9. Fern

9

Fern

F ern was still scrubbing baseboards when she heard a knock on the door.

There was everyday clean, and then there was Hawaii prices for an unspectacular rental clean, and she wasn’t used to the latter.

The worst of it was the mold and mildew, bane of Pualena. When she moved all of her dishes out of the cupboards, she was horrified to find a thin fuzz of green mold growing on the back wall. Once that had been scrubbed, she moved on to the stubborn black stains that seemed to pop up everywhere.

After two solid days of cleaning, the place was… well, not perfect, but about as good as it was likely to get. She tossed her rag in the sink, rinsed her hands, and went to open the door.

“Hi,” she said as it swung open.

And that one syllable was all she got out, because on the landing were a pair of faces that took her breath away.

She stood eye to eye with one of the most handsome men she had ever seen. He was probably an inch or two taller than she was, but slightly stooped under the weight of his baby and the backpack he carried – and his grief.

Emma had mentioned that her brother was a widower. Fern had expected someone older.

This man was her age, maybe even younger. He had a thick head of dark auburn hair and green eyes flecked with gold. A reddish stubble covered his jaw, and his skin was golden in the afternoon sun.

The baby was even more beautiful, with sunburst eyes and a gummy grin between two fat cheeks. His head was covered in strawberry-blonde fluff that stood all on end.

“Hi.” His voice was low and warm. “I’m Ethan.”

“Fernanda.” She forced herself to stop staring at the baby and stepped back, gesturing for him to come in. “Fern. Pleased to meet you. Who’s this little guy?”

“This is Teddy. Theodore, technically.”

“He looks like a Theodore! Hello there, little man.”

“Emma mentioned that I have a baby?”

“She did. And she said that the lease would be month to month?”

“Yeah. Is that alright?”

“I’m more comfortable with that, yeah. I’m open to long term, but signing a one-year contract with a stranger feels like a bit much, you know?”

He just nodded, eyes scanning the lackluster kitchen.

“It has two bedrooms, though we were using them as a bedroom and an office,” she said, leading him through the tiny hallway and into the master bedroom. The place was still furnished; even if she had wanted to try moving the king-sized bed downstairs, it would have taken up every inch of her new bedroom.

“We?” Ethan asked, still looking everywhere but her.

“My ex and I were living up here. It’s just me now, so I downsized. I’ll be living downstairs, and there will be yoga classes down there six days a week. You have your own entrance, of course, and you can get in without cutting through the class, so you can come and go whenever.”

“There won’t be too much coming and going. I’m just looking for a quiet spot for my son and me. I have a teenage daughter too, but I don’t expect I’ll be able to convince her to budge from the tower room at her aunt’s house.”

“At least she’s not far.”

“That’s why I’m here,” he admitted, finally looking at her. “We’re not promised any set amount of time. I don’t know where my daughter will jet off to at eighteen, but I want to be here for her while I can.”

Fern nodded, and an awkward silence stretched out between them. She had to force herself not to coo at the baby, who was chewing on his own fist. She stepped away and opened the double doors out onto the balcony.

“This is my favorite part,” she told him. “The view.”

He stepped out to stand beside her, and they stood looking out over her Pualena neighborhood for a long time. It was a lively vista filled with tall trees and all kinds of houses. The ocean sparkled in the distance, a line of blue-gray beneath a white sky.

Eventually, he went back inside and started going through each room methodically, testing taps and sockets. His small son started to fuss, wriggling in his father’s one-armed grip.

“Can I hold Theodore for you?” she asked, holding her arms out for the baby.

He straightened and turned to look at her, his expression somber. “You don’t have to do that.”

“I’d like to.”

Ethan hesitated a moment, then handed his son over. He shrugged off the backpack too, and tossed that onto the king-sized bed.

“His stuff is in there. The furniture is staying?”

“Yes, it comes furnished.” She held Theo in both arms and swayed from side to side, an instinctual and rhythmic motion that she didn’t even notice at first. “Is that alright?”

“That’s perfect.” He went through the rest of the house, and Fern wandered around with Theo in her arms. When he started fussing again, she found a teether in the backpack. He went after it ferociously and rewarded her with a huge grin.

Sometime later, she found Ethan looking inside of the fridge.

“Everything okay?” she asked.

“The light’s out.”

“Oh yeah, sorry about that. It’s been like that since we moved in.”

“I can fix it.”

“You can?”

“Of course.”

“Well, great.”

“I’ll take it.” Ethan closed the fridge and turned to look at her. “If you’ll have us.”

“I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have as an upstairs neighbor than Theodore.”

“You might change your mind when you hear him crying at five in the morning.”

