They didn’t seem to mind, and before long Marley’s twin bed was set up on the wall opposite from Anna’s. “Thank you!” Anna gave them a generous tip.
Anna opened the front window in the hopes that she would hear if another big truck pulled up while she was putting the bedding onto her new bed. She didn’t want to miss a delivery, and she didn’t want to keep them waiting. Of course, now she realized that she would need to stick around the apartment all day. At least until the last of the deliveries. She couldn’t complain—this was starting to feel a lot like Christmas!
Sean called, as promised, a little before 10:00. “I’ve got the van—just leaving the hotel. Ready to go?”
She explained her concern about missing a delivery. “Marley can’t be here because she’s on flights until Thursday.”
“No problemo. I’ll swing by and get your receipts and pick up the stuff myself. As I recall it was only three stores, right?”
“That’s right. I owe you big-time, Sean O’Neil.”
He just laughed. “Well, I’ll have to think of some way you can repay me.”
She remembered what the woman had said about young people and cooking. “How about some home-cooked meals?” She told him about lugging home groceries.
“All right! Sounds like a plan.”
Of course, after she hung up she instantly questioned the sensibility of her spontaneous offer. Was she setting herself up for problems? She remembered what Mrs. Newman had said about friendships. Didn’t friends cook for friends? Besides, she could make sure that Marley was around if and when she did cook for him. No big deal.
Besides, she didn’t have time to obsess over this because one of the thrift store trucks had just pulled up. Before long she had a cream-colored sleeper sofa and a pair of lemon yellow chairs in place—and they looked great. Just like a real living room, albeit a small one. She was just admiring them when she heard another vehicle honking down below. Seeing it was Sean, she grabbed the bundle of receipts and ran them down to hand them off.
“Thanks,” he said. “Better go, I’m double-parked.”
“Thank you so much!” she exclaimed happily.
About an hour later the second thrift store truck arrived. The first thing they brought in was a tall painted dresser that Anna thought she and Marley could share in the bedroom. What she was most anxious to see was a set of Danish modern furniture that Sean had discovered. They had just been unloading the pieces into the shop, and Sean claimed they were just like some that his grandmother used to have. “I think they might be valuable,” he’d whispered. “If you decide you don’t like them, you could always resell them on eBay for a profit.”
She wasn’t really sure about that, but as she saw the teak dining set being carried in, she was certain that she liked it. Next came the coffee table and end tables, and they looked perfect with the couch and chairs.
“The console table will go here by the door,” Anna said as they were going back for the next load. “The bookshelf, over there next to the window.” After the last of the Danish modern was put into place, Anna knew she owed Sean a great deal of gratitude. These pieces were perfect. Knowing that her grandma would appreciate them, she took a bunch of photos.
Sean arrived just before noon. Hearing the horn beep, she ran down to help him carry in lamps, rugs, decorative throw pillows, a set of dishes, pots and pans, and several other bulky items. “Wow, this is looking great,” Sean said as he paused by the door. “I’d stick around, but I promised to have the van back before noon, and I’m cutting it close.”
“Yes, do get the van back on time,” she urged. “Thank you so much!” After Sean left, Anna worked to get the large area rug in place in the living room. She’d fallen in love with it at the first store they’d gone to, but with its shades of orange, moss green, and yellow, she couldn’t quite imagine it in the apartment. Sean had encouraged her to get it, saying that it would be like a cornerstone for the rest of the furnishings. “Everything you pick out, just imagine it with that rug,” he’d told her.
Of course, he was right. The rug was perfect. She took her time getting lamps and some other decorative pieces into place, but it just kept getting better and better. She was so excited to see it coming together that she felt like dancing. And that reminded her of the MP3 speakers, and before long she had them set up on the teak bookshelf with a selection of west coast jazz playing.
