“Thanks, man,” Jesse said, clapping Chase on the back. “I appreciate that.” He couldn’t say more for the lump in his throat.
Jesse had always liked Landyn’s husband, but the guy had really manned up once those babies came along.
“I know this has been hard on you guys,” Landyn said. “We just wanted to encourage you about how our rough time kind of turned out to be one of the best things that ever happened to us.”
Corinne’s sister and her husband had almost split up just a few months after their wedding, unable to agree about their careers and where they would live. He didn’t know all the details, but they seemed to have a strong marriage now, and they were doing a good job with their girls—who were adorable. Jesse had to admit, the twins kind of made him wish he and Corinne had another baby. Just one though. He didn’t know how anybody survived twins. But Chase and Landyn seemed to have it down.
Corinne and her sister were hugging, and he and Chase stood there trying to look manly.
“Thanks, sis,” Corinne said. “That really does help. We really do know that the hard times make us stronger, but it’s good to hear it from you guys.”
“Yeah,” Jesse said. “You guys are setting a good example for us old folks.”
They all laughed, but Jesse was serious about that, and told them, “I don’t know if Corinne’s told you, but we’re talking about making some kind of scary changes.”
He could tell by their curious expressions that they didn’t know what he was talking about, but something about the timing and the mood of their exchange seemed right, so he filled them in. “Nothing’s for sure,” he said, looking to Corinne to be sure she wasn’t feeling pressured. “Just things we’re thinking about, so we’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t say anything to anyone else until we’ve made some decisions.”
“Well, I think you’d make an awesome teacher, Jesse,” Landyn said.
“He would.” Corinne hooked her arm through his and his heart warmed at her affirming words. Maybe she was adjusting to the idea more than she let on.
They talked for a few minutes before Corinne excused herself to check on the girls in the car. Huck got up to follow her, but she made him stay. He gave a whimper, but reluctantly plopped down on the gravel giving them all sad puppy-dog eyes.
Corinne came back from the car, smiling. “Sari’s singing lullabies, and the other two are out like lights.”
Jesse put an arm around her and the four of them stood in the driveway and talked for another thirty minutes. Chase and Landyn told more of their story, how they’d been so at odds with each other after Chase quit his job and took a studio apartment in New York, chasing his dream of being an artist.
“Mind you, I’m not recommending my methods, Jesse,” Chase said, laughing. “I had this woman pretty ticked off at me, and probably rightfully so.”
“True.” Landyn gazed up at her husband, looking anything but ticked off. “The thing was”—she looked pointedly at Corinne—“I discounted how important it was for Chase to be happy in his work, to be using the talents God gifted him with. And I know I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know, Corinne, but—”
“Oh, you might be.” Corinne reached out and touched her sister’s forearm, smiling softly. Jesse let himself hope that she was softening.
They were both quiet on the drive home. The girls slept soundly in the backseat, but still, Jesse hesitated to ask Corinne what she was thinking about. Too often recently she seemed irritated by his questions about how she was doing or what she was thinking. As if it was none of his business. But she’d warmed to him tonight in a way she hadn’t for many months.
When they got home, they worked together getting the girls in their beds, then they went down into the kitchen. He opened the fridge, looking for something to snack on.
“Do you want some ice cream?”
“Oh, man”—he patted his belly—“I shouldn’t, but that does sound good.”
She scooped two small bowls full, and he took them to the kitchen table. On the way past the bar counter, Corinne grabbed her laptop.
“Checking e-mail?”
“No, making a list.” She poked her forefinger at his chest. “With you.”
“A list?”
“What would it take, Jesse— What will it take to get this show on the road?”
“What show are we talking about?” But he thought he knew. And he was pumped.
* * *
Corinne couldn’t help but smile watching Jesse study her, an enigmatic smile growing on his face.
“Are you serious?”
“As a heart attack,” she said.
“I know you’re not one hundred percent on board, Corinne, but I can’t thank you enough for making an effort to be enthusiastic about it.”
“That’s just it, babe. I’m truly not having to make an effort. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m actually kind of excited. It helped a lot, talking to Chase and Landyn tonight.” She didn’t tell him that most of her excitement was because she felt like she finally had her husband back. She still had plenty of qualms about what their future would look like, but a woman didn’t have to speak every thought that crossed her mind. Mom had taught her that.
“Kind of funny, you getting advice from your baby sister.”
She grinned. “Yes, it is. And good advice, at that.”
Wrinkling her nose, she poised her fingers over the keyboard. “So what’s the first thing we’d need to do?”
He shrugged. “Put our house on the market, I guess.”
She gulped. That was going to be the hardest of all. Harder even than putting Simone in daycare and taking an outside job. Partly—okay, mostly—her reasons were pure selfishness. She loved their home and it was where her family had made most of their memories. They’d brought Simone home from the hospital to this house. She felt spoiled and petty thinking it, but she had trouble imaging herself in a “lesser” house.
She scolded herself. She had no right to think she deserved any of the good things they had. Especially when those things had come by the sweat of Jesse’s brow, not her own.
