Page 58 of Better Together

Alexis hugged each member of Zeke’s family and thanked them for all their hard work and for supporting her.

She and Maggie walked back into the house and got to work. They’d have three full days to stage the house. At midnight, Alexis looked at her watch. “Let’s call it a night.”

Maggie stretched, placing her hands on her lower back. “Sounds good. What time should I be here tomorrow?”

“Enjoy your morning with your husband. I need to stop at the church to check on the progress and talk with Pete. How about ten a.m.?”

“That works.”

They both aimed their fobs to remote-start their vehicles. They turned off the lights in the house, locked the doors, and walked through the two inches of snow that had fallen. “You have a great family, Maggie.”

“I do. And Alexis, they’re your family too.”

Alexis hugged her friend, tears threatening. “Good night, Maggie.”

“Good night, Alexis.”

* * *

With all the help from family and friends, the staging only took two days instead of three.

Out of habit, Alexis checked her phone. She wished Zeke would text her. She entered her home and Boo rubbed against her leg, his purrs vibrating through the quiet house. Alexis removed her shoes and hung up her coat. She placed her hat and gloves in the galvanized bin in the foyer and headed for the fridge. “Let’s get you something to eat.” Alexis pulled the can of cat food from the fridge and emptied it into Boo’s dish. She placed the fork in the sink, pulled a box of Junior Mints from the cupboard, and headed to the bedroom to change into her pajamas. She and Maggie had finished the staging. They’d met their deadline.

When she crawled into bed and pulled the covers over herself, they smelled of Zeke. Boo settled next to her as she cried herself to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Alexis woke to a text message. Startled out of a deep sleep, she reached for her phone, but she knocked it across her nightstand and it landed on the floor. Boo, alert after being jostled from sleep, jumped off the bed and attacked the phone like it was a rodent trying to escape. Flinging the covers back, Alexis bolted out of bed and rescued her device from the kitten. Her heart plummeted when the text was from Kate and not Zeke.

She pulled up the text and read: Hi, Alexis. I wanted to let you know I decided to stay in Chicago for Thanksgiving. I’ll be arriving on Black Friday.

Alexis typed a reply: Your home will be ready when you get here. I’ll keep the lock box on the door. The code is 4167. Call or text when you arrive, and I can meet you there if you’d like.

Three dots appeared, indicating Kate was typing. Boo had jumped back on the bed and was attacking the string on her pajama bottoms.

Kate’s response appeared: I’m excited!

Alexis picked Boo up and carried him into the kitchen. She set him down in front of his bowl and opened a can of food. After Boo was fed, she made coffee.

Boo followed her into the bedroom, where he wrestled with every piece of clothing she set on the bed. Alexis smiled at his antics. She walked over to the T-shirt Zeke had discarded in haste the last time he was there. She picked it up and brought it to her nose. Should she send him a text? Try to call him?

No. He had taken a job for Luke. She dressed and headed for the church to let Pete know he had an extra week.

* * *

“Hi, Pete.”

Pete walked right to her and wrapped her in a hug. “I never did like him.”

Alexis smacked him. “Yes you did.”

She loved the support, but it was her fault Zeke walked away. When they pulled apart, Alexis shoved her hands into her front pockets and looked down at the floor. “He didn’t do anything wrong, Pete. I pushed him away. My insecurities surfaced.”

Pete removed his tool belt, and they sat on two overturned buckets. “What are you going to do about it, General?”

“I don’t know. Maggie said it’ll work out the way it’s intended to, but I need to do something. I need to reach out to him.”

“Have you tried calling him?”