Page 79 of The Guest Cottage
“It is,” Pixie agreed. “Everyone is so nice, and Cort is so generous.” In some ways, Cort represented everything Pixie had never known: the shelter of a father’s concern, the protectiveness of a big brother. It was wonderful, but it wasn’t the most important thing.
Marlow watched her with concern.
Pixie’s lips trembled, partly with a smile born of happiness, partly because she didn’t know how her sentiment would be received. Didn’t matter. This amazing woman deserved the full truth. “It’s you, Marlow. I’m most grateful for you.”
A little breathless, Marlow said, “Oh.”
“I’m glad I met Dylan because I got Andy in the bargain. And I’m glad he didn’t marry me,couldn’tmarry me, because now I’ve met you. All my mistakes and bad judgment have brought me here, and no matter what happens now, you’ve had a huge, positive impact on my life.” Her lips trembled, causing her next words to emerge as a whisper. “I love you for that.”
Marlow shocked her by getting red-eyed, too. “Oh, honey, I feel the same way.” Sniffling, she left her seat to give Pixie a tight, one-armed hug while still holding Andy securely.
The baby broke up the emotional embrace by grabbing a fistful of each woman’s hair. They were tearfully laughing as they worked to free themselves. Andy just kicked his legs and cooed at their efforts.
When they were seated again, each of them blinking back tears and still smiling, Pixie felt a contentment she’d never known before. No, Marlow wasn’t family, and wasn’t even a typical friend, but she was more like family than Pixie had known in years.
Sighing, she said, “I know you’ll grumble at me, but I have to keep saying it.Thank you. I hope you know how much you’ve impacted my life.”
Marlow reached out for her hand. “Honestly, you’ve impacted mine, too. I’m glad you came here, and that you trust me.”
Holding hands with a woman was a new experience, too, but Pixie liked the connection. How she wished she really had a sister like Marlow. Probably she would have been a better person if she’d had someone like her in her life.
That thought brought back to mind the reason she’d wanted to talk to Marlow. She released her, took a swig of water, and squared her shoulders. “I’m ready to get to work.”
Marlow blinked. “To work on what?”
“Anything you want. I’ve loafed around enough, and I swear I feel fine now.” Mostly fine, anyway. “Andy takes lots of naps, and more and more, he’s sleeping longer at night.” She waved a hand at the kitchen. “It takes me no time at all to feed myself and tidy the house, so I have plenty of free time to tackle anything you need done.”
A considering look fell over Marlow’s face, and she nodded in that decisive way Pixie had come to know. “What do you have planned today?”
Excited, Pixie leaned forward. “Nothing. Give me any task and I’ll get to it. I’m anxious to dig in.”
“I’m going to look at some property. Want to come along? I could use another opinion.”
A bubble of pure joy swelled inside her. “For real? You mean it?”Marlow wants my opinion?Then reality hit her and she knew she had to be fair. “I’d love to, but I don’t know anything about property.”
“You probably know more than you realize, and even if you don’t, I could use the company.”
Her heart started beating too fast and too hard. In such a short time she’d gone from absolute rock bottom to this—living in a cute little house, surrounded by comfort; visiting with such an impressive woman who had every right to hate her and instead valued her company. Laughing in sheer joy, she popped to her feet. “I would love to! Thank you.”
“Stop thanking me. You’ll be doing me a favor.” Marlow stood, too. “Grab your shoes and anything this squirt might need, and we can get on our way. I want to get back to see Cort while he installs our new lights.”
Pixie gave her a teasing look as she fetched her sneakers by the back door. “Cort’s more than your landlord, isn’t he?”
Bobbing her eyebrows, Marlow confirmed, “He is now, and I’m enjoying every minute.”
“Of course you are. He’s awesome, but then so are you. You guys make a great couple.”
Marlow beamed at the praise.
In two minutes, they were heading out the door, and for Pixie, it was the first relaxing adventure she’d had in a year. For too long it had felt like life was against her, and every drive was a desperate search for help.
But now . . . life was just plain good.
CHAPTER11
After viewing the property, Marlow realized that Pixie truly did have a good eye. She easily envisioned what Marlow wanted and shyly offered suggestions that made a lot of sense.
The second building they looked at was almost perfect. There were a few walls she’d want removed to improve the flow and available floor space for displays, so she hoped Cort would get involved, too.
