"And....James."
How nice, I thought.

My lips twitched and I tried to keep the smile wide on my face, a laugh escaped my mouth and I realized I should probably invite them in right now.

"Yes darlin', I thought it would be nice if Jamie joined us after the two of you made up yesterday! He even agreed to postpone his work so he can join us~"Grandma Eleanor said as she smiled at James, who I can tell trying his best to keep the obvious painful smile on his face on.

"Oh, Of course, Mrs. Callan. The more, the merrier. Please come in." I said with a forced smile as They walked in.
"I'd like you all to meet Ruth." I introduced Ruth as I closed the door.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all. Welcome to the Beckett's house. Please, make yourselves comfortable." Ruth greeted them with a smile.

"Thank you, Ruth. It's lovely to meet you too. Edith has told us so much about you." Nicole said.

I tried to stay as enthusiastic as I could.
"Yes, Ruth has been an immense help during my stay here, and through my whole life really!" I laughed. "I couldn't manage without her."

"I'm sure." I heard James Mutter under his breath.

I snapped my head toward him.
"What was that? Did you say something?"

He looked down at me and flashed me the fakest smile I'd ever seen. "Nothing. Just making conversation." He mocked.

That's what I thought. I ignored for a second and started leading the guests to the back, and into the dining room, when Grandma Eleanor started talking.

"I see the house is still the same." She commented.
"Indeed, almost nothing has changed.." John added as he looked around, and I could see in his eyes he was probably reminiscing about the past.

"Tell me darlin', how is your stay, I hope it's to your liking?" Eleanor asked.

"It is quite nice, I need to admit it's a huge change of scenery for me. But so far it's been a great choice for a peaceful getaway." I replied as we walked into the dining room.

"Well, I'm glad you're enjoying your getaway. We didn't realize we had such exciting neighbors." James mumbled, sarcasm's clear in his tone.

"Oh, I assure you, my intention is not to disturb anyone. I simply want some time to relax and unwind." I returned.

"Now, now," Mr. Callan cut in. "let's try to keep the peace here. We're all here to enjoy a meal together, so let's focus on that, shall we?"

Taking a deep breath, my tone softened. "You're right, Mr. Callan. I apologize if I've caused any inconvenience. Let's sit down and enjoy our lunch together. I hope you all brought your appetites." I concluded, as everyone sat down.

Once we were Seated, Nicole commented on the flowers.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but these are carnations?" She said.

"Hm? Oh yes, they're."

"They're lovely darlin, I see your taste in flowers Is unique." She complimented.

"Not at all, they weren't my first choice actually. I was hoping for peonies but they weren't available.."

"Peonies?" Grandma Eleanor tilted her head. "I believe those are mostly chosen for brides' bouquets?"

"Yes, they're Edith's favorite," Ruth said. "She has always liked them."

I chuckled a bit. "Yes, I do like them. I like all flowers really, I think they're all pretty in their way but at the same time they're tragic." I mumbled.

"Oh, how come?" Asked Nicole.

"Huh? Ah well," it took me a second to find my words before I answered her. "Flowers are lovely but sad at the same time, at least once you pick them. Because even with care, they end up dying after a while.." I shrugged.

"Ah, that makes sense." Nicole nodded.

As we started eating, the conversations started dying down which I didn't find pleasant, so I tried keeping the conversation going.
I cleared my throat and addressed everyone. "So, how has everyone's day been so far? Any exciting stories to share?" I asked, attempting to break the ice.

"Oh, my day has been just splendid, until now. You see, I don't usually have lunch this early but thank you for asking."James with his façade of politeness replied.

I gave a strained smile, trying hard to remain composed. "Well, it's lovely to have you here, I didn't think you'd join us today anyways, How have you all been lately?"

"you know," James spoke again, and I was hoping someone else would jump into the conversation. "just living the same boring routine around here. But hey, I guess for you being here is a nice change, right?"

My eyebrows furrowed slightly, unable to decipher if he was being sincere or sarcastic.
"Well, I guess it's good to have some variety in life. You never know what surprises may come your way." I replied before taking a bite of my plate.

