Ch. 5

CHAPTER FIVE: 

~Avery:

“Hey! I’m up here, one second!” A female, melodic voice called from above.

There was rustling up on top of the garage roof. I heard leaves crunching and a bucket or something hit the ground.

“Uh, are you okay?!” I called.

“Yeah, no worries!” The voice assured. Blond hair popped up into view and a cheery, pink face grinned and waved. “Just give me two minutes!”

I looked down at my new phone, at the posting in the town’s F******k page and compared the posted pictures with the small home I was looking at. The few photos didn’t do it justice. Thisplace looked like a Swiss Chalet. It was adorable. This was still looking up. I sent a silent prayer to no one that she would pick me.

Elizabeth Meyers, the owner, came around the corner introducing herself. She had dazzling bright eyes and long blond hair that was tied up in a messy low bun. She had gloves on and looked like she had been working outside.

“Sorry about the delay, I really thought I would be well done by the time you arrived. I just needed to clean out all these leaves before winter comes. With all the rain and snow, I really don’t need leaves trapping any more weight on my roof,” she dusted her pants and took off her gloves, one hand reaching for me in a handshake. I accepted.

“No worries, really. I’m impressed at your do-it-yourself skills,” I told her. And I really was.

She was a thin, dainty thing who looked more like she would be spending every week in a nail salon over getting dirty doing physical work. She smiled at my remark.

“Well don’t let me fool you, I’m still learning! Come on, I’ll show you the studio!” She said enthusiastically.

Elizabeth explained that she had recently inherited the home from her grandmother who had drifted apart from her family most of her life so she had been surprised when the place had been left to her.

“The main house is a small-ish cottage really, two bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen from the 1950’s. But I love it. I’ve slowly been repairing her… I actually started all my DIY projects down here first,” she informed me while we walked around to the side of the house.

The studio was under the main house but with the slope of the property, it had a front door, and at least two windows that looked out at the trees. I took a moment to breathe in the air while Elizabeth got her keys out.

I hadn’t noticed she had unlocked the door and was looking at me with a small smile.

“Oh, sorry!” I said, following her inside.

“No worries, I know exactly what that’s about. I grew up in a woodsy area and went to school in a big city. Coming back here, breathing the air and being surrounded by all this beauty, it’s really…” she thought aloud.

“Peaceful,” I finished for her.

“Yes, exactly,” she agreed and we walked further inside.

I glanced around. It was a 500 square foot place. Big enough for a good sized bed, a small couch, dining table for 1, and the little kitchenette had a gas stove which I appreciated. I had always preferred cooking on a gas stove.

“Feel free to look around, I know it’s not much. But it has a killer view in the morning. We usually get deer passing through at sunrise. It’s really something,” Elizabeth noted.

I briefly glanced in the bathroom and everything felt homely. There were 3 windows and they were all rather large, taking advantage of the huge pine trees and mountain tops that could be seen from the backyard.

“I love this,” I said softly, more to myself.

“Great!” She said to my side, “When could you move in?”

I looked to the side, “I’m actually ready now. I have some things in my car. I just needed to start over, you know?” I looked back at her at the end of her sentence and she looked back like she really did know.

“Alright, we can go upstairs to my dining table, I’ve got the application and stuff there. Plus snacks, which are a necessity,” she said, calling from the front door.

Here comes the tough part.

Upstairs I sat down in her wicker dining set and looked over the application. I started to fill it out, using my current name, ‘Amy Ryan.’ I filled out the previous address and employer part, which were both fakes. Then I checked the boxes next to them indicating that I did not consent to reference checks on those items. 

Elizabeth had the kettle going and was moving something around in another room. She came back just as I was finishing and poured us some hot water into mugs. 

“Do you prefer earl gray, mint, or this fruity mixed one?” she asked.

“Mint please,” I responded and pushed the application in front of me. She read it over briefly while we sipped the tea.

Her face scrunched while reading, and I knew it was about not being able to contact my previous landlord or employer.

“I- I escaped a bad situation, Elizabeth. I know that it’s not normal to let basically a stranger into your place without being able to check on them… but I’m hoping you’ll think about it?” I got up to leave, putting my mug in her sink, “Thank you for the tea. I’ll be staying nearby if you want to call me with any other questions…”

I walked toward her door, and adjusted the purse on my shoulder before reaching for the handle.

“Wait!” Elizabeth called. “If we’re going to live together, you should call me Beth. My friends call me Beth.”