Anna Jane
Just outside the town proper standing proudly was an old, somewhat broken down house. It was the same color as heavy cream, though its paint long ago chipped to reveal greying wood beneath. Generous of windows with sun faded blue shutters; the front boasted a wraparound porch, and the back a wooden deck that hugged the two story frame. Though it had once served as a library in its prime, it now held three uneven apartments.
Upstairs had a well sized one bedroom, where an elderly man had moved in after retiring. A family took up the other half of the upstairs as well as a chunk of the bottom level, complete with the use of the front porch and half of the back deck. Left was a woman tucked into the slice of deck and downstairs space remaining.
The first sunbeams struck through her door. The glass panels of which had been covered with a stain glass decal, making the beams a bit of a show. Tentative at the start, and then growing in strength as they reached the kitchen window. They teased the lace curtains and the stones scatted about the sills. The crystal catchers made rainbows trapped behind the blinds. Those first beams had already reached the far side of the space to the bedroom nook. The room was set to a golden hue. On the narrow fifties kitchen table, a phone sat waiting to chime its alarm. Yet the mistress of the home was already awake, watching the dance.
Anna scooted down lower in the bed, arching her back and pushing her head further into the pillow. The springs creaked, having her wrinkle her nose against them as she flopped back down. Replacing the mattress would be far less enjoyable than finding hunting for materials for her décor experiments. And those experiments shone brighter than the beams this morning. Never one to waste a sunny day, she rolled out of bed to go to the windows.
One of the legs of her pajama pants had twisted up her calf, and her ponytail had various deserters, still her smile was brilliant as she pulled open blinds and pushed back curtains. The crackle glass pitchers and vases she lined the kitchen window with twinkled as their jewel tones were warmed with the light. Anna flicked the crystal and set rainbows swirling over her already covered walls and sighed as the heat kicked on, making the chime she'd hung by the vent spin a song.
After clicking on the Keurig she turned back to the bed, fluffing the ring quilt over the pillows and setting the main room to rights. One end of the room held her bed, with two nightstands flanking, and a three seater sofa at the foot. To the right of the couch, her desk faced the window, and a tall bookcase sat next to the other. Her books, frames, and plants graced it as it faced her gold armchair and side table that held her record player and knitting. No one could deny she made the most of the dollhouse space. The walls were covered floor to ceiling with either decals or paintings. Each room a different theme, yet all blending to be cohesive. Anna had an eye, and was fearless when it came to the places display.
She'd wished for this, all her life. And she'd built it all on her own.
Though she had lived there over six years, the simple miracle of the fact hadn't worn off. She doctored her coffee and opening her door, leaned on the jam looking out her deck at the trees beyond. In lieu of yard, the house faced a swatch of woods that suited her to the ground. Against the chill, she smiled at them.
It was rare for Anna to enjoy the mornings in her home on a week day. She was usually dashing out the door by this time. Her men coming to town warranted a day off from her job as an art dealer in a gallery downtown.
She'd been up late the night before, cleaning and preparing. She knew they wouldn't notice even half the details she put into it, but she'd know. And the place was one of her loveliest prides. Those men themselves, were her greatest. She glanced at the small coffee table made of a slice of tree trunk and branches. Ethan had made it a few Christmas's back. And the walls housed various shots of Cole's that he knew suited her home. Having both their work there made it not just hers, but theirs.
They dropped in when they could. Mostly separately, but sometimes together like this. March was an off time of year for it though, and a pleasant surprise. Even if it sent a few prickles of concern in the back of her mind. Ethan may have insisted Cole sounded fine, only as though something were on his mind, still Anna would think on it.
For now she focused on getting ready and beating Ethan's flight in. She had already cancelled his rental and wanted to surprise him by picking him up.
Anna hurried into the second room by pushing back the sheer curtain covered in embroidered vines and slapping on the switch that triggered not a lamp, but string lights. The skinny room held two dressers on either wall. One tall and one wide. The half moon desk she used for a vanity, and the antique trunk she'd kept her keepsakes in. Her second bookshelf doubled as a board game holder. The shoe rack housed more teetering books. And on half the wall a rack of shirts and jackets hung. The apartment had been listed as a studio for this reason. The "bedroom" was more of a closet, so a dressing room was what Anna made of it.
As a low rent window seat, she'd picked up an old mudroom bench with a patchwork quilt for the window facing the main road. It had been blind-less, with the lace curtains already open. But the stain glass decal was here too, so she could dress and undress with no issue. She did so now, dashing to the bathroom to shower.
Anna loved few things more than her tiny home.
Once she was out and dressing, she heard her bell ring and frowned. The children next door liked to be the Dennis to her Mr. Wilson, but they were certainly in day care and school by now. At the whistle following the bell, she cast her eyes to heaven, yanking her shirt over her head. She walked into the main room as Ethan was opening the door.
"Absolutely not." She folded her arms.
"Accept the defeat." He answered as he plopped his bag down and opened the cabinet for a mug.
"You weren't landing until 11."
"You weren't getting out of work until 4." Ethan countered, smiling as he found the brew only he preferred.
"I cancelled your rental."
"And forgot that I know people. I told Del that if anyone should call pretending to be my wife, mother, maiden Aunt, and cancelled the rental to let me know. He did. I deduced that meant you were taking the day, so I changed to the redeye. Defeat, admit it." He turned back to face her, leaning against the counter as the two glared at one another.
It lasted another beat before he placed his mug down in time to catch her jump. Both heads curved to kiss one another's cheeks and both said "Baby."
Laughing Anna slapped at his shoulders for Ethan to let her down, and then just looked at him as he drank her in as well. "Two months is too long, I've decided." She said and stepped back to let him get his coffee.
"Not quite two, but you're all quite right." He looked around and shook his head, but his smile was as bright as the sunny day. "You added more of course."
"Of course." Anna agreed.
"It's good to see. Even better to see you Shine."
Patting her heart once at the nickname almost as old as their friendship, Anna automatically starting taking out the fixings for a breakfast sandwich.
"My life to you. Outsmarting may be sweet, but I think I'm getting too old for redeyes."
"We haven't hit thirty yet friend, careful with that aging. Speaking of, how many years is Michael about to add?"
"I told you Anna Jane, I didn't get a red flag. Just an antenna."
"I know, I know. He just isn't one for impromptu, that's you."
"A lovely poem."
Swatting him automatically Anna turned on the gas burner and started heating sausage. When his hand covered hers she looked up. "Stop it."
"How long did it take you to simmer down after he called you?"
"I didn't need to simmer down." She yanked her hand free and met Ethan's eyebrow raise. "If it's not in the middle of the night, I don't need to simmer down."
"I know. I'm sorry, but you can "it's fine" me all you want, I know when you're on alert. And I know how much better you're doing than anyone else would be, even a year and a half after the fact."
"This is about Cole, not me."
"We multitask."
"Well I don't need to go there Ethan." She turned to get out buns, silent until she was sure the edge in her voice was gone. "I know Cole is fine, I know it's not the same. Maybe there was a moment, as I'll probably always have when something out of the norm happens. But I really am fine." She looked back, gestured to herself. "Look at this."
Nodding, Ethan's easy smile returned, even though his eyes said more. "I'll be doing nothing else but looking. And you and I will do even more looking at our boy once he's here. For now, finish my meal woman."
"HAH." Rolling her eyes over the exaggerated laugh, Anna walked back to the stove, kissing Ethan's hand as he squeezed her shoulder before going to the opposite cabinet for plates.
Pushing the dark aside, she glanced out her kitchen window, and reveled in the sunlight.
