Chapter 177

Tessa’s POV

My heart slammed into my stomach at the mention of Joseph’s name.

“Oh, uh… just a friend,” I said quickly as I grabbed my phone from my father.

I was glad he didn’t tie the connection of Joseph being Joseph Evergreen.

He narrowed his eyes at me, but he didn’t say anything as I scurried up the stairs with Ruby following closely behind me.

“Oh, my god,” she said, grabbing my arm to slow me down once we were on the second floor. “He called you? Did he leave any messages?”

I glanced down at my phone and saw the missed call log; I went through my voicemails but didn’t see his name among them. Then I went through my texts, but there was nothing from Joseph.

Only the pathetic excuse of a text I sent him on the train.

I finally shook my head; it felt like my heart weighed a ton and it was taking everything I had not to cry.

Ruby wrapped her arms around me and held me close.

“It's okay,” she whispered. “Are you going to call him back?”

The idea occurred to me for only a second, but it’d probably be better if I didn’t. Whatever he had to say, I didn’t want to hear it. I already broke things off with him. There was nothing left to say. That text on the train was a moment of weakness; it wasn’t something that would ever happen again.

I bit my lower lip, chewing on it until it felt raw and swollen.

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “But I’m tired. Let me show you to your room.”

We went down the hallway until we passed by my bedroom door. The guest room Ruby was staying in was right next to my bedroom.

When I pushed open the door, I was pleased to see that the room was spotless, and the bed was already made.

There was a wooden dresser and a matching wooden wardrobe on the far side of the room. There was a wooden vanity with a large light-up mirror and a giant bay window that overlooked the farmland. In the corner was the door that led to the bathroom.

My father enjoyed making furniture, so most of the wood-carved furniture he created. He also sells some handmade crafts to local markets and locals. It’s more of a hobby and side hustle than anything.

Besides the basic furniture, the room was kind of plain. There weren’t any pictures on the wall or shelves; the floor was hardwood and had a maroon rug in the center of it. The bay window had maroon curtains that matched the rug, and there were a couple of decorative pillows on the bed with maroon flowers and swirls stitched into the fabric.

“Wow, it’s nice in here,” Ruby said, sounding pleased.

Her suitcase and bag were already on top of her bed. She walked toward it to unpack her things for the weekend.

“If you need me, I’ll be in the room next door,” I said, pointing in the direction of my room.

She waved without looking at me and I left the room without another word.

Once I got into my room, I finally felt like I was home. My father hadn’t changed my room at all. My room was similar to the guest room Ruby was in with the wardrobe and the bay window that overlooked the farmland. But I had a white vanity that my father bought at Ikea, and some matching white dressers.

On the walls were my posters of boybands that I was obsessed with growing up and some pictures of myself as a teen sat in frames on the shelves. There were a couple of trophies from horse riding competitions and one for a writing competition that I won in high school. There were also a couple of soccer trophies as well when I played in middle school.

On another shelf was my high school diploma along with a couple of family photos from before my mother died.

I had a bookshelf with books that I was obsessed with and most of them were Christopher Moore books. A couple of them were Joseph Evergreens as well. But now I knew they were the same person.

My heart squeezed at the thought of Joseph.

My bed was neatly made as well with my familiar purple and white comforter and sheets, along with my plushy purple and black pillows and decorative pillows. On the far side of the room sat my desk with my desktop computer on it, which was so old I’d be surprised if it still worked.

I’m sure in the drawers of my desk I’d find my old journals as well.

There was also a TV hanging up on the wall in front of my bed, with a remote that sat on my nightstand next to my big green clock and house phone that I would also be surprised if it still worked, and a big lamp.My things were sitting on my bed too, so I went into my bag to grab my pajamas before heading into my bathroom to take a shower.

The shower was perfect. The feel of the hot water against my skin was everything I needed at that moment. I washed my hair and allowed my body to soak for a long while before getting out.

Once I was done, I wrapped myself in a towel and stared into the foggy mirror. I looked like I lost a bit of weight over these weeks. I’m sure depression had something to do with it. I sighed and shook my head, still trying to clear my head but to no prevail.

I went back into my room and unpacked some of my stuff before setting my suitcase on the ground and getting into bed. I checked my phone again, no missed calls.

