Over the River and Through the Woods

"It's yummy for my tummy!" Emma told her as she chomped on a french fry.

When they finished eating, Wade insisted on picking up the check, and Colby was beyond grateful and thanked him for doing so. He let her know it was his pleasure, and as he walked her out, the hostess glared at her again. But when Wade looked at her, the glare turned into a huge, happy smile.

"Bye, Wade! Don't be a stranger, okay?"

"I won't, and you take care now," he told her.

On the sidewalk, Colby said, "I think someone has a little crush on you."

"Oh, it's nothin'," Wade told her.

"Not to her. She clearly likes you."

"Maybe, but I'm not interested."

As he opened her car door, Colby said, "Oh. Are you seeing someone?"

Wade smiled at her then replied, "No, but I do have my eye on someone."

As she looked at him, he narrowed one eye, looked right back at her, and smiled. Colby needed a second, but got the hint when he also tilted his head slightly.

"What? Me? Are you...are you serious?" she asked, unable to even imagine that.

Fortunately, Emma was in the back already buckled in and not paying attention.

"That's not exactly the reaction I was hoping for," Wade said, still smiling but not quite as brightly.

"You...you can't possibly be serious," she told him, now feeling completely rattled.

"Oh, okay. And yet, for a minute there, I was pretty sure I was," he told her, the old smile now already back.

"That...that makes NO sense whatsoever," Colby said as she wondered if she was trying to convince Wade or herself.

"No? Okay," Wade said with a shrug as he stood there smiling.

Colby's eyes were moving quickly back and forth looking at his trying to determine if this was some kind of joke. When her brain told her it wasn't, she felt panicked.

"I...we...we should be going," she finally said.

"I'll follow you if that's all right," Wade said quietly.

"Oh. I...I didn't realize you were going to be there," Colby said, even more panicked than before.

"I don't have to be, but it seems like it'd be easier to see what has to be done firsthand rather than having to call my friend and ask questions. But if you'd rather I don't, I can..."

"Um...no...that's...that's fine, Wade. I agree that makes sense, I...I just didn't know you'd be..."

"I'll see you at the house, okay?" he said in that way of his that made her feel all...fluttery...inside.

He closed her door then bent down and waved to Emma who smiled and waved back.

"See you at Grandma's, okay?" he called out through the window.

She nodded then started singing, "Over the river and through the woods..."

Wade laughed and sang along, too. He saw Colby shaking her head, but he also saw her smiling as she pulled into traffic.

"See ya, kiddo!" he yelled to Emma as the car pulled away.

He laughed when Emma turned around and waved until they were out of sight as Wade stood there waving back the whole time.

All the way home, Colby couldn't stop wondering what had just happened, and more importantly—why. She was plagued by worries about the house and this lawyer thing, yet all she could think of was why Wade would say something like that to her. He seemed too kind to be doing it out of meanness, and then the thought hit her—what if her mom was somehow behind it as a way to...to do...what exactly?

"Get a grip, Colby," she told herself as she pulled into the driveway, and for a brief moment, she let it all go as she and her daughter walked inside.

Her momentary relief ended when Wade's vehicle pulled in right behind her less than two minutes later.

"Emma? Can you let Mr. Funny Name...Wade... in, please?"

"Okay!" she said happily as she went back to the door.

Colby realized how happy her daughter seemed in spite of the reason they were back in John Day. And as Wade walked in, and Emma started giggling at his antics, she was pretty sure she knew why. Or at least what a huge part of the reason for the recent uptick in her mood was due to.

Colby excused herself to go upstairs even though she didn't need to. She just didn't want to be around Wade until she could sort through the reasons for her own recent mood swings. She actually knew the reason, but it was so farfetched she couldn't allow herself to accept it.

She'd barely sat down on the bed when she heard another vehicle drive up, and after going to the window, she knew it was the inspector. Who was early. And who'd want to meet her. Downstairs. Where Wade was.

"Great," she muttered before heading back to the ground floor just as the front door opened.

"Hey, man! It's good to see you," she heard Wade say as he shook hands with a man who was probably her mother's age.

"Wade. Good to see you, too. And who is this adorable young lady?"

"Emma," the girl herself said quietly.

He shook the girl's hand then looked at Colby, who was suddenly beside her daughter and smiled.

