand is white and fluffy, and it's super warm. I think that would be lovely. But maybe too relaxing. I've also always wanted to go to Rome, see the Coliseum. That would be cool. And Africa…wow, I can't even imagine what it would be like to go on a safari. See, I told you I couldn't pick one."
"Well, you should do at least one of those things."
"Maybe when Leo is a little older." She let out a breath. "I should check on Leo. I'm glad you came today. And thanks for being my partner."
"I was just standing in for Joel," he said, then hated himself for putting the shadows back in her gaze.
"Well, I appreciate that," she said. "Tomorrow, I'll come by the house and start cleaning things out."
"I'll see you there. I'm going to take-off after I say goodbye to everyone." As soon as Chloe left, Hannah came over, and there was a purposeful look in her brown eyes.
"What the hell is wrong with your friend?" she asked. "He keeps bailing on Chloe."
"Chloe told you he had a business emergency."
"A business crisis on Easter. Please. He couldn't have postponed it a day?"
"I don't know. But I'm not the person you should be annoyed with."
"I know," she said. "I just hate to see Chloe disappointed. Is he going to be back by Tuesday? Because that's Chloe's birthday. Joel told me he was planning something for her, but now I'm worried he's not going to do it. And I've told her none of us can get together until Wednesday because I didn't want to blow his surprise."
"Do you have his number? You should call and confirm that he'll be back."
"I will, but if you talk to him, can you remind him and let him know that missing her birthday would be a big problem? I don't want her to end up alone on her birthday, but I don't want to blow his surprise, either."
"I will let him know."
"Thanks. Because if he messes up her birthday, he's going to have more than one angry woman to deal with."