As she wadded up the various packing materials and trash, stuffing them into one of the biggest cardboard boxes, she couldn’t remember when she’d ever been happier. It almost seemed wrong to feel this happy. But it was as if she couldn’t help herself. Since she didn’t have her key, she left her door cracked open as she took the box of trash down to the Dumpster, but when she got back, her door was closed. She looked up and down the hallway, thinking perhaps Rodney had been by, but no one was around. Had Marley gotten home early and gone in? Anna pounded on the door, and to her surprise it swung open and Sean was inside.
“What—”
“Sorry,” he said. “The super let me into the building, and I saw your door open and assumed you were in here.”
“That’s okay,” she assured him. “Did you look around?”
His face lit up. “It looks fantastic, Anna!”
“I know.” She went inside and closed the door. “I can’t even believe this is my place. It’s amazing.”
“If we ever lost our jobs at the hotel, we could probably go into business setting up apartments for people.”
She laughed. “That wouldn’t be too bad.”
Sean went around admiring everything with almost as much enthusiasm as Anna. “There’s just one thing missing,” he said.
“Huh?” She looked around, trying to figure out what she’d forgotten. “What?”
“Hold on and I’ll get it.” Sean headed back toward the bedroom.
“What are you doing?” she demanded.
“Just wait,” he called. “I need to get something.”
Feeling slightly dumbfounded and on the verge of vexation, Anna waited. What on earth was he doing in the bedroom?
“Okay,” he called out. “I’ve got it.”
Sean came out carrying what looked like a stretched canvas, but he was holding the front of it toward him.
“What?” she cried out. “Where did you get that?”
He chuckled. “I stashed it in there while you were out.”
“What is it?” She came over curiously, but he held up a hand like a stop sign.
“Not so fast.”
“I don’t remember buying anything like that. What is it?”
“It’s a housewarming gift.”
“A painting?”
“It’s not an original.” He grinned. “That would be a little out of my reach. But it’s a pretty good reproduction.”
“What is it?” she asked. “Can I see it?”
“Not yet.” His eyes twinkled. “First of all, I know that it’s wrong to buy someone else artwork. I mean, it’s very personal what you hang on your wall. Chances are you won’t even like it.”
“How will I know if I can’t even see it?” she asked impatiently.
“I want you to know that I understand,” he continued. “I’ll only let you see it after you promise to be honest.”
“Honest?”
“If you don’t like it, you have to tell me. It won’t hurt my feelings. In fact, I asked at the shop and they said you can even return it, as long as it’s within twenty-four hours.”
“How do I know I want to return it when I haven’t even seen it?”
“Promise you’ll tell me if you don’t like it?”
She held up her hand. “I solemnly swear.”
“Okay.” He turned the canvas around so she could see.
Anna’s hand flew up to her mouth as she stared at the scene. It was obviously a Manhattan street, with tall buildings on each side and taxis and cars moving down the road. The sky was cloudy and the air was misty, lights glowed fr
om the buildings’ windows like illuminated amber, and the pavement of the street and sidewalk glistened in the rain.
“So . . . ?” Sean waited.
“Oh my.” Anna felt close to tears and couldn’t even explain why.
“You don’t like it.”
“No, that’s not it.” She swallowed against the lump in her throat.
“I can return it.” Sean leaned it against the sofa, then came around to look at it himself, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Or maybe I’ll just keep it.”
“No,” she said suddenly. “I mean, I really do want it, Sean. I love it.”
He brightened. “You do?”
“It’s just so . . . so wonderful . . . I think it literally took my breath away.” She couldn’t stop staring at it. It looked just like that Sunday when they got caught in the thundershower outside of St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
“It’s nice, isn’t it?” he said happily. “It’s called Rainy Day New York. Painted by Alexei Butirskiy. He’s a Russian artist just a little older than us.”
Anna couldn’t stop staring at it. “It’s so beautiful, Sean. I really do love it.”
He lifted it up above the sofa now. “You could hang it up here.”