"I see why you're so pretty, Emma," he said while extending his hand her mom.

"Mark Jones," he told her with a warm smile.

"Hi. I'm Colby. Sellars."

"Shame about your grandmother. Salt of the earth," he told her.

"Yes. Yes, she was," Colby agreed without so much as glancing at Wade.

"All right. The sooner we get started the sooner I can get out of your hair," Mark said.

"Let's start with the outside and then we'll hit the foundation and take a look at the inside."

Mercifully, Wade went with him, and Colby breathed a sigh of relief. Emma asked if she could turn on the television, and her mom told her that was fine, because if Emma was occupied, she might be able to think and figure things out.

Except that every time Wade walked by a window she couldn't keep herself from looking even when she told herself not to. And that only added to her growing frustration which increased when the two men came back inside about a half hour later.

"Well, the roof is good for another five years, so that's pretty huge. The concrete slab looks good, and your hot water heater is in good shape, too. The furnace is old but still functional. Is it giving you any problems now that you have a new thermostat?"

Colby's answer satisfied Mark as he started on the bottom floor and worked his way up.

Two hours later, he'd crawled through the attic and seen every inch of the house.

"So?" Colby asked anxiously.

"So...I don't see anything serious. At least not with anything that might make it impossible to sell the house."

"Mark's trying to say the house is structurally sound, but needs a lot of work to get top dollar for it," Wade offered.

"Oh, good. So all I have to do is what they do on this house-flipping shows and spend $50,000 and...it's all good, right?" Colby said, now feeling awful again.

Wade could tell she was stressed out again and let her know it wouldn't be anywhere close to that much, and that he'd help her through the entire process, and that only added to what she was already struggling to understand.

Mark told her he'd bring the full report over when it was done, and Colby remembered to thank him sincerely and let him know how kind that was.

"Well, it's gets this young man off my back..." Mark said with a smile as he looked at Wade.

"Consider us even now, Mark," Wade told him, without explaining the comment to Colby.

Mark told Colby how nice it was meeting her and promised to be at the funeral the next day before he left.

"So...all we need to do is prioritize what to do then get started."

"Um...did you forget I don't $50,000? Or $5,000 or...$500?"

"No worries!" Wade said cheerfully. "The bank does."

"What?" Colby asked, shaking her head in disbelief.

"We'll get a loan using the house as collateral. We'll fix it up, sell it for full value, and you'll be able to get back to sunny LA with a big old wad of cash in your purse."

He made a face then said, "On second thought, it is LA. Maybe we should put it in the bank. Just in case."

Colby gave him a look about his latest slam on her city then said something to him.

"Wade?" Colby said, a feeling of sickness in her gut making its way through her body.

"Uh-huh?"

"Can we maybe talk?"

"Sure, but shouldn't we start looking for things to fix before we..."

"No. About...about what you said at the restaurant," she forced herself to say.

"Oh, right. Well, it isn't all that complicated. I really enjoyed talking with you, Colby, and while I was being sincere, I realize you have a whole lot on your plate. A lot of very serious things, and it was probably the wrong time to say what I said. I hope you can forgive me."

Wade's reply was completely unexpected, Colby found herself once again reeling from confusion.

When several moments passed in silence, Wade said, "It would probably be best if I left. Maybe we could discuss how to proceed—with the house—whenever it's convenient for you."

His tone was so sincere and apologetic, Colby felt even more confused.

After several more moments of silence, Wade told her he'd show himself out. He turned to leave when Colby was finally to say, "Wade?"

He stopped and waited but didn't turn around.

"I...I didn't want you to leave. I really wanted to talk. About...what you said."

Now it was Wade's turn not to speak. He stood there for several seconds then slowly turned back around.

"Colby, I'm a pretty gregarious guy, and sometimes it's a little much, I know. But let me say as seriously as I can, I'm sorry for being so forward with you. You're here for your grandmother, and I was completely out of line."

She was still a mental mess, but this time she made herself speak.

"Could we maybe sit down and have a cup of coffee and just talk?" she asked, her eyebrows raised high in hopeful anticipation.

"I thought you wanted me to leave," Wade replied quietly.

"No. I never said that. I...I just want to understand. That's all," she told him, an imploring look in her eyes.

"All right. If you're sure, then, yes, I'd like that," he told her.

