Page 15 of Finding Home (Willow Valley #1)

FIFTEEN

CHLOE

I ’m a dirty, filthy liar, and I feel horrible.

When I left Everett’s place this morning, I didn’t have dinner plans with my parents.

I showed up at school and called my mom to ask if I could come over, because I didn’t want to be at his place.

Mom, of course, said I could come over, so the minute I saw Everett, I told him, that way I couldn’t back out and change my mind.

I leave school and head directly to my parents’, bypassing the house and heading to the barn in the back to visit my favourite horse, Miley.

I need to thank Grayson again for making sure people are over every day to take care of them now that I’m working full time and Mom and Dad don’t have the time or energy to do so.

I know that when my mind is a mess I can always come here.

I brush Miley, and she nudges me with her snout, making me smile.

Miley was the first horse I got to watch being born.

I helped take care of her and watched her grow up.

She’s so good at reading me in a way that I don’t think most humans can.

When everything was going on with Grayson and Rebecca in high school and there was all this talk about them being teen parents, and then Rebecca’s miscarriage, I didn’t know how to process my feelings about any of it.

I was excited to be an aunt, to watch Grayson be a father, and for our family grow.

It was so much for me to process at fourteen. If it wasn’t for Miley and Brin, I’m not sure I’d have made it through that time. The whole family was grieving and all in our own way. That one situation showed me how delicate life can be.

Grayson eventually moved to the city, visiting rarely, wanting to avoid reminders of those dark times, and I don’t blame him.

I think as much as that situation sent him running, it ultimately was a huge reason I came back after university.

The thought of being that far from my family and my best friends was too hard.

I started calling Grayson a minimum of once a week, trying to get him more if his crazy shifts at the hospital allowed for it.

Kissing Miley on the nose, I hang the brush beside the barn door and head up to the house. As I’m washing my hands at the kitchen sink, Mom joins me.

“Hey, sweetheart,” she says, and I smile over at her.

“Hey, Mom.”

She studies me, and of course, she can tell something’s up. “So, what brings you over for dinner?”

I grab the hand towel to avoid looking at her. I know I need to tell her, because within days, the fact that I’m living with Everett will hit the gossip mill and I don’t want her to hear it from anyone but me.

“I have an update,” I say. “So, you know how Beau’s supposed to move into my place? Well, I’ve found somewhere to move.”

I feel Mom’s eyes on the side of my head when I don’t continue. She lets the silence sit, waiting me out.

When that doesn’t work, she asks, “So, where are you moving?”

I bite my lip before taking a deep breath.

“You know the new fire chief, Everett Lawson? He’s looking for someone to watch his daughter on days he has shifts, in exchange for that and some help with—” I stop, needing to choose my next words carefully.

Mom may be plugged into the small town gossip, but when I tell her a secret, she’s a vault.

But this isn’t my secret to tell. I don’t get to decide who gets to know about Mrs. Simpson’s condition.

“Help with?” Mom asks.

I wave a hand in front of me. “It’s nothing. Anyways, I’m moving—moved into his spare room.”

I finally turn and make eye contact with Mom, and something in her eyes sparkles, but she just watches me .

“What?” I ask.

“Nothing. If you think this is a good idea, I’m glad you’re helping the new chief.

I’m sure you’ll be a great help with his daughter.

” Mom starts pulling her large soup pot and a cutting board out as she says, “I was thinking about making homemade chicken noodle soup. I’ll make a big batch so you can take some home.

I’m sure Everett and Lila would enjoy some. ”

Mom mentioning Lila by name tells me just how plugged into the gossip she is; I’ve never mentioned her name. I roll my eyes and shake my head but pull out the vegetables I know she needs from the fridge and get to work on chopping them as she starts on the chicken and broth.

Dad walks in the door at exactly six, the same as he has since I was a kid. He kisses Mom on the cheek as she stirs the pot of soup before coming over and kissing my cheek then washing his hands.

When I was a kid, I asked my dad once why he always went to Mom before coming to say hi to Grayson and me.

He said that Mom comes first. She’s his partner in life, in everything.

His job is to prioritize her and show us kids that he loves and cares for her.

That she matters to him. His hope was we’d see that and have something to strive for in a relationship.

That we’d find people we love and cherish.

At the end of the day, your kids move out, they build their own families, and it’s just you and your spouse.

I respected it then and now. It never meant Dad didn’t love Grayson and me, and he found ways to prioritize each of us, making sure we both knew we were loved.

I think that’s why we have good relationships with both our parents.

Grayson may have avoided coming back to town, but he always made sure to call often.

I finish setting the table while Mom brings the pot of soup over and Dad settles in.

“It’s nice to see you, sweetheart,” Dad says as I settle into my chair.

I smile at him, and before I even have a chance to say anything, Mom says, “Chloe came baring news.”

Dad raises a brow at me.

I force my smile wider and say, “I’ve found a place to move now that Beau is back. ”

“Good for you,” Dad says before taking a sip of water.

“She moved in with the new fire chief,” Mom says, nearly causing Dad to choke. “You should invite them over for dinner, Chlo. It would be nice to really meet the new fire chief and his daughter.”

As much as I want to say no, and I have no idea how I’m going to broach the subject to Everett, I know there’s no saying no to her about this.

“I’ll talk to Everett,” I say, and that satisfies her enough for now.

We continue to eat, Mom telling us about her call with Grayson and Hannah earlier and Dad talking about a part he’s trying to hunt down for a project truck he has at the shop.

When we finish eating, Mom loads up a large bowl with soup, placing a lid on it before thrusting it into my arms and saying, “I’ll call you tomorrow to set up a date for the three of you to come over for dinner.”

I hold back my sigh, knowing that fighting Mom on this is useless and I need to find a way to convince Everett to come along before she ends up showing up at the fire house and demanding he come over, and I know she would.

I kiss her cheek and Dad’s before I head home.