She nodded. “That’s perfect.” Tearing her eyes away from the image, she headed for the kitchen. “I have some nails and a hammer I borrowed from the super.”
Before long, they had the picture centered and hung above the sofa, and Anna was still staring at it in wonder. “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of looking at it,” she told Sean.
“I couldn’t agree more,” he said quietly.
But when she glanced at Sean, he seemed to be staring at her. Feeling her cheeks growing warm, Anna returned the hammer to the kitchen and, pausing in front of the sink, attempted to steady herself.
“Hey, Anna,” Sean called. “You hungry?”
“Yes,” she called back. “I thought I’d try out this stove and some of my new cookware. You game?”
Sean came into the kitchen. “Seriously? You’re going to cook something?”
She smirked. “Well, it won’t be anything fancy. But if you’re interested—”
“I’m in,” he told her and stood there, watching and waiting.
“Why don’t you go sit in the living room,” she suggested nervously. “Take a break . . . put your feet up.”
He looked slightly reluctant but left anyway.
Anna looked in the fridge and in the food cupboard, and after some deliberation she finally decided to just keep it really simple by making one of her favorite lunches. If Sean didn’t like it, he could always duck out to a nearby deli. She hummed to herself as she bustled about the tiny kitchen. It was fun getting out the new things she’d just purchased and using the moss green pots and pans. Sean was being so quiet out there, she wondered if he’d fallen asleep. She quietly set the Danish table with sleek white sandwich plates and bowls, laying the smooth flatware in place. She was tempted to take a photo, but her iPhone was in the other room and she didn’t want to disturb Sean. It would be sweet if he was enjoying a little nap on the comfy sofa. She remembered how her grandpa often took a nap while her grandma was cooking.
26
Anna was just flipping the grilled cheese sandwiches for the second time when she heard the buzzer for the front entrance of the building. “Hey, Sean,” she called out. “Can you see who that is?”
When he didn’t answer, she went out to discover that Sean was gone and she was alone in the apartment. When she checked to see who was outside, Sean answered.
“What’re you doing out there?” she asked as she pushed the button to let him into the building. She opened her door and there he was with a small bunch of flowers arranged in a Mason jar. “What?” She tilted her head to one side.
“For the table,” he explained. “It just seemed like it needed something.”
She couldn’t help but smile as he carried the sweet arrangement of daisies, small sunflowers, lavender, and some bright green button flowers over to the dining table and set it down. “There,” he said. “How’s that?”
“Perfect.” She pointed to a chair. “Take a seat. I hope the lovely table will help make up for the rather simple meal.” Feeling slightly giddy, Anna ladled out their soup and set out the sandwiches. “Oh, I forgot something.” She hurried back to get the little dish she’d put some pickles in. “Can’t have grilled cheese without sweet pickles.”
She sat down, looking at him expectantly. “I hope you like it, but if you don’t, I’ll understand.”
“Like it?” He beamed at her. “This is one of my all-time favorite lunches. Mind if I say a quick blessing?”
She felt her heart give a happy lurch. “I’d love that.”
They bowed their heads and Sean prayed. “Dear heavenly Father, we thank you for your provision, and we ask you to bless this meal and the hands that prepared it. We also ask your blessing on Anna’s new apartment. We thank you for your goodness to us. Amen.”
“Amen,” Anna said in a slightly husky voice. “Thank you, Sean.”
He lifted his spoon. “Thank you!”
As they ate, they talked about the apartment and the painting and the music that was playing. They talked about work and their plans for the big grand opening coming up. And although Anna’s heart was singing a different kind of song, Anna’s head kept telling her, We are friends . . . just friends . . . that’s all.
Sean insisted on helping to clean up the lunch dishes, and eventually they wandered back to the living room where they both just stared at the painting again. “It reminded me of that Sunday,” Sean said slowly.
“I know . . .” Anna pressed her lips together, trying to think of something to say to move them on from this place. “You know what this apartment needs?” she said suddenly.