"I completely agree," James spoke again, this time with a wide grin. "I'm sure the other night was a big enough surprise for you, wasn't it?"

I couldn't help but roll my eyes this time. "Let's not get carried away, James. No need to make it more dramatic than it is." I said then grinned back at him. "Besides, Like you said yesterday when you apologized to me, I understand that you're not so bright up there." I commented.

Yeah, that didn't really happen but I had to respond to him since he started getting on my nerves. Couldn't he just sit there and be quiet, it would've been easier to ignore him.

After throwing that at him, I got dagger eyes from Ruth who elbowed me.
"Edith!" She gasped.
"What!" I almost chocked. I looked back at our guests, and my eyes fell on him.

He didn't look too happy with my comment, he looked like he's gonna throw a plate at me or something. Thankfully he didn't, but instead, he stood up all of a sudden.

"Excuse me, I have things to do." He fumed. "Important things." He added before walking out.

I hummed back, trying to keep a laugh in.
"Suit yourself." I sang in a lowered tone. I was happy he left but his parents almost stopped him, thankfully he didn't listen.

"Jamie where you- James! Oh god.." Nicole shook her head and sighed as she turned to look at me. "I'm sorry about him darlin' he's just—-"

"Oh no, no don't apologize at all!" I interrupted her.

"Yes honey, you need to stop makin' excuses for him, he's almost 30 and he can own up to his own actions," John said, completely unbothered.
"But John you know how he is!" She argued.

"Oh Ruth, this smoked salmon is exquisite~ I hope you wouldn't mind sharing the recipe." Grandma Eleanor who seemed not bothered as well at all said.

Ruth who was staring at me completely displeased, finally turned her attention to someone else. "O-oh, thank you. Of course, I'll be happy to." She replied.

From here, It didn't take long for the atmosphere to change and soon the conversation shifted. After we were done with lunch, we sat outside on the porch having coffee.

"Haha! It is indeed a good idea. By the way," John took a sip of his coffee and took a quick look around the land before turning back to me. "Tell me, are you planning to make any changes around here? For the future I mean." He asked.

"Hm? Oh, no not at all." I replied as I took around. "Why?"

"Ah, I can see a couple of things around here that can use an update, and I thought maybe I'd give some ideas." He laughed a bit. "Don't hesitate to come to me if you need anything or why assistance around here!" He offered.

"Oh thanks a lot, but I'm afraid I won't be doing any changes around here..at least not major ones since we won't be here long," I said as I took a sip of my coffee.

"Oh no, darlin' are you leaving soon? I hope it's not for too long." Nicole frowned.
"I'm already used to having you around!" She chuckled.

"well...I'm planning to stay until the end of the summer." I answered. "It can be shorter than that, Just a couple of weeks before I sell the property," I mumbled the last part.

John almost chocked on that, which took me by surprise.
"What— excuse me darlin', I don't think I heard you correctly...you're selling the estate?" He asked eyes widened. Nicole seemed surprised as well.

"Umm, yes," I confirmed.

"Why? Are you sure? Is it— To whom? Do you have a buyer already—" John began.
"John, I don't think that's any of our business." Eleanor interrupted him.

I wasn't sure why the sudden interest.
"I don't have a buyer yet, I didn't even contact an agent yet," I commented.

John stood quiet for a moment, he seemed deep in thought as he stared down before looking back at me. "Darlin, would you do me a favor?" He asked.

I narrowed my eyes completely confused, wondering what's his deal all of a sudden.
"Yes?"

"Would you let me know before selling? I'd like to put an offer, If you're selling it then I'd like to buy it if you don't mind selling it to me." He said.

I looked between all of them, and I liked the sound of this.
"No- no, I don't mind at all, i mean, I'd rather sell it to you than a stranger, so I'll let you know." I smiled at him.

"Thank you darlin'." He nodded.

"Oh but honey it's such a shame, And I here thought we hit the jackpot with our neighbors." Nicole frowned. "For years we've neighborless! And after we've been blessed with you, you're leaving us!" She laughed.

"It won't be anytime soon, I'm looking forward to spending the rest of the summer here though!" I responded.

