Out Of The Friend Zone (2 page)

The next morning, Brynn and Barrett went out on the road in search of a new house. Brynn tried to explain to Barrett what was happening.

"Barrett, do you remember your friend Billy, how he lives with his mom and visits his dad on the weekends?" Brynn asked.

"Yeah, his parents got a divorce, right?" Barrett answered.

"Yes, they got a divorce. Sometimes moms and dads don't get along, and it's better for them to live apart."

"Billy said it's really cool. He gets twice the presents for his birthday and at Christmas," Barrett told her.

Brynn took a deep breath. "Well, honey, your dad and I have decided to get a divorce. We both love you, but Mommy and Daddy can't live with each other anymore. You and I are going to move into a new house in a new town and start over. How does that sound?"

Barrett was quiet for a moment. "Will I have to go to a new school?"

"Most likely, but just think of how fun it will be to make new friends. After we get settled, you can still have some of your old friends come and spend the night whenever you want."

"Cool," Barrett replied.

Brynn felt relieved, and drove toward the first house on her list. She watched Barrett in the rear-view mirror. He had taken the news much better than she thought he would, and now she was just hoping that it was real acceptance, and not just an act.

"Here we go sport," she said as they pulled into the driveway. "Let's go see if we like this house."

F
our weeks later, Brynn and Barrett pulled up behind a big moving truck. Their new house was in a town half an hour away from where they used to live. The school district was one of the best in the state, and the neighborhood was in a low crime area. By living here, Brynn could afford more house for her money, so that she and Barrett weren't stuck in a tiny box that the realtors had the nerve to call a house.

Instead of the box, they found a large three bedroom, two-story house with a full basement and a big back yard. It was a charming house and in great shape, as it was only three years old. It had an attached two-car garage and big storage shed in the fenced back yard. One of Brynn's favorite features was the hot tub that sat on the back deck.

Barrett was excited about the new house, too. Brynn let him pick out the paint for his room, and he was even going to get a puppy. There was so much room to play in the back yard; he could already picture the intense games of wiffle ball and kickball.

Brynn and Barrett spent their day unloading the moving truck and bringing boxes into the house. New furniture was being delivered, as Brynn didn't want any pieces from their old house. She didn't want to bring the bad memories to her new home.

While they were carrying some boxes, Brynn looked and saw an SUV pull into her neighbor's driveway. She pretended to be busy with the boxes but in truth, she was sneaking peeks at the neighbors. The man who stepped out was amazingly handsome. He stood a little over six feet tall, and had wavy brown hair and a goatee.

He went around to the passenger side and helped a little girl out of the Nissan. The little girl had the most adorable blonde ringlets; her hair was so light it was almost white.

The man saw Brynn and smiled an almost sad smile. He held onto the little girl's hand, and walked toward Brynn. Barrett walked up at the same time, and Brynn put down the box that she was carrying.

"You must be the new neighbors. I'm Chandler Tiller, and this is my daughter Willow," Chandler said, and held his hand out to Brynn.

"Hi, Chandler, nice to meet you. I'm Brynn Chase, and this is my son Barrett." They shook hands and after, Brynn squatted down so her eyes were level with Willow's. "Hi, Willow, nice to meet you. How old are you?"

Willow smiled wide and said, "Nice to meet you too, ma'am. I just turned seven years old."

"Wow, you're very polite. Maybe you can teach my son some of your manners. Barrett is seven years old, but he'll be turning eight in two weeks. Maybe he'll be in your class at school."

Willow turned to Barrett. "You want to play? I have a swing set in the back yard that my dad built for me."

Barrett looked at his mom, pleading with his eyes. "Can I Mom? Please?"

"Well, as long as it's okay with Mr. Tiller. You've helped me a lot today, you deserve some time to play," Brynn said, and the three of them looked at Chandler.

"I don't mind. You're welcome anytime, Barrett. Just be careful," he said, as the two kids ran toward the back yard.

"Thanks for letting him play with Willow. I think he's going to need all the friends he can get right now. This move may be kind of rough on him," Brynn told Chandler. "He really has been working hard today. I think he was trying to act all macho in front of the movers, since I told him he was the man of the house now."

Chandler smiled. "Do you need any help with anything?"

"Oh, no thanks. I only have a few more boxes."

"I don't mind at all. Let me grab what you have left," Chandler said and walked to the moving truck. He stacked the remaining boxes and picked them all up together.

Brynn picked up the box she had been carrying and led him into the house. Boxes upon boxes were scattered throughout the house, leaving hardly any room to move. "Just put them wherever you can find a spot," Brynn said, as she looked around, a little overwhelmed. She looked at the stove, which was hidden by boxes. As if on cue, her stomach growled loudly enough that they could both hear it.

"Somebody's hungry," Chandler said, again with a smile.

Brynn blushed. "Well, since there's no chance of me cooking tonight, how would you and your family like to come over for pizza? We can eat out on the deck and enjoy the nice weather we're having? I think there's a picnic table there somewhere."

"That sounds good, as long as it's not too much trouble."

"No trouble at all!" she said. "What's your wife's name?"

Chandler hesitated for a moment. "It's just me and Willow. My wife died about two years ago."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I had no idea," Brynn apologized. "I'm sorry I assumed..."

