ku‘uipo

➸ Ginger ☆

The day after I move into my townhome, I call Tana and ask her to meet me at a rundown Craftsman-style located a block from the heart of Main Street. When she asks why, I tell her it’s a secret. She asks what kind of secret, and I tell her it wouldn’t be a secret if she knew. Tana then breaks into twenty questions that only end once I ask her not to tell Oz about our meeting. Curiosity piqued, she agrees to come to the house.

I’m on the porch when she arrives. Her long black and gray hair hangs loosely and blows in the late summer’s surprisingly chilly breeze. She’s wearing another colorful flowered shirt and white shorts as if defying the cooler weather.

“What was so important?” she asks, giving me a disapproving frown.

“This is one of the houses my company bought with plans to renovate and rent it out. What do you think about the location?”

“If you’re asking if I want to live in this house, why would I keep it from Oz?”

“You and I both know he’s resistant to change. Before he knows about the house, I wanted to make sure you approved of it.”

Tana studies me with her rich brown eyes which remind me so much of Oz’s. I wait for her to agree, knowing she will since she wants what I want even if she doesn’t want to agree with me.

“Show me the house,” she finally says.

I open the front door and lead her inside where the floors need repairing and the walls painting. The kitchen is small and functional, but like the rest of the house, money needs to be spent to make it livable.

“Apparently, the last tenants beat the crap out of this place,” I explain. “They tore up the floors and walls, stole lighting, broke the toilets. Typical low-rent types. For less than twenty grand, the house will look great. The backyard is dying for a green thumb, and Oz said you like planting flowers.”

“He said that, did he?”

“Yes.”

“And you have twenty grand to throw away on a rental property?”

“My company is investing in Rawlins. We bought a lot of dumpy houses that only need love. We plan to rent some, sell others, and this one could be yours. Or if you don’t like it, I have others, but this one is walking distance from Main Street and two parks. Oz said you like to walk, but there’s nowhere interesting to go in the country.”

“He talks about me a lot, does he?”

“Obsessively.”

Tana finally gives me a grin. “How many bedrooms?”

“Only two.”

“That’s not going to fit us.”

I swallow deeply before regaining my inner cool. “I want Oz and the kids to move in with me.”

“Oh, you do.”

“Yes. I love him, and he loves me, and you want to live in town, and the kids want to live in town, and this way everyone gets what they need.”

“Do you know much about kids?”

“Enough. What I don’t know, I can ask Oz and you. Could probably Google a few things too.”

Tana crosses her arms tightly, and I swear she’s a tiny, chick version of Oz. “I don’t like owing people anything.”

“Are you that dense?” I ask, irritated that we’re still playing this game when I need to spend even more time with her today. Tana instantly gives me a deathly dirty look that would scare the piss out of someone else. “You’re doing me a favor by choosing this house. If you don’t find a house you want, Oz might decide he shouldn’t move in with me until you’re happy. Your choice here makes me owe you, not the other way around.”

“Don’t call me dense.”

“Don’t act dense.”

“Didn’t anyone teach you manners?”

“You really don’t want to know what people taught me when I was growing, Tana. So, what are your thoughts on this house?”

“Hard to tell when it’s not fixed up.”

“You’ll be able to choose the flooring, wall colors, etc. As long as you stay on budget, we don’t particularly care about your design choices.”

“You sure know how to sweeten the deal.”

“Yes, I do. This house would basically be yours, even if it belongs to my company.”

“And if you and Oz break up?” Tana asks, still poking the bear.

“We won’t. If we did, I wouldn’t kick you out. Even if I wanted to, my crew wouldn’t let me,” I say, imagining how the girls would guilt-trip the hell out of me. “I know you and I are strangers, but I’m loyal to those I care about. I’ll treat Oz right. If things don’t work out, he’ll still be special to me. So will his kids and bitchy mom.”

Tana surprises me by laughing. “All this talk about you two breaking up is ridiculous. Oz has never wanted a woman until you. There’s no breaking up in his mind. You’re stuck with him for good. I hope you’re ready for that.”

Slightly taken aback by her enthusiasm, I can only think to say, “If he can put up with me, I’m more than ready to stick with him.”

“Good,” she says, having lost the edge to her voice. “This is a nice house. Can I look around more?”

“Yes. In fact, I have a copy of the keys for you, so you can check things out during the reno. I’ll have the Heretics do the reno to keep the money in the family.”

“Smart.”

“After you look around, I’d like you to help me with something.”

Tana’s immediately suspicious again. I roll my eyes, even though I’d be the same way if in her shoes.

“What?”

“I want to fix up my spare rooms for the kids, and I want it to be a surprise for Oz. The plan is to paint the walls and get the basics ready. Would you be willing to go with me to a couple stores to pick out things?”

Tana surprises me again by throwing her arms around my shoulders and embracing me. “You’re going to take such good care of my boy.”

With my arms pinned, I can’t hug her back. Instead, I nuzzle my lips against her head and hope the move comes off as affectionate rather than creepy.

I’m still getting accustomed to the kind of physical warmth so easily given in the Savo family. Despite my uncertainty, I enjoy Tana’s hug and soon her abundance of suggestions for the kids’ rooms. She and I will no doubt butt heads on a regular basis. However, Tana is the kind of mother I would have flourished under, and there’s no denying she loves the hell out of her son and grandkids. Without a doubt, she and I will enjoy more good times than bad.