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BY THE END OF THE WEEK, Daphne relented and they ordered a dumpster, which now stood in front of the house. Like or not, she had to admit that Violet owned a whole lot of stuff that was of no value to anyone but Violet. And she was no longer here to treasure it.
“I get it, Daph,” Brady said. “When I first started clearing out my parents’ home, I was trying so hard to salvage anything that might have some sort of meaning. Like did my mother’s punch bowl matter to her? I couldn’t have given a shit about a big old punch bowl, but maybe it was some family treasure. I learned pretty quickly that there weren’t a whole lot of things worth keeping. That’s when I started taking pictures of things to make myself feel better—to create some visual representation of the ‘stuff’ without allowing it to weigh me down. My whole way of life has always been about not being anchored down with stuff—”
“Or people?”
He pressed his lips together. They were taking a break from the Big Purge, eating lunch on the back deck, which had become an excuse for an afternoon quickie every day this past week. Brady was perfectly happy with that. He didn’t like getting into deeper conversations about himself, though, and wanted to keep it light and easy.
“It’s not that I don’t want to be bogged down with people.” He chose his words carefully. “It’s just that there is a simplicity to life when you carry your world on your back. Adding people into that mix makes things more complicated.”
“Is that why you dumped me?”
“I didn’t dump you, per se.” He frowned. “More like I chickened out from trying to make you understand where I was coming from.”
“But where you were coming from was ridiculous—wanting to leave and not come back?”
“It’s what I needed to do. It wasn’t anything about you, really. It was all about me. And my shortcomings, or my idiosyncrasies, or maybe because all I knew growing up was about being on my own, so I needed to find me again.”
“Did you?”
“Did I what?”
“Find you. You said you needed to find you again.”
He shrugged. “I guess I grew to understand myself a bit better. I learned to appreciate the world, different cultures, the fragility of our globe. I got to be a vagrant on my terms, rather than being uprooted right after getting started again. Unlike my entire childhood, when being uprooted was out of my control.”
“And that was important to you?”
“More than I could have imagined. So maybe that was what I meant by finding me. Actually empowering me to make my own decisions, be my own person, not live my life at the whims of others.”
“Wow, that military brat thing sure did rattle you, didn’t it?”
“I guess more than I realized. I needed to break free of that world.”
“So where are you now?”
He smiled, tucking her hair behind her ear. “I’m right here, with you.”
She rolled her eyes and smacked him playfully. “I know that, silly. But where are you in terms of coming or going or disappearing in the middle of the night again?”
He fixed his gaze on hers. “You know I’d never do that again, don’t you? I was a boy then. I’m a man now. I honor my commitments and I own up to my intentions.”
She nodded. “I’ll give you a mulligan. I think that’s fair and reasonable. But I still don’t know what your intentions are for Violet’s house—at least the part that belongs to you. I think I’ve made it clear to you that I want to remain here. But it’s going to take cooperation from you for that to happen. I loved Violet with all my heart, but she clearly didn’t think through the complications of house sharing.”
“You know, in a way, I think she did,” he said.
Daphne furrowed her brow. “How so?”
“Well, you and Violet shared this house in a way for many years, right?”
She nodded. “Of course. I mean, I paid her for my rent, and she had her side and I had mine. And we shared our deck.”
“The deck’s my favorite part.”
“I bet it is.” She grinned.
“I never knew what a fan I was of making love al fresco.”
She cocked her head. “What’d you just say?”
“I said I am a big fan of making love al fresco.”
She nodded. “Getting back to what you were saying, why do you think Violet had a plan here?”
“I think Violet had planned that you and I would share the house.”
“You mean like you could rent your side out with Airbnb while you travel? And I’d stay in my side and own it straight out? And I could help maintain the property and such?”
He laughed and scratched her scalp the way she liked it. “Sounds like you’ve got a plan all worked out in your head there.”
“Well, I was hoping you didn’t need the money from the sale of Violet’s home. And maybe you’d take pity on an ex-girlfriend, who kind of has her heart set on this place, both for sentimental reasons and because it’s home.”
“I’ve never put much value in the concept of home before,” he said. “Home is where I put my head on my pillow at night.”
“But in your case, it’s not even your pillow. How can that feel like home?”
He took a bite of his sandwich. “I’m starting to understand that a bit more,” he said. “Hanging out at Violet’s place, I have started to appreciate things like a guaranteed warm shower. Air conditioning on a hot day. A flushing toilet.”
“That’s an absolute must.”
“A big comfy sofa where I can cuddle up and watch TV. Basic cable, for that matter.”
“Or at least streaming services,” she added.
“Yup. How about a spacious kitchen counter to prepare dinners you’ll share with your family and friends?”
“Now you’re sounding awfully committal when you start talking about that stuff.”
“Fine, how about a spacious kitchen counter you can set your lover on while you eat her instead of dinner.”
Daphne blushed and tossed her napkin at him.
“What? That was the best use of a kitchen counter I could think of.” He grinned. “Though I would not at all mind using it to cook a real meal, once I learn how to cook.”
“And bake.”
“Don’t get cocky on me. One step at a time.”
“One step at a time, indeed.”