Oh, he would have argued that. He would have said she made it possible for him to do his job well by having a sanctuary to come home to, blah blah blah. But the truth was, it was his hard work that had provided this wealth for them. Why shouldn’t Jesse have the right to change careers, especially when he’d made it possible for her to stay home with the girls all these years?
She thought again of Landyn and how well things were working out for her and Chase. But Landyn had made even bigger sacrifices for her husband. Difficult ones. If spoiled Landyn could muster the courage to make a major change in her life, surely she could do this too. It’s not like Jesse was asking her to work in the coal mines or put their children in an orphanage while he went golfing.
Willing it to be genuine, she mustered a smile and pushed up her sleeves. “Okay . . .” She typed the words at the top of the page: SELL THE HOUSE. “Next?”
Jesse grabbed her hand across the table. “I love you for this, Corinne. I hope you know that. I know it isn’t easy. You’re my hero and—”
“Don’t go all mushy on me.” She pulled her hand away and put it back on the keyboard. “Okay, what’s next?”
“Trade in the Nissan.”
She typed the words, even as she mourned her beloved Pathfinder. “Okay. Next?”
“Enroll in classes.”
She typed it out. “Next?”
“Sell the kids.”
She started typing: SELL THE K— “Hey, wait a minute!”
He burst out laughing.
“Let’s keep at least one of them,” she deadpanned.
That made Jesse laugh more, and she couldn’t help but join in. It lifted her spirits just to see a glimpse of the husband she remembered from BMC—Before Michaela Creeve.
With the ice broken, for the next hour they itemized and prioritized the list—their list. When they were finished
, Corinne felt like they were warriors storming a hill. Together. And with a game plan. One she printed out before they went to bed.
So she could read it over in the morning and start getting used to the idea of a big change coming their way.
19
Jesse stroked the razor over his jaw and looked down at Sadie’s reflection in the mirror. She watched him intently from the doorway. Smiling through a cloud of shaving cream, he flicked a spot of the menthol lather onto her nose.
“Daddy!” she squealed. But she wiped the spot onto her cheek and came to stand beside him. “Can you shave my face?”
“Girls don’t shave.”
“Uh-huh. Yes they do. Mama shaves her legs. And her pits.” She giggled.
“I stand corrected. Girls don’t shave their faces though. Unless you’re a bearded lady.”
“What’s that?”
“Never mind.” He transferred a finger full of shaving cream onto her cheek then “shaved” it off with the wrong side of the razor.
That delighted his middle daughter. Which delighted him.
He finished shaving, dried his face, and scooped Sadie over his shoulder. “Ready for breakfast, squirt?”
“I’m not a squirt.”
“You look like a squirt to me.” He turned his head and blew a raspberry on her exposed tummy.
She giggled and squirmed on his shoulder all the way to the kitchen. He deposited her in her chair at the table in the breakfast nook where the other girls were already eating.
“Put me on your shoulder, Daddy!” Sari stood on her chair and begged for a turn. Jesse obliged, then came back for Simone who was doing her best to escape the high chair.
Corinne came down the stairs, and he almost bumped into her.
“What on earth is going on down here?” But her stern tone didn’t fit the smile she wore.
“Just a little three-ring circus for your morning entertainment.” He kissed his wife’s forehead and trotted over to put Simone back in the high chair.
“I know who it is,” Sadie hollered.
“Who who is, sweetie?”
“The three rings. In the circus. It’s us, isn’t it?” Sadie pointed between her sisters, counting off one, two, three.
Jesse laughed. “That’s exactly right. I live in a three-ring circus. Make that four.” He winked at Corinne over his daughters’ heads, then went to put a slice of wheat bread in the toaster.
“You’re awfully chipper this morning,” she said.
“And with good reason.”
“Oh?” She looked rather pleased with herself.
“Good reason, indeed.” Memories of their lovemaking last night buoyed his spirits further. He went to wrap her in a hug.
“I feel like we finally have our lives back,” she whispered.
“That’s funny, since our lives are about to kick into chaos. I hope you know what you’ve signed on to, baby.”
But he had to admit that his heart had felt lighter by a thousand pounds ever since he and Corinne had talked last Tuesday night and she’d agreed to start the process right away of getting things set up for him to go back to school in the fall.
Thankfully, there wasn’t much to do to get it ready to sell. The hard part would be just keeping it clean to show. He knew it hadn’t been an easy thing for her to think of letting the house go, and sadly, most of the work would fall on her. He loved her for it and had tried to show his appreciation by helping with the girls, the meals, the dishes.
He’d promised her he wouldn’t give notice at work for at least another month—in case Frank fired him on the spot when he did—and that if possible, he wouldn’t quit working until a week before school started in the fall. Still, just knowing he had a quit date had lightened a burden he hadn’t realized had grown so overwhelmingly heavy.
On Friday, the Realtor had come to evaluate the house and get it ready to list, and already they had someone coming to look at it today. Things were moving faster than he’d ever imagined they could. They would have an open house the following Sunday, and hopefully, before the end of the summer, they’d have a buyer. He’d already scoured the online real-estate sites, looking for a house that would suit them.