She put some coffee grounds in a filter and added water then waited for it to do its thing all the while not looking at Wade. When it finished she poured two cups and only then did she turn around.

He was sitting quietly and patiently at the kitchen table and thanked her when she set the cup down.

"Okay," Colby said. "So...can we talk?"

Wade took a deep breath then looked at her and began speaking.

"I've apologized...twice...for my timing, and I mean that. Saying what I said when I said it was...boneheaded. In the extreme," he told her.

Colby realized he hadn't been joking. In fact, it was now obvious he'd been very sincere, just in his typical...gregarious...way.

"It...it was...sweet," she replied, finally able to smile again.

"Just not the kind of thing you want to hear from someone my age, right?" he asked, now assuming he'd complete misread the situation. "Or from any guy under these circumstances."

"I don't even know how old you are, Wade," she said very sweetly. "I mean, age isn't a huge thing with me. My husband was five years older, but two people should at least be...close. Don't you think?"

"I've never really given it any thought before," he told her. "And I don't think age even entered my mind when I told you I thought you were beautiful. I was just being honest about a wonderful person with a sweet little girl, and I had a really nice time with both of them. That, I suppose, led me to assume it would be okay to tell you how I felt, but clearly that wasn't my finest hour."

When she smiled, Wade said, "Oh. And I'm 25."

Colby's eyes opened wide for a brief moment, and once again, she was too stunned to speak. As she sat there trying to understand what he just said, Wade also sat there quietly sipping his coffee.

Finally, Colby asked him a question.

"Wade, how old do you think I am?"

It was asked politely and quietly, but he assumed it was her way of ending the discussion.

"Honestly? I'm not sure, but you must be older than I thought, so..."

His eyebrows raised up as he ventured a guess.

"So...33?"

Colby's eyes again opened wide causing Wade to say, "Sorry. I didn't think you were that old, but I went high because you made it sound like..."

"Wade," she said, cutting him off. "I'm 38 years old."

He shocked her again when he said very seriously, "No way. You look 28."

Colby shook her head a little in disbelief, and Wade explained.

"I didn't know you so it's at least possible you had Emma when you were maybe 21 or so, and I..."

"Oh, my goodness. You actually thought I was 28?"

"I didn't know. Honestly I had no idea. I just knew you were friendly, beautiful, and a pleasure to spend time with. Beyond that, I didn't care," he said just as seriously.

Feeling she finally understood, Colby smiled at him then said, "That is so nice of you to say, Wade. And now that you know my age, you can at least feel good about not wasting any more of your time on me, right? And a pretty little hostess will be very happy, I'm sure."

"I'm confused," Wade said, further confusing Colby.

"I...thought we just cleared things up," she told him, a look of deep concern on her face.

"Maybe we did and I'm just missing it, but you made it sound like I was relieved or...dodged a bullet or something."

"Well, you kind of did, right? I mean, imagine if I'd have agreed to go out with you, and only later on did you learn I'm, um, well, a lot older than you. How upset would you be then?"

"I...wouldn't," he said, still be very serious.

"Okay. Now...I'm confused. Again."

"Let me try this," Wade began. "I thought this talk of ours was going to be your way of saying, 'Wade, you're a nice guy and all, but I'm trying to politely tell you I'm not interested in you'. But everything you said was about me somehow feeling lucky I didn't 'waste my time' with you."

"That...didn't help," Colby told him as their eyes met and locked.

He was so handsome it was hard not to stare, and he'd been nicer to her than anyone had been in many years. And here he was telling her she was beautiful and also essentially saying he didn't care how old she was, and that caused her to finally understand he was still very interested in her, IF she was interested in him, and his next words confirmed her suspicions.

"I'm trying to say I really like you, Colby. In fact, I've never met anyone like you before. And while I'm a little gun shy to say this now, I want you to know I'd very much like to go out with you. Unless, of course, you don't feel the same way about me."

If she'd felt befuddled before, she was now at some whole new level of confusion as she sat there trying to understand why this very handsome, much-younger man would be interested in a woman her age who also had a seven-year old child.

"That didn't help, either, did it?" Wade said a few moments later. He smiled, but it was obvious he was either embarrassed or hurt or something close to it.

"I uh, I really should be going," he said as he thanked her again for the coffee.

When he stood up, Colby said, "Wade?"

He stood there silently looking at her as she tried to collect her thoughts.

