The Landlord

Chapter 46

Chapter 46

Blake's dad, Ron, officially turned 60 today. To celebrate before the party, he and his two sons went golfing early this morning. Who knew Blake could golf. Then again, I should not have been surprised. That man is good at everything (except for driving in a busy city).

In the time they were gone, I helped Dawn set everything up for the party. Honestly, I thought it would be awkward, but it was quite enjoyable. While she was inside cooking and preparing for the BBQ later, I took the job of decorating the backyard. There were fordable tables, chairs, and a ton of birthday decorations for me to use. Under the two canopy tents in the grass, I eagerly got to work and set it all up. Surprisingly, she was pleased by my creativity when she checked on me.

I was straightening the tablecloths when she rounded the pool. Reaching me under the tent, her eyes lit up. "Fantastic, Ashley. I wouldn't have even thought about the lights."

Smiling, I glanced up to the set of cute string-lights I found earlier. I strung them along the tops of both tents. "I hope you don't mind. They were next to the birthday stuff in the basement, so I figured they were worth putting up."

"You even weaved the streamers with them to hide the cords," she said in a proud astonished tone, taking everything in. "You're blowing me away. I love the flower vases," she chuckled.

Dawn had me run to the store earlier for supplies – and I got a few extra things she didn't know about. Like some fake flowers; I placed them in used beer bottles. It was cute – and fitting for her husband and his family. They apparently loved beer.

Looking over the silly flower centerpieces, I scoffed. "Yeah, I figured it was a fun little touch. Don't worry, I paid for the extra stuff myself."

"Oh, I'm not worried, just impressed. You didn't have to go above and beyond like this."

"I wanted to. I'm just glad you like it; I know you're one hell of a decorator yourself so I'm flattered," I smiled.

She continued taking it my work with an admirable gaze. The summer breeze weaved through our hair, swinging the lights gently. All the while, I just couldn't help but be grateful things were now going smoothly between us and his family. Beyond her flaws, Dawn was quite relatable and easy to talk to. She clearly felt the same way about me.

Blushing back her shoulder-length hair swirling from the breeze, she turned towards me, and spoke gently. "I just wanted to say thank you for everything."

"For what?"

"Blake doesn't come around a lot, so it's a real treat to have him here – and bringing you is such a terrific bonus. I hate to admit it, but I would pester him constantly about wanting to meet you."

Blake didn't visit them often; they didn't visit him often. While Blake had good reasons (like being busy), they did not. Therefore, they usually only see each other over holidays. Sounds terrible, but I didn't think that was such a bad thing; they made him feel like shit. If only his family understood how they are perceived. Because searching her eyes, it was clear she missed her son very much. I just wish that would come first before her narrow-mindedness.

"Yeah, he mentioned that it's hard to get together," I finally mentioned.

"Well, I'm glad it worked out this time. I'm excited for the party; Blake hasn't seen everyone is so long and I'm anxious for you to meet extended family. No doubt Blake is going to flaunt you," she smiled, elbowing me playfully.

"Flaunt me? Oh god. I don't even know who is all coming – besides Ron's brothers and their families."

"That's about it. My brother will be here too – and Ron's parents and friends."