Page 102 of Perfect Enough
That piqued her curiosity. “What did you deny him?”
I’d told Chloe about Josh wanting to sleep together, and how I’d told him no. That it wasn’t the right moment, and also he’d been drinking. She’d agreed I’d done the right thing. Her words came back to me.
“If he can get upset by something like you saying no to sex, then maybe he isn’t the guy for you, Soph. You were only looking out for his feelings.”
“It was nothing bad; it wasn’t the right moment, and I might have hurt his feelings. I don’t know.”
She frowned. “Well, I’m sure he’s an emotional wreck, and I’m not excusing any bad behavior, but try to understand that I’m sure he didn’t mean anything he said.”
I forced myself to smile. “I know he didn’t.”
“Go and take some time to rest. I need to ensure all the parents know that classes will stop in two weeks. I’d like to have the time to go through things and decide what stays and what doesn’t. I’ve already told the soon-to-be owners that all the equipment will stay, but we need to decide on other things.”
“If you’d like, I can draft a letter. Just let me know the final date of classes. I can work on it from home.”
Mom kissed me on the cheek. “Thank you. I’m sure that will help occupy your mind a bit.”
“One can hope,” I said as I opened the door to her office and made my way out. Once in my office, I picked up my phone and saw I had one text from Chloe and nothing from Josh.
Dropping into the seat, I stared at my desk. My life as I’ve known it would be over in a few short weeks. My phone rang as I stared into space and picked it up to see Haven’s name.
“Haven, how are you?”
“Hi, Sophia. I saw you at the memorial the day before yesterday, but I didn’t want to bother you or the family.”
“Hey, Haven. I didn’t see you, I’m so sorry. You should have said hi.”
“I wanted to chat with you, since you mentioned wanting to head out with me and the dogs again. Are you free tomorrow?”
I didn’t have any classes scheduled until the afternoon. “I’m free in the morning.”
“Great! Would you like to join me on the bus? Maybe we could talk shop more and set up an official meeting with the suits.”
“Sounds like a plan to me.”
“That’s wonderful! You have my address, so just be there by seven in the morning, if that works for you.”
“Yes, that’s perfect. Also, Haven…do you know of a realtor? I have an apartment here in Stevensville, but if I’m going to be doing this with you, I think it’s best if I move to Hamilton.”
She paused for a moment. “Yes, of course. I guess I just assumed you’d be moving in with Josh.”
“I think it’s probably best I have my own place.”
“Do you want to rent or buy?”
“I’m open to both options…” I could afford to buy a small house with the money I’d get from my portion of the studio sale and what I’d saved up. Then again, if I was serious about going into the dog park business, I would need that money. “But maybe renting is the best way for me to go for now.”
“I’ll text you my friend Anna’s name and number. She’s amazing, and she’s the one who found the land for the dog park.”
“Great. Did you already purchase the land?”
“That’s the best part, the owner’s willing to lease with an option to buy. They’re super excited about the idea of the dog park. They’re one of my current clients.”
“That’s wonderful, Haven,” I said, smiling for what felt like the first time in ages. “I’ll let you go and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
The sound of a dog barking in the background made me laugh. When I saw Haven tomorrow, I’d need to ask her how many dogs she owned.
“Okay. See you tomorrow, seven sharp!”