On Friday night, Mark showed me something on his phone.
A furnished one-bedroom apartment listing. Fifteen minutes from our house. Ground floor. A walk-in shower. A little patio with room for a bistro table.
Available on a six-month lease starting the exact day Diane’s six weeks were up.
He’d written down the deposit and the first month’s rent on a legal pad. Right next to the daycare fees.
“She says she doesn’t want another temporary place,” Mark said.
“Have you told her this is an option?”
“I told her we’d look at it together.”
I looked at the numbers on that legal pad.
Between the deposit, the first month’s rent, helping her move, and the daycare, there was no way we’d make it to Hocking Hills in November.
I’d been looking forward to that weekend for a year. Having him to myself. Sleeping in. Hot tub under the stars.
I’d never imagined spending that money to get our own house back.
Mark tapped the listing on his phone.
“Could she maybe just stay until her tenant moves out?”
“When is that?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then that’s the same question again, Mark.”
He put down his pen.
“She’s going to say I promised her.”
“Then will you tell her what you told me?” I said. “That you expected me to get used to it before you ever asked?”
He looked toward the hallway. Toward the guest room door.
“I’ll talk to her,” he said.
Ethan Blake is a skilled Creative Content Specialist with a talent for crafting engaging and thought-provoking narratives. With a strong background in storytelling and digital content creation, Ethan brings a unique perspective to his role at TheArchivists, where he curates and produces captivating content for a global audience.
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