"That's okay; you had no way of knowing. It's a legitimate question when seeing my daughter and me, to think I would have a wife to join us." He shrugged and tried to make it seem like no big deal. "What about you? No husband?"

"Well, as of yesterday, none. The ink is finally dry on the divorce papers. Ah, sweet freedom!" Brynn said with a smile. "Barrett and I are much better off alone."

"Well, at least you're at peace with the divorce," Chandler joked. "So, let's call for that pizza before it gets too late to eat outside. I'm sure you and Barrett will want to go to sleep early, with all the work you've done today."

"Know of a good place to order from?" Brynn asked.

"Sure do. Pepperoni and cheese okay?" Chandler suggested, and Brynn nodded in agreement. Chandler took out his cell phone and ordered the pizza, asked for paper plates and napkins with the order, and gave them the address for delivery.

"Well, I did stock the fridge before we moved anything in, so can I get you something to drink? We have Pepsi, lemonade, and water," Brynn offered.

"A Pepsi sounds good," Chandler said, and took the bottle from Brynn when she held it out to him.

"Smart man, good choice in drinks," Brynn approved, as she took her own Pepsi.

Shortly after, the pizza showed up. Brynn and Chandler brought it out to the picnic table, along with more soda. Chandler called over to his yard, where Barrett and Willow were playing, and told them to come and eat.

Barrett and Willow raced over to the deck, giggling the whole way. The two kids had already become fast friends. After talking about her teacher, Brynn realized that Barrett would be in the same class at school as Willow. They would also be playing on the same t-ball team.

"Well, it looks like we'll be seeing a lot more of each other. It's nice to know I have at least one friend in our new town," Brynn said, as they were talking after dinner. The kids ran around in the backyard playing tag after they cleaned all the pizza off their plates.

"Well, anything I can help out with...directions, best restaurants, best places to shop, just let me know," Chandler offered.

"Thanks. I really appreciate it." Brynn toyed with a napkin. "I never realized how hard it was going to be to move. I knew we needed a clean break, but now that it's happened, it's a little unnerving!"

"Well, I'm right next door, whenever you need anything," Chandler said, and looked at his watch. "Wow, it's getting late. We better head home and let you guys get to unpacking, or sleeping...whichever comes first."

"Ugh, you mean the magic unpacking fairies haven't paid us a visit yet?" Brynn asked with a groan, as she turned and looked at all the boxes in her house. "This isn't ever going to end, is it? I don't even know what's in half those boxes. They've been in storage for so long...since my parents died."

"I was wondering how you had so much stuff after a divorce. Most of the divorces I've seen leave people walking away with a lot less stuff," Chandler said, with a newfound understanding.

"Yeah, I left most of the stuff behind. I didn't want anything that was his or anything that would remind me of him. Luckily, my parents had planned ahead for this day, and left me quite an inheritance when they died. My dad always used to tell me that Nico was no good, and that someday I would come to my senses and need money to get away from him. Boy, was he ever right," Brynn admitted. "But anyway, Nico is part of the past. It's time to move on with the future."

"Funny, people tell me that all the time," Chandler said quietly, just soft enough that Brynn almost missed it.

Before she could say anything, Chandler clapped his hands and stood up. "Well, we better get going. Let me know if you guys need anything." He called to Willow, and told her that it was time to go home for the night. Willow grumbled, then said goodbye to her new friend. Chandler smiled at Brynn.

"Thanks for the pizza. It was nice meeting you both." Chandler grabbed Willow and swung her over his head, then disappeared into his back door.

"Well, sport, looks like you have a new friend already," Brynn said.

"Yup. She's so cool, it's almost like she's a boy," Barrett told his mom as they headed back inside.

"Well, how about we unpack a few boxes, and get our beds ready, so we can sleep in them tonight, then save the rest of it to unpack tomorrow?" Brynn asked.

Barrett groaned. "I'd better get a good allowance for all my help this week, Mom." "You will, don't worry. You're a pretty good kid, you know that?" Brynn asked, and ruffled his hair.

Brynn watched Barrett as he walked up the stairs to his new bedroom. She was so proud of the way he was handling the divorce. He didn't cry or complain, and it seemed like it actually hadn't affected him much. It's not like he saw his father any less. Nico was never around as it was when they were living together. The sad part was that Nico hadn't even called to see Barrett since Brynn kicked him out.

"It's just as well," she murmured to herself. "We're going to be okay, kiddo."

Nico never wanted Barrett to begin with. When she learned she was pregnant, Nico hadn't been thrilled. . No matter what a good baby Barrett had been, Nico had always seen him as more of a hassle than a blessing. Brynn thought of Barrett as a gift from above, and she didn't know what she would do without him. She felt sorry for Nico, that he didn't realize how wonderful his own son was.

Brynn knew one thing: she would never take Barrett for granted the way Nico did.

M
onday morning was Barrett's first day of school. With Chandler's permission, Brynn drove both him and Willow to school so that she could meet with the administrators to finalize Barrett's paperwork. She thought Willow might help Barrett make the transition smooth and easy, and Chandler agreed.

Once they got inside, Barrett followed Willow as she led him to their classroom. Just before he walked into the room, he turned and gave a happy wave to his mother, who stood watching him. Brynn blew him a kiss, thoroughly embarrassing the boy. He shook his head and walked into the classroom. After he disappeared, Brynn went to the main office to finish his registration.