“Why do you guys have so many?” I asked as I started to walk around, glancing through everything.
“My grandmother had a different taste from her mother. My great-grandmother had a different taste from my grandmother, and so on. The houses were remodeled to suit the couple.”
That explained why the house was so empty of color and character. His father had rebuilt the house to suit his taste. Empty and emotionless. Frank never redid it.
I kept walking, taking in garden pots and a couple of mowers. I wrapped around a large bedframe and froze when my eye landed on a crib pressed in the corner. I walked closer. It was an oak crib that rocked. It was beautiful with hand-carving on the side of birds.
“Whose was this?” I asked, looking over my shoulder at Frank. He followed me and shrugged. “Couldn't tell you. Another piece of furniture.”
I ran my hands over the wood, feeling a tug at the crib. It was clearly made with love. The craftsmanship was stunning and detailed. “It's beautiful.”
Frank looked around the other furniture. “I'm going to guess it was probably my grandmother's. This is her bedframe and hutch.”
“Do you mind if I use this?” I asked, rocking the crib slightly.
His eyebrows went up. “You want to use that? You don't want to buy something else?”
I shook my head. “No, this is stunning and part of your family. I think that's better than shopping and buying something.”
“Okay, I can bring it inside later this week.” He looked down at his watch. “Shit, I'm going to be late for a meeting.”
“You go,” I said, waving a hand. “I think I'm going to look around a little more before heading out.”
“Sounds good.” He headed out, and I wandered around the area a little more. After an hour or so, I headed to work. The day was quiet in the office, and I found myself looking forward to after work. Sam was going to love the crib when I told her about it. She loved old heirlooms like I did.
I was just gathering my stuff up to leave when my phone vibrated in my purse. I pulled it free, seeing it was Sam. I smiled as I waved goodbye to Lynn and headed out the door.
“Hey, I was just about to call you. I'm just leaving work, so where did you want to meet?”
“Yeah, that's why I'm calling.” I froze, hearing the sad tone in Sam's voice.
“Did something happen?”
“Yeah, well…I may or may not have a flat tire on the side of the road right now.”
“What? Oh my god, are you okay?”
“I'm fine. I already called Jay, and he's coming to get me. But I'm only about ten minutes out of our town, so by the time he gets here and we get this situation, it's going to be late. So, I won't be able to go shopping with you. Maybe Katie can.”
“No, she is busy with the lab today, and she just got over having the flu, so I don't want to make her travel far when she's still getting better.” I would ask Jennisa, but she'd already told me she was helping her sister paint her bathroom.
“That's okay, we can go another day. Are you okay? Did you hit anything?”
“I think I ran over a nail or something. I'm more bored having to sit here and wait. Besides this, how have you guys been? How have you been feeling?”
“I've been feeling good. A little fatigue, but otherwise, I've been doing great.”
“And you and Frank? Are you guys doing well?”
I had never told the girls how we really were. I never wanted them to worry about me. So, I always told them we were getting along. But it was true now. Frank was more helpful and caring around the house.
Our relationship was nothing like Sam's or Katie's, and it probably would never be. There was emotion in it. But we were getting along more like friends now, which was better than it had been before. I don't think I could trust Frank with anything more if I were being honest.
“Oh, Jay's here. I've got to go. Let me know how shopping goes if you decide to go. Talk to you later.” Sam hung up before I could say anything, and I sighed.
I stuffed my phone into my purse and headed to my car. I had been looking forward to shopping, so I had no idea what I was going to do with the free time I had now.
I headed home and decided to try to figure out which items from the storage I wanted to bring into the house. I mapped out what I wanted to do with my room and was just finishing when Frank got home. He came down the hallway into the kitchen and offered me a smile. “You're home early. I thought you were shopping with Sam.”