"Could we...I don't know. What do they say? Maybe...put a pin in it? For now anyway?"

"Of course," he replied.

He smiled again, but it wasn't his normal smile, and Colby rightly assumed he was thinking she was putting him off hoping this would just quietly go away.

"Can I walk you out?" she asked.

"No. That's okay. I uh, I'll just um, you know...head back, and uh, I'll...I'll see you tomorrow."

Now it was Colby who was feeling the hurt from knowing she'd hurt him. She didn't think he was a wimpy guy who carried his feelings in his hands. It was just that any guy would feel that way when someone he likes rejects him. But she wasn't rejecting him. Or at least that hadn't been her intention.

Now unable to think at all, she only thanked him again for everything he'd done.

"My pleasure," he said with another half smile. "So...um...goodnight, Colby."

"Goodnight," she said, completely unaware of the time as he turned and walked away.

Between the house, the lawyer, the money, having to face her mother the next day, and all that Wade had said, Colby barely slept at all that night. In fact, it was around 4am before she finally fell asleep, and had Emma not come in to wake her up around 10 o'clock, she might have slept through the service.

"Oh, my goodness! What time is it?" she asked in a panic when she saw Emma's face.

"It's almost ten o'clock," her daughter told her. "Why?"

"We have to get ready!" her mom said. "You need to eat then take a shower and we need to do your hair, and I have to get ready, and..."

"Mom? We have like four hours," Emma told her. "I can have cereal then take my shower while you have some coffee then get ready. Okay?"

Colby sat up then pulled her daughter close and said, "What would I do without you?"

"Oh, you'd never make it," her seven-year old told her like a little adult as she tried not to laugh.

"No. No, I wouldn't, would I?" her mom said. "Okay. Let's go get some Cocoa Puffs."

Emma skipped out of the room saying, "I'm cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs!" over and over, and her mother finally smiled.

They arrived at 1:45, and as they walked into the church, Colby wasn't sure which person she was dreading seeing more—Wade or her mom.

Her dilemma was resolved for her when she saw Wade and his mother talking with hers.

"You ready to go say hi to your grandmother?" Colby asked when her own mom spotted them.

"Yes!" Emma said as she let go of her mom's hand as they got closer.

"Speaking of my beautiful granddaughter!" the woman Emma barely knew said as she knelt down.

"Do you remember me, honey?" her grandma asked, knowing they'd only seen each other twice on two very short video chats.

"Kind of," Emma said as her grandmother reached out for a hug.

"I've wanted to hug you so bad for so long!" the woman said as she held the little girl. She then stood up and faced her own little girl and waited.

"Hi, Mom," Colby finally said.

She saw tears in her mother's eyes, and as much as she wanted to be angry, she couldn't. When her mom held out her arms, Colby gave in and hugged her like they hadn't hugged since before the affair.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry," her mom said as she stood there crying and holding her daughter.

Colby promised herself she wouldn't get emotional, but when her mother said, "I was wrong. About everything. And...and it's over. Between us."

Colby pulled back and asked, "What's over, Mom?"

"He...he left me. Just like I did your father. I'm...such a fool, Colby. I can't ask you to forgive me after everything I did, but..."

Colby had never seen her mother like that, and although she wasn't sure she could trust her, she knew she still loved her.

"Oh, Mom!" she said as they hugged again and tears flowed.

Wade and Susan had stepped back to give them some privacy, but Emma was watching and now she was the one who was confused. Very quietly, Wade asked his mother what this woman's name was.

"Colby's mother is Alice. Used to be Franklin, but I don't know what she goes by now," his mom replied just as quietly.

"Mom? Why are you and Grandma crying?" Emma finally asked.

"Come here, honey!" her mom replied without answering her question.

She pulled Emma into the circle and the three of them held each other for a good two minutes as the adult women cried and, to some degree, rebonded.

The funeral director came over and waited patiently until they noticed him.

"I can give you a few more minutes if you'd like," he told them.

"Could you?" Colby asked. "We'll be right back, okay?"

"Any idea what that was all about?" Wade asked his mom.

"Yes, but I think Colby should tell you if she feels comfortable sharing," his mother told him.

Emma followed her mom and grandmother to the ladies' room and heard them talking, but had no idea what it was all about. And when both of them came out holding each other's arms and laughing, she didn't care.