“Worth it. I’m up at first light anyway.”

“Well, if you’ll let me move in along with him, you’ve got yourself a deal.”

“I suppose I can allow that.” She shifted Theodore into her left arm and held her hand out.

Smiling for the first time that she’d seen, Ethan shook it.

“How soon can we move in?”

“Soon as you’d like.”

“I might spend a few more days with my sister – and my daughter. I’ll use the time to buy some basic stuff: dishes, sheets. I didn’t bring anything over from the mainland. My truck will be here next week, though. I can move in then?”

“Sounds good. I’ll get some sort of contract together. They sell pre-fab ones at the hardware store, I think.”

He nodded along, staring down at the floor. She trailed off and traded Theodore from one hip to another, still swaying. It felt so natural that she couldn’t convince her body to stand straight and hold still. The baby was content, and his father didn’t seem to be paying attention.

“How would you feel about me putting in some new flooring?”

“New flooring?” she repeated.

“Yeah, something nicer than linoleum. No offense.”

“None taken. But I’m just renting, I can’t really afford…”

“I would cover it. I’m a contractor, at least I was in California. I am in California, still. When I’m there. You know what I mean. I need something to do, that’s all. I’m happier when I have a project. I could just do something simple, like puzzle-piece flooring.”

“Sure, have at it.”

“Good. Cool.” He looked suddenly surprised as his eyes went to Theodore. “Sorry, I can take him back now.”

Reluctantly, she handed the baby back to his father.

They were beautiful together.

Ethan looked tired, and the front of Theo’s shirt was soaked with drool, but goodness… there was just something about a man and a baby.

“Well, we’ll get out of your hair.”

Fern just nodded, unable to think up an excuse for them to stay.

“I’ll be in touch…” Ethan looked around like he had lost something. “My backpack?”

“Oh, right! It’s still in the bedroom. I’ll get it.”

“You don’t have to–,” he started, but she was down the hall before he could finish his sentence. She zipped up the backpack, picked it up, and brought it back into the kitchen.

“Here you go,” she said, handing it to him. Then she pulled Theodore’s teether out of her pocket and handed it to him. “And this is for you, little man.”

When she looked away from the baby, she found Ethan’s eyes on her. He hadn’t looked at her for more than a split second so far, and now he was almost staring.

“I’ll, um,” she cleared her throat, “walk you down, shall I?”

He blinked and turned away. “Sure. Thank you.”

They were halfway down the stairs when a shiny red Honda pulled up the driveway and parked in front of the house. Ninety minutes early for their dinner date, her friend Shanice popped out of the car and waved.

“Hey girl!” she shouted up. “I know I’m early, but I come bearing gifts.”

“What gifts?” Fern asked when she reached the bottom of the stairs.

“Thai food!” She hefted two big plastic bags. “And tea , if you know what I mean.”

“It was good to meet you,” Ethan said to Fern.

“Yes, good to meet you too.”

Shanice leaned to one side for a better look at Ethan and Theodore. “Well, hello! Who is this ?”

“I was just leaving,” Ethan said, heading for the car he’d borrowed from Emma. “You ladies enjoy your evening.”

He’s gorgeous, she mouthed as soon as his back was turned.

Fern snorted a laugh and whispered, “Stop it.”

“Who was that?” Shanice asked as she followed her around the corner of the house.

“My new tenant.”

“No way. Just him and the baby?”

“Yep.”

“Good for you, girl.”

“The baby’s very cute.”

“Yeah, okay. The baby is gorgeous.”

“Shanice, stop it.”

“Stop what?”

“His wife just died.”

“So he’s on the rebound.”

Fern snorted again. “Stop it!”

“He’s in the market for a new baby mama.”

“You’re terrible.” She took the bags out of her friend’s hands and started unpacking them on her dining table outside.

“Come on. I know you’ve been wanting a baby. Here God just handed you the whole package.”

“That’s exactly why I can’t get involved. It’s too complicated. I can babysit, but I’m not about to start dating my tenant.”

“Sounds like you can skip right past the dating part. Man’s ready to move in with you.”

“It’s a separate apartment!”

“Yeah, okay. Well, if you’re not interested…” She paused dramatically, looking back in the direction that they’d come from.

“Leave him be.”

“I knew you liked him!” she cackled.

Fern just smiled and shook her head. Shanice liked to talk, but it was just that – talk. The woman had a heart as big as the island and a husband she was crazy about.

Anyway, it was a silly topic. The man was her tenant – or he would be soon, hopefully – and he was grieving. Nothing was going to happen there.

They could be friends, maybe. Neighbors.

But that was it.