Leaving Normal, Stef Holm [ebook reader screen .TXT] 📗

Chapter Two

Romancing Home Depot

Sarah examined the blue, cordless Makita screw gun. Gripping the trigger, she squeezed, and the gun turned over in a fast whir of air power that startled her. "This thing has some kick to it."

Natalie and Sarah sat on the instruction risers at Home Depot for the Do-It-Herself Clinic. The topic was "You Can Organize Your Closet."

As the instructor talked, Natalie spoke beneath her breath. "I want to turn the closet underneath the stairs of Hat and Garden into a storage area."

"Sounds ambitious."

"Can you believe it?" Even Natalie was surprised at her willingness to tackle such a large project. "Two years ago I didn't know a lug nut from a bolt. Last week I had to figure out what kind of washer I needed for my sink faucet." She paused thoughtfully and spoke before she could stop herself. "It would almost be worth having a boyfriend to do all these things for me."

"Now you're talking."

'Talking crap," Natalie whispered. "I like my independence. Want to know what I did the other morning?"

"What?"

"I made myself a piece of toast in the nude."

Sarah slanted her a glance. "Why?"

"Because I could. When Cassie was living at home, God knows how many times she had girls sleep over and I had to look halfway presentable in the morning— no walking around in short-shorts with a wedgie. I rarely had the house to myself. The phone would ring and it was never for me."

"I could help you with that. Steve was telling me about this guy he works with who's single and—"

"I don't need my phone to ring that bad." Natalie mused aloud. "I wasn't sure I would, but I'm enjoying having an empty nest. I miss Cassie, but I don't miss all that went with a teenage girl. It's rather nice not to run out of hot water when I want to fill up the bathtub."

"Gee, what's that like? By the time the girls are out of the bathroom and Steve's finished a few loads of laundry, I'm lucky to have even a tepid shower."

"A hot bath is great. Especially with a glass of wine."

Natalie had enjoyed her bath last night, indulging herself with some Chardonnay. She'd lit all the candles surrounding her big tub, leaned her head back, closed her eyes and mulled over everything she still had to do for the grand opening. There'd been no giggling girls, no ringing phones, no stereo and TV blazing simultaneously. She'd had the entire peaceful moment all to herself.

Glorious. Bliss. Heaven.

It was fun being in her mid-forties without those daily parental responsibilities. She was settling in quite nicely, enjoying every second of her transformation.

Sarah set the screw gun on her lap and gazed directly into Natalie's eyes. "You really are happy, aren't you, Natalie?"

Natalie thought for a moment before answering.

These days she was content with her life, but there was no question she'd weathered a lot of changes. Small as they might be, she had some habits she wished she could break.

Sometimes she woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't go back to sleep. And every time she woke, she was always back on her side of the bed. Each night, she was determined to sleep in the middle of the queen-size mattress—claim her middle ground, so to speak— but each morning she was right back on the right side, as if Greg were still sleeping on the left. It annoyed her that she was finding it hard to break this habit.

She wanted to break rules, try new things, start over. Have fun.

And that's what she planned on doing. Hat and Garden would be her outlet, her place to begin again.

"Yes," she responded with a smile. "I realty am happy."

She'd learned a lot about herself these past two years—but mostly that she was way more adaptable than she'd thought. Early on, refinancing the house and car in her name had been the least of her hurdles. Financial restructure had been easy compared to the mental restructure. Going from being married to single had been an adjustment. It was almost as if the carpet had been pulled out from under her. Even though the divorce had been her choice, she'd gotten used to the routines in her marriage.

Greg had done certain things—picked up the dry cleaning, carved a Thanksgiving turkey, handled the yard work and a variety of other labors of love. She hadn't realized how integral he'd been in her life until after he'd left it.

Now everything fell on her shoulders. And while she was up to the task, she'd let a few things slip.

Up until recently, she usually grabbed whatever was in the fridge and ate it front of the television. Now she made a point of cooking a real dinner and eating at the kitchen table with a linen place setting—making her evening meal something special, even if it was just for one person. She'd always made a habit of setting a nice table for the three of them, so why would she do any less for herself? She thought about it and didn't like the answer: She didn't think herself worth the trouble. How wrong she was. Now, more than ever, was a time to pamper herself, to take all the little pleasures life had to offer.

Taking her turn squeezing the screw gun's powerful trigger, Natalie then passed it to the woman beside her. "I'm going to have to buy one of these so I can get to work on that closet. Less than two weeks to go and I open Hat and Garden. I'm so excited. Now if only I'd stop having these damn night sweats. Do you remember how old Mom was when she went through the change?"

"I think I was out of high school," Sarah said.

"They say that however old your mother was, that's probably when you'll go through it. My periods have been whacked out lately—more so than usual."

"You've always had irregular