Epilogue

Over the course of the next few months, Audrey discovered what kind of car Shane drove, and he was right: it was about as far from her little electric car as it could get. She didn’t complain though, as he took her on early fall drives, with the top down in his candy apple red 1966 Pontiac GTO, the engine roaring as they drove to different places to explore and hike. If his car accelerated just as good, if not better than hers, well, neither of them mentioned it.

Her new job was a much better fit than her last had been, and had paid her bills just fine. Apparently she’d been worth more than she’d been getting paid, and she was thankful she’d found an employer that had realized that. Audrey had learned from all fronts that having your “ok” life shook up, just might put you in a much better place than you’d been before.

They met each other’s families, and wound up being with her family for Thanksgiving “brunch” and his family for dinner. She was pretty sure that her parents would get along well with his. If their future held steady, Audrey dreamed of combined families, where they would all come together for one gathering.

As the snow fell outside their windows on a cozy Saturday afternoon the weekend before Christmas, she found Hufferwig sitting on her kitchen table when she came out of the bathroom. Giggling at how he looked sitting on the table set for a romantic dinner, she realized the owl was holding a small box. When she picked it up to peer at it closer, Shane appeared suddenly next to her, down on one knee, asking if she would do him the honor of being his wife.

She said yes.

The End