“What?” he asked with interest.
“A pet.”
He looked surprised. “Seriously—a pet in here? What about when you’re at work?”
She laughed. “I’m not thinking of a cat or a dog. Nothing with hair. But I do think a goldfish in a nice round bowl would look lovely right here.” She pointed to the console table by the door. “My grandpa got me a goldfish when I was nine. It was my very first pet. I named her Ariel—you know, like the Little Mermaid.” She laughed. “Not terribly creative. But I managed to keep that fish alive for several years.”
“Let’s go get a fish,” Sean exclaimed.
“Yes! I noticed a pet shop about six blocks from here.” She grabbed her purse.
It felt good to be out in the sunshine. As much as Anna loved the new apartment, she had felt the walls closing in on her—on them—and she was relieved to escape. Outside, they were walking briskly, making jokes and laughing. This was what friends did.
“I’m sure it’s down this street,” Anna told Sean after they’d walked for what felt like more than an hour and going around in a circle. She paused to pull out her walking map, trying to determine where they were.
“You’re not lost, right?” He jabbed her with an elbow as he pulled out his phone. “How about if I check my GPS?”
“Do as you like,” she said, turning the map around. “Which way is north?”
Standing on the street corner, they bantered playfully, but eventually, with the help of his phone, Sean figured it out. “Two blocks that way.” He pointed down the side street.
Sure enough, there was the pet shop. As they went inside, Anna wondered how she’d missed it, but she quickly forgot all about that as she knelt down to look at some fluffy brown puppies. “Oh my!” She reached in to caress their soft fur. “It’s a good thing I’m only shopping for a fish today.”
They went around looking at all the animals, holding the kittens, playing with the puppies, chatting with the birds, and staring at the creepy creatures, until they got to the fish section. Anna picked a medium-sized fishbowl. “Not too big, not too small, just right.” She also got some nice black rocks for the bottom of the bowl, a
little ceramic arch for the fish to swim through, some fish flakes, and even drops to remove chlorine from the water. She set these up by the cash register and informed the young man that she was ready to choose her fish.
“Now to pick out just the right one.” Anna went over to the big tank of goldfish, squatting down to see better. “I want a midsized one,” she told the clerk as he prepared a plastic bag, then dipped his net into the tank, causing the fish to scramble. She pointed to an interesting fish. “Can you get that one? The one with one black spot?” It took several attempts, but eventually the fish was caught.
“Nicely done,” Sean told him. “If only you could figure out how to do that with a marlin.”
The fish things were loaded into a box, which Sean insisted on carrying. This time their walk, thanks to Sean’s GPS, really was only six blocks. In the apartment, Sean watched as Anna rinsed out the fishbowl as well as the rocks. She arranged the rocks and the arch and filled the whole thing with tap water. She carefully followed the instructions for the chlorine drops, then set the fish, still in the bag, down into the water in the bowl, opening the top of the bag to allow in some fresh air.
“Looks like you know what you’re doing,” Sean observed.
“I told you I had goldfish experience.” She grinned. “One of my chores was to clean the fishbowl on Saturday. But I didn’t have these handy drops.” She put the bottle in a kitchen cabinet. “I had to fill up pitchers of water to sit overnight.”
“You never got to have any other pets?” he asked as he leaned against the counter. “Even though you proved yourself a responsible pet owner?”
“No. My grandpa had allergies.”
“I see.” He nodded. “You’ve told me a lot about your grandma but not much about your grandpa. What was he like?”
She considered this as she reached for a new dish towel, using it to dry and polish the outside of the bowl. “He was a quiet person. A very traditional man. He liked everything just so. He went to work and Grandma stayed home to cook and clean. Their roles were very clear-cut. I suppose I was kind of afraid of him at first. He was so serious and somber. I guess I was worried that he might decide he didn’t like having a kid around, you know, and if I did something wrong, he might send me off somewhere.”
Once Upon a Summertime Page 23