Page 27 of Worth the Fall
“Not planning on replacing her anytime soon. Unless it’s with you, Rose.”
Rose waved me off. “Oh, please. I’m too old to be your new bestie. Isn’t that what you kids say? Plus, if I have to listen to them complain one more time about the wear and tear on the place after each booking, I might be the one having a breakdown.Some family came in and ruined the carpets with snow and mud. They left the heater on high while it wasn’t being rented, and the bill was astronomical. Another family broke an entire set of dishes and didn’t say anything about it until the next family came in, and there was nothing for them to eat on.” Rose’s voice took on a different timbre to let me know she was mimicking her son. “It’s always one thing or another. This would be the perfect solution.”
“It’s furnished?” I asked, completely forgetting that I didn’t have a single thing to my name, except for my car and clothes.
“Fully furnished. The place has everything. And I do mean, everything.”
“That’s actually really, really helpful.”
“She gave that idiot ex of hers all of her stuff,” Lana growled, and Rose nodded like she understood completely.
“It was easier that way,” I said, as if that explained everything.
I’d held on to my marriage so tight when I first felt it unraveling; gripping it so hard with both hands for no good reason other than what people might think or say. The obligation and guilt were suffocating. In the end, I’d realized that letting go was the only way that I could truly be saved. Because the truth was that I was losing myself in all that holding on.
“I’ll get your number from Lana, and I’ll call my son right after I finish here. Would that be okay?”
Would that be okay???
“That would be absolutely amazing, Rose. Sincerely. Thank you. I know they might not say yes, but just the fact that you’d ask means a lot to me. I really appreciate it.”
“Really cool of you, Rose,” Lana added before glancing at me. “You’ve had quite the day, Brooky.”
“No kidding,” I breathed out.
“I can’t believe you get to work at Sugar Mountain Resort and harass Thomas O’Grady every single day!” she practically shouted, and I shushed her.
“I’m not going to harass him.”
“Fine. Just ogle him then.”
“Definitely going to do that.” I decided not to disagree because I would most assuredly be ogling that man every chance I got.
I might not be ready to move on to someone new, but looking never hurt anyone. And Thomas O’Grady was a fine man to look at, even when he was being a sourpuss.
“It’s going to be a good year, Brook.” Lana pulled me in for a hug and squeezed me tight.
“It’s going to be a good year,” I repeated before pulling away.
My intuition was definitely on the fritz because I hadn’t sensed a single one of these changes heading my way. Every one had caught me completely off guard. Within twenty-four hours, I had gotten a new job and potentially a new home to live in.
I guessed life had a way of coming together after you stopped holding on so tight.