After almost 2 hours, the Callans left. But not after inviting us over tomorrow for dinner and we agreed to attend the Art Fair later together. It seemed to me that we would be spending most of this summer together from now, which I'm looking forward to.

For the moment, I started helping Ruth around the house and with the dishes. As we stood in the kitchen, washing the dishes, it was obvious she had something on her mind, she barely said anything to me after our guests left.

I honestly hesitated, on whether I should ask her or stay quiet because I never know what her reaction be, but I gave it a chance anyway.

As I wiped the plate, I glanced at her and cleared my throat.
"Ahem. Ruth, you've been awfully quiet.." I mumbled.

She stood silent for a minute before she acknowledged me.
"And what would you like me to say, after your little remarks." She said, not even looking at me.

Yep, there it is.
I sighed and placed the last plate away before leaning back on the counter.
"You know, you worry way too much about what people think. I mean, didn't you see how he was acting!" I complained.

"What I saw is you acting rudely toward the guests. You offended the man to the point he got up and left."

"Oh please, it's not like he wanted to be there anyway, I did him a favor! And it's Better that way. Maybe he won't show his face for the rest of the summer from now on." I replied.

She looked at me eyebrow raised.
"Why are you holding a grudge over what happened? I thought we were done with that—"

"I'm not holding any grudges! And we are done! I told you we both had an—...well, sort of an agreement to not show our faces to each other." I tried to explain.

"Then he's going to be the one holding a grudge over what happened today." She shook her head.

"So?" I pouted.

"You know how I feel about human grudges! Nothing good comes out of such a negative thing!"
She began.

I started to regret opening my mouth, yes I know how exactly she feels about human emotions.
Ruth is a big believer in negative emotions, and she believes that if you cause them then they will only return back to you and harm you. I can somehow see that, but not in this case. I believe she's overreacting here, but can I even tell her that?

I took a deep breath. "Ruth, trust me. He's not— someone like him isn't going to care, let alone hold a grudge."

"You don't know that and you never know. It would be better if you go over there and apologize properly then—-"

"Apologize!?" I gasped.

"Yes, then we can put this behind us." She continued.

"Nah uh. No, I have nothing to apologize for! Didn't you see how he looked at me? Or heard his stupid comments?!" I argued.

"I think it is all in your head, see? You clearly haven't moved on from that night. I think apologizing will help you get over this." She argued back.

"Oh! Oh nice, now you're calling me nuts—"
"I'm not calling you anything."

"Yes, yes you are! How come you just met him today and you're already on his side!" I scoffed.
"I know he has a lovely face but you wouldn't have thrown our years together for that!"

"He is a handsome man, however; you know I'm not taking any sides here."

"Yeah? Yeah, okay. Alright, you say I should apologize? And say what exactly!?" I started pacing around. "Oh, hello there! I just came here to apologize for being rude to you because of your stupid remarks!" I acted out, sarcastically.

"Yes, there you go. It's not that hard—-"

"Joking! Ruth, I was joking!" I whined.

"Edith, you're being childish. Once again, I'm not telling you what to do. Just advising you." She scolded. "Now, if you're going to stand there and continue acting like this, then get out I'm going to wipe the kitchen."

"Ugh, fine." I threw my hands up and stomped away. Before walking out of the kitchen completely I turned back to her. "Ruth, can you make me Creamsicles..." I pouted.

"After you fix your behavior."

My jaw dropped, I couldn't believe she was going to hold this over me. Talk about negative emotions.
"I can't believe this..." I muttered as I walked out of the kitchen.

Fine, if Ruth doesn't want to make me something then I can go get it. I know she technically works for me, but I can't force her to do anything, she's like a second mother to me. Then I remembered that Billy wasn't around, and Ruth couldn't drive me to town since she had housework.

"Maybe I should get me a driver's license....." I mumbled As I stood outside on the porch.
As I looked around, my eyes darted toward the neighbor's house and I saw some people walking around working. For a second there, I thought about walking over.

Of course, not to apologize. I have nothing to apologize about, but maybe I can go there and tell Ruth I did, it's not like she'll find out I lied or anything. How would she know?
And while I'm at it, I can go visit their cows since Mr. Callan; John, said I could earlier.

So, I decided to go see some cows.