I study his face some more, trying to guess what he felt in that moment.
"I didn't know he was married."
"Not for long. They divorced after a year or so. It was a while ago."
"So this is his type?" I hold the picture up so she can see it.
Renata takes the photo from me and sets it aside. "He's dated all kinds of girls. Different races, different personalities. I don't think he has a type. Besides, if you looked at your dad's first wife, you'd think I wasn't his type, right? And here we are."
"True. Maybe some people don't have a type."
"Do you?" she asks.
I consider my past before answering. "Non-committal. That's how I've historically liked my men."
Renata laughs. "Interesting. Don't get involved with Seth then. He's the commitment type."
First Luisa, now Renata. I'm not sure why everyone seems to think I'm considering a relationship with Seth. I'm leaving in a few days and, besides, we're like oil and water. Or we were. Now I'm not sure anymore.
"What was she like?" I ask. "His ex."
"McAllister? She was like a candle, and he was a moth. I'd never seen him like that with a woman before, so wrapped up he couldn't see a single flaw in her. Truth? I never liked her that much. Sticking with the candle metaphor, I knew he'd get burned eventually. Don't you dare ever tell him that though."
It's petty, but I'm glad Renata didn't like her.
"Why did they break up?"
"I'll leave that for Seth to tell you someday." She pauses and looks up at me. "You know I love your dad, don't you? I'm in this for the long haul. I'm not just trying him on to see if he fits."
"Honestly? I came down here because I thought he was making a terrible mistake." Renata's eyes widen, and I quickly say, "I really liked you. I thought you were kind and smart, but giving up his job, his apartment, his friends, everything back home—I was really concerned, especially since it happened so quickly."
"I can understand that," she says, nodding her head. "My boys were worried, too, at first."
"But since I've been here, I can see how much you two love each other, and that you're really good together. You make him so happy, and he loves your family."
My chest hurts when I say the wordfamily,and Renata must sense it because she reaches out and takes my hand.
"You're part of this family, too," she says. "No one wants to push you out. I've been feeling terrible because I can see that's how you feel. It's not what any of us want."
I didn't know I was waiting for someone to say these words until I heard them. The tears that fall aren't from sadness. I'm relieved that someone finally understands me.
"Thanks," I say, sniffling and reaching up to the desk for a tissue.
"You know you're welcome here any time. That room can be yours. You can leave whatever you want in there, make it your own."
I blow my nose and regain some composure. "I thought you might turn this place into a B&B. It's got enough rooms and so much charm."
"We talked about it, but I don't think I could handle having strangers traipsing in and out of my house."
"Have you thought about having weddings here at least?" I ask. "It's so beautiful at sunset. I can totally picture the tent in the open part of the lawn and the chairs set up under the big oak tree for the ceremony. You could even have Seth build a gazebo for picture taking. He might have time for it now that his cabin is almost finished."
She smiles. "I thought about having my wedding here. But as far as renting the place out for weddings, I'm not sure I could handle it right now. The cheese business alone is keeping me so busy. It's one thing making the cheese, but then there's the packaging, the branding, the website, the sales. The marketing alone feels like a full-time job."
I lean back on the heels of my hands. "You should really get on Instagram and Twitter. You could have an account for one of the goats and post things from her perspective. It would be hilarious."
Renata sighs. "See, that's a great idea. I don't know much about social media and neither does your dad."
"You need someone to take care of marketing for you.” I straighten one of the piles of pictures. "Maybe a college student would do it for free, just for the experience."