He hadn’t told Corinne, but for what they needed to spend, they were definitely going back a step—or two. Or five. Not to mention they’d probably need to sell some of their furniture because “going back a step” meant downsizing too. He wondered if Corinne had made that discovery yet.
Baby steps. He wouldn’t mention it yet. And he’d do some research on For Sale by Owner properties. They might be able to get a little nicer house for the money that way. He prayed hard—for Corinne’s sake—that they could find something that wasn’t too bad.
“Girls, quit goofing off and eat. We need to get this house cleaned up before the Realtor gets here.”
“It’s Daddy’s fault!” Sari said in her best tattletale voice. “He’s the one that got us all winded up.”
“Daddy,” Corinne said sternly, poking him in the chest with her index finger, “please settle down and quit bothering my girls.”
The girls giggled and Sadie stood on her chair again, propping her hands on her hips. “We’re his girls too.”
Corinne started to protest, but he disentangled himself from her arms. “I’ve got this.” He went around to the table, feeling Corinne’s eyes on him while he got Sadie to sit down, then cleared off the Hello Kitty plates and Disneyland juice cups. He caught a sigh before it escaped. This would be as close as they’d get to Disneyland for a while.
* * *
“Sadie! What did I tell you about leaving toys out?” Growling under her breath, Corinne snatched up the pink tub the little ponies went in. “We have to keep the house clean because someone is coming to look at it today.”
“Then what’re we supposed to do all day?” Sadie sulked and Simone toddled over to give her a pat on the back.
Feeling instantly sorry for her harsh words, Corinne went to give Sadie a hug. “I’m sorry, sweetie. I didn’t mean to sound so angry.”
She’d known it wouldn’t be easy to do what Jesse was asking of her—least of all selling the house—but she hadn’t expected how frustrating it would be to try to keep a house spotless while three little girls were in residence. But it wasn’t fair to take it out on her daughters either. Though Mom had assured her they’d take the move in stride, they were a little bewildered about the changes that were happening so quickly in their lives.
Still, it was all worth it to have her Jesse back. She smiled to herself, thinking about how happy he’d been this morning before he left for work. She’d almost forgotten that side of her husband.
“What’s so funny, Mommy?”
Corinne shook off her daydreams to find Sari looking up at her with curious eyes.
“I was just thinking about your daddy.”
“How’s come he was whistlin’ at breakfast?”
The puzzled look on her daughter’s face cracked her up. “He was, wasn’t he?” She wrapped Sari in a hug. “He was whistling his heart out,” she said, more to herself.
“No!” Sadie yelled. “Daddy can’t take his heart out! He would be dead!”
“It’s just an expression, sweetie.” Laughing harder, she knelt beside Sadie and tried to explain. “Now help me get these toys picked up and then maybe we’ll call Gram and see if she and Poppa are home.”
Sari’s eyes lit up and she clapped her hands. “Hear that, Simone? We get to go to Poppa and Gram’s!”
“After we pick up toys,” Corinne reminded them.
She’d dreaded this day, opening their home to someone who had the power to take it away from them. But it had been a very long time since Jesse had whistled at breakfast. She supposed she could find it within herself to live in a dilapidated cottage with the man she’d awakened beside this morning.
* * *
Corinne could tell that her mom wasn’t thrilled about them coming out. It hurt her feelings a little to be u
nwanted guests at her own parents’ home, but at the same time she understood—more than she had before. Mom had to keep the inn spotless and ready for guests the same way Corinne was trying to keep their home spotless and ready for buyers.
She made a mental note to give her mother more warning next time—and to not plan to hang out at the inn every time they showed the house. Now that the weather was nice, she could take the girls to the park or the swimming pool. She already resented that these last few weeks in her home would be spent making a concerted effort to stay out of their home.
“So,” her mother whispered. “How are the girls handling everything?”
She shrugged. “I’m not sure they really grasp what’s going on. We didn’t want to make a big deal of it in case things fall through.”
“Fall through? Are you reconsidering?”
“No. I just mean, in case we can’t get our price. This is the first—”
A ringtone sounded from her purse in the foyer. “Sorry . . .” She jumped up and crossed the room to fish out her phone. “Hello?”
“Corinne, this is Betty Heigel. Are you sitting down?”
“Um, yes.” She reached behind her and slid onto the old church pew in the entry hall. “Why?”
“I have an offer on your home.”
“What? Already?” She eyed her mother, who didn’t try to hide her curiosity. “Is it . . . a good one?”
“It’s as close to full price as you’re going to get this early in the game. And no contingencies, there shouldn’t be a problem with the loan. This may be the fastest I’ve ever sold a house.”
“Oh, no,” she whispered.
“Corinne? Are you okay?”
“Yes. Sorry. I just . . . I can hardly believe it went that fast. I guess I need to go home and start packing.” A sick feeling settled in the pit of her stomach.
She looked up to meet her mother’s gaze. “We may have sold our house,” she mouthed.
Mom’s eyebrows lifted.
“Betty, I need to call Jesse and let him know. Do we still have the open house now?”
“Yes, I think so. There’s no reason to think this will fall through. They seem like serious buyers, but it won’t hurt to have another bidder in our pockets. Who knows, you may be able to get full price. There’s just one thing . . .”
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