I allowed my finger to hover over Joseph’s name, contemplating calling him. But then I sighed and threw my phone at the end of my bed. I grabbed the remote and turned on some TV.

Friends was on, which I was beyond grateful for. I could use laughs before bed.

Midway through the episode, I found myself finally drifting off to sleep.

…..

I was woken by the incredible smell of eggs of bacon. My mouth was practically watering as my stomach growled furiously. My dad made the best food, and it was always fresh because he used his own product.

I quickly got out of bed and made my way out of my room. I could hear some light chatter in the kitchen, and I knew it must have been Penny and my father. There was no way Ruby was up yet; if she could sleep until noon, she would in a heartbeat.

When I entered the kitchen, Penny was leaning against the counter, chatting with my father, while my father finished frying the bacon before plating the food.

“Oh, good morning,” Penny said, giving me a fond smile. “Did you sleep well?”

I nodded.

“Yes,” I answered as I went toward the fridge.

I opened it and grabbed the orange juice to place on the table. I grabbed a few cups as well and put them in the center of the table.

“Hope you’re hungry,” my father said, glancing over his shoulder at me.

“Starving,” I admitted.

He smiled and finished plating all the food before handing me one.

I grabbed it and went to sit down to eat. Penny sat in her usual spot next to my father and we ate while having some awkward small talk. My father spoke about his plans for the day and Penny spoke about hers. Penny’s plans consisted of online shopping and calling her long-distance friends on the phone.

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at her; I had no idea what my father saw in her.

I was thankful that Ruby soon joined us in the kitchen looking more tired than ever.

“What smells delicious?” She yawned.

“Food,” my father said, motioning toward the counter. “Grab a plate.”

She grabbed herself a plate and sat beside me. She then poured herself a glass of orange juice and dug in.

“I’m going to need a little help with some chores today if you girls are available,” my father said, glancing at us.

“Sure,” I said in return.

Ruby’s face paled and I shot her a grin.

“It won’t be too bad,” I assured her, but then I frowned and looked at my father. “Right?”

He only gave me a knowing look and a wink.

Oh, God. It was going to be bad.

“Then I was thinking we can go to your mother’s grave tonight. We can take our horses to the cemetery like we used to when you were younger,” my father suggested, taking a bite of his eggs.

I smiled.

“I like that idea,” I said, feeling my heart swell.

He smiled in return.

“Me too.”

The rest of the day consisted of a lot of farm work. I spent a lot of time grooming the horses and cleaning their stalls. I collected eggs from the chickens and brought food for all of the animals. I tended to the garden my father maintained for the local florist and even made a couple of cute bouquets for them to buy.

My father took Ruby under his wing, and I hadn’t seen her for a few hours. But when I did finally find her, she was covered in mud and her hair was all frazzled. My father gave her a pair of overalls to wear so she wouldn’t get her clothes dirty.

He had her milk cows, clean the pigs in the pen, and as a joke, muck poop. But after a few minutes, he relieved her of that task and allowed her to clean up before tending to the crops in the vegetable and fruit garden.

By the time I saw her, she was furious with me for putting her through this.

In the afternoon, we went back to the house where, surprisingly, Penny had cooked lunch. Grilled cheese, with homemade bread and cheese that my father made a few days prior, and tomato soup; tomatoes from my father’s vegetable garden.

Ruby’s attitude increased greatly once she tried the tomato soup.

Once we were done eating, we showered and changed our clothes before we went with my father to town to deliver some of the goods that we produced for the locals.

After a couple of hours, we were finally home.

Once again, Penny made dinner. Lasagna.

It was nice to see she was contributing to some of the chores like cooking and cleaning; it even seemed like she was helping my father manage his business. She was different than I remembered her from last year.

I might have to rethink my take on her; then again, her age still bothered me.

By the time dinner ended, Ruby started to help Penny clean the table and the dishes. She offered to stay behind with Penny while my father and I went to see my mother’s grave.

We were about to head toward the stables when my father received a phone call.

“I’ll be right back,” he said as he disappeared from the room.

I waited for him by the doorway and when he returned, his face had fallen.

“I’m afraid Mrs. Davis ran into some issues at her shop. Her plumbing exploded and her store was flooded. I must go and assess the situation.”