Page 60 of Like You Want It

No one I know has ever had a house with a garage. We are carport folk, through and through.

We pull into the driveway and before Fin throws his SUV into park, Susie’s door is open and she’s sprinting up the drive, to the walkway and inside the house.

“I’m assuming someone missed her daughter,” I offer, chuckling to myself.

“She misses her every day,” he says softly, finally taking a second to glance at me in the rearview mirror, and my heart sinks.

While not meant to be hurtful, my comment hits at the root of Susie’s most difficult situation – having her brother raise her daughter.

“Is it hard? Sticking with the agreement that she only gets to see her at certain times?”

His eyes become slightly unfocused. “You have no idea.”

And then he’s turning off the car and climbing out.

I unbuckle my seatbelt and follow suit, grabbing my purse and slinging it over my shoulder.

“This house is… really big,” I say. “And like, super fancy pants. What do your parents do?”

“My mom was a trauma surgeon in the military, until her arthritis got in the way. Now she’s an instructor for medical students.”

“What a fucking badass,” I say, and I hear Fin chuckle, though when I glance at him his face shows no signs of it.

“My dad was a stay-at-home parent, but he ended up getting really into website design and went back to school for that when he was in his fifties. He has a small graphic design and website development company now.”

“How cool that your parents bucked the social norms of the time. My parents used to fight about stuff like that all the time but …” But I don’t finish my sentence. My heart twists when I think about my mom. How angry she was towards the end of her life when she used to be such a happy, jovial person.

Now is not the time to get intothatmess of a conversation. “Never mind. I just think that’s great.” I take a step away from the car, indicating that I’m ready to go inside.

Fin takes the hint and leads the way with me trailing behind in his wake. We head through the front door and my eyes fly all over everything I can see, taking in the sunken sitting room and fireplace with blue and green accents. There’s a sterile warmth to the space that so reflects that their mom is – orwas– a doctor. It’s so clean you could eat off of every surface, but still feels inviting enough to snuggle up on the oversized, over stuffed couch with the pale green throw blanket and a good book.

I can hear Susie cooing to Nell before we round the corner, and my eyes zero in on her the minute we step into the open concept kitchen, dining and lounge area. And when I spot her on the ground on her stomach, her face pressed close to Nell’s, the two of them giggling together, I can’t help but smile.

“I remember when my brother’s daughter was that age.” I glance up at Fin, mumbling quietly so only he can hear. “It was awesome. So much snuggling and laughter. It’s what comesnextthat makes you wish you could go temporarily deaf.”

He smiles just a little bit, then steps further into the room so his parents know we’re here.

“There he is!” his mom says, lifting off the couch and walking to Fin, giving him a big hug. He squeezes her tightly and kisses her cheek, a deep affection for his mother clear in the way he looks at her once he pulls back.

Then he steps over to his dad and extends his hand. They each shake firmly as his dad says, “Son.” And then they also hug, patting each other on the back.

“And who is this gorgeous woman with you?” his mom says, and I blush but give her my best smile.

“I’m Carly,” I say, sticking my hand out. “I’m Susie’s new next door neighbor, much to Fin’s disappointment.”

His dad laughs. “Well, Fin’s a cranky stick in the mud. So what he thinks doesn’t really matter, hey?”

Fin rolls his eyes as the rest of us have a chuckle at his expense.

“Nice to meet you Carly,” his mom says, stepping forward and giving me a hug in place of the handshake I was expecting. “I’m Carol and this is my husband, Peter.”

Peter also gives me a hug, then turns slightly, glancing between us.

“It’s a little after ten, but you guys have been driving for a few hours, right? Are you hungry? Can I get any of you something to drink?”

“Can I have a Care-Berry?” Susie calls over from her place still sprawled on the floor with Nell.

I scrunch my brows and look towards Carol, who smiles in the direction of her daughter and granddaughter.