She laughs. “Are you nervous, honey?”
“I think I am.”
“Are you by yourself today?”
A knot forms in my throat. “Yes.”
“Good for you,” she says, impressed as she continues to type, her long nails clicking against the keyboard. “It’s smart to plan ahead for yourself. You never know when you’ll meet the right person.”
“I already have.”
Her eyes lift above the monitor and a sly smile curves on one side of her lips. Just as quickly, her attention falls back to her computer where she tap, tap, taps away, adding all my personal information into their system.
“I should have a copay due today.”
She looks over her screen with detail, shaking her head. “Nope.”
“Really? That’s weird. I always have a copay when using my insurance.”
“Oh, you’re not using your insurance.”
“I should be. Could you please check?”
Tap. Tap. Tap.
“No, baby, your insurance policy doesn’t cover any of it.”
Are you freaking kidding me? There’s no way in hell I can pay for this out of pocket. I stopped saving months ago, back in January when I was told my insurance benefits changed with the start of the year.
Exhaling, my entire body slumps. “Are you sure?”
“Positive. I can show you if you’d like.”
“No, that’s okay.”
Fuck. I’m on the verge of calling my parents for a loan, even though I promised myself I never would. Something about needing my parents' help to start my own family feels off, but I’m desperate now. The time to save money has run out.
And once again I’m asking myself if any of this is even worth it.
Nervously, I fidget with my debit card in my hands. “How much is due today?”
Tap. Tap. Tap.
“Nothing. It’s fully covered.”
“But you said—”
“Not by insurance. Personal credit card paid for the whole thing months ago.”
He didn’t.
Closing my eyes, I repeat her words over and over again until they sink in. She doesn’t have to tell me the name on the card on file, I already know.
With my elbows on the counter, I bury my face in my hands. “Can you tell me when it was paid?”
“Looks like it was back in mid-December.”
Right after we went camping, when I first told him why I was saving money. Right before there was ever an “insurance benefit change.”
“Honey, are you crying?”
With my hands covering my face, I nod. “It’s kind of my thing.”
She chuckles, deep and hearty. “Sounds like you were right when you said you had already met the right person.”
“Indy.” Rio reaches over his couch from behind me and closes the book in my hands. “Look, I love you, you know this, but you can’t stay here forever.”
“I’ve only been here for a few days, and you said I could stay however long I’d like.”
“I changed my mind.”
Turning back, my head over my shoulder, I look at him with confusion.
“I have my broker coming by to take you to go look at some apartments today.”
“What? No, I don’t want to look at apartments.” I stand from the couch to face him. “I don’t know that I’m even planning to move out from Ryan’s. I just needed a few days.”
“It’s been a few days.”
Jolting back, I eye him. “Do you have a girl coming over? Are you just trying to get me out of the house? Is that what this is about? I can go hide in the guest room if you’d like.”
He scoffs. “I wish I had a girl coming over. Now go take a shower and put on something that isn’t that three-day old sweatshirt with spaghetti sauce on it.” He cringes. “You need to look good for… my broker.”
Taking slow steps towards the guest room, I keep my narrowed eyes on him over my shoulder. “You’re being so weird right now.”
“I love this part of town,” Rio’s broker, Cindy, says as she continues to drive us thirty minutes outside of the city. “Real quiet. Good place to raise kids. Great school district.”
“I’m only looking for myself.”
Actually, I’m not looking at all.
“This part of town has a wonderful safety score. Walkable. Quaint grocery stores and a lot of land. Plenty of hiking spots. Give it a couple of months and this whole town will be covered in greenery and flowers. It’s beautiful.”
“That does sound nice.”
If I were looking.
She continues to drive us around and she was right. It does seem like a quiet town, thirty minutes away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Chicago. Ryan would like it here. He’d probably be able to go to the grocery store on his own without being bombarded or take a long walk outside without the media on his ass.
“Here we are.”
She pulls into the long driveway of a stunning house. White exterior with black trim. Elm trees line the driveway and their color is beginning to come back after a harsh winter. A cozy porch wraps around the entire house where a swing hangs by the front door. There isn’t another home in viewing distance, and I can tell, just from the front, that the property in the back is vast and seemingly endless.
“I think this is the wrong address,” I tell her. “It’s only me. I’m not looking for anything this big and even if I were, I couldn’t afford it.” An awkward laugh bubbles out of me and I keep my seat belt in place, ready for her to drive off to the correct location.
“Well, let’s go in and take a look, shall we? Stunning home. Would hate to just drive away.”
Cindy is already out of the car before I have another moment to protest. Unfastening the seat belt, I cautiously follow her up the large set of stairs leading to the front porch.
The area surrounding the house is silent minus the distant chirp of birds. It’s a complete and utter change from the apartment on the twenty-second floor in downtown Chicago. I can’t help but wonder how many stars you’d be able to see out here without the glaring lights of the city.
The fresh garden beds lining the staircase with small buds sit ready for dirt and rain to create something beautiful.
Cindy doesn’t use a key to unlock the double doors that lead into the house. She simply turns the knob and opens them. Staying on the front porch, she ushers me in.
The waft of fresh coffee overwhelms me along with that distinctly sweet smell of French toast.
A large double staircase frames the foyer. There are rooms to both my left and right. The house seems mid-renovation, but one is definitely a family room and the other is for dining.
But straight ahead, the kitchen stove crackles, and I can see puffs of steam even from here.
Cindy closes the door, and when I look back, she’s nowhere to be found. She left me inside alone.
I follow my nose to the giant kitchen in the back of the house. White cabinets, stainless steel appliances, and an island large enough for a family of six to eat breakfast at.
But the most beautiful part of the house is the man with his back to me, working at the stove. Backwards hat, hoodie, and joggers. He seems as relaxed and comfortable as he does at home, and I couldn’t be more thankful to Rio that he made me get off my ass and brush my hair.