On My Own

[Ally3772]

Chapter Fifteen: Changing Plans

"There you are!"

I walked up to the house, Janine stood up from the porch step and walked over to hug me.



"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Well, I have someone for you to meet!" She said.

It was then I noticed the boy behind her standing on the sidewalk. He seemed shy as he scratched the back of his head while he waited for his que. Janine motioned for him to come over and he walked over slowly.

"This is Michael. We have been going out for a few weeks." She said.

"Hi! My name is Julieanne!" I greeted.

"She talks about you a lot, it's nice to finally put a face to the name." He smiled.

"I would have told you sooner, but I was enjoying having him to myself." Janine smiled.

"I'm happy for you!" I told her.

Michael noticed my garden and I showed him around telling him what each plant and flower was. He actually seemed interested which was nice. Janine seemed to happy and she was beaming at every question he asked me. I was truly happy that she had found someone.



He was even more impressed when I showed him the house. I told him that Janine did the majority of the remodel and he couldn't keep his mouth closed. I made them a nice dinner and we sat at my brand new table.

"I know the chairs aren't that comfortable." I told them.

"They're fine!" Michael said.

"This is delicious!" Janine said, looking down at her mac and cheese.

"Better than my mushroom soup that I made you for the first time?" I giggled.

"Oooo, that's a tough call. But honestly I think I'll have to go with this. It's so cheesy." She said.

"I found the recipe in this magazine that I was reading at work." I told her.

...

Want some company? -S

I looked down at my clothes, I was being lazy today while I worked on my flower arrangements. I had to at least get into my normal clothes! Even though my fox shorts and messy hair were pretty cute if I do say so myself.

Sure! Come on over!

I sent him my address and quickly went and changed real quick. There was a knock on the door and I hurried over to the door and swung it open.

"Hey!" I said.

"Hi, you look nice." Shayne said.

I laughed, "I always look like this."

"Then you always look nice." He shrugged.

I blushed and stepped aside so that he could come in.

"Wow this is nice!" He said, looking around the room.

"I know! I love it, Janine did such a good job." I told him.

We both sat on the couch.



There was a big change last week, something that I haven't told Janine or Eleanor. But I did tell Shayne on the phone, and he listened while I went over my options.

"Have you thought more about what you're going to do?" He finally asked.

I knew he'd bring it up and I sighed.

"I don't know. I mean, I always said that once I got a house I'd expand that instead of buying a new one." I said.

"That's true, but plans are meant to be changed. There's nothing wrong with things going a different way then you planned." He told me.

"I know, but it's such a big change. Like I'll own it!" I said.

Emily told me she was thinking of selling the shop. I must have shown my disappointment because she just dropped a proposal on me. She told me that if I wanted to buy it, then I could also rent out the apartment that was above the shop. I didn't even realize that she lived above the flower shop. I always assumed she had her own house somewhere in town. I haven't been able to think about anything else since. I'd be lying if I said that the thought of owning the shop didn't excite me. It was just scary, I didn't want to move too fast and get in over my head. I knew that I would have help. Maybe I could even hire Eleanor for some extra help and in return help her as well.

"If it helps, I think that you should go do it." He said.

"How about some food, I have some left over mac and cheese?" I asked, changing the subject.

He smiled, "Sure, I'd love that."




"You know, I'd help you right?" He said.

"You would? Flowers aren't your thing." I giggled.

"I don't hate flowers, but I figured if I could help my girlfriend out then I should." He said.

I dropped my fork. Actually dropped it.

"Your.. your what now?" I stammered.

"Julieanne. We've been talking every day for the past couple months, and have gone on several dates. I love spending time with you. You're funny and ambitious. You've shown me that not everyone has the same opportunities as I do. So yes, if you feel the same way, I would love for you to be my girlfriend." He said, looking right in my eyes.

I screamed inside, "I would love too!"

Then, just like the movies, he leaned over and placed a light kiss on my lips. I smiled as he pulled away, he had a grin plastered over his face as he went to take another bite of his mac and cheese. I don't know what clicked in my head, but he gave me the push I needed. I would need time though to get the money. She was listing it at $80,000 and there was no way that I had that now. I would talk to her Monday in hopes that she will prolong the decision long enough for me to get the money. It realistically shouldn't take that long because with my paychecks, and selling the flower arrangements, money was coming in almost too fast.

"I'm gonna do it." I announced.

Balance: $32,615

New changes! I'm excited!

[Ally3772]

Chapter Sixteen: On My Way

I talked to Emily! She agreed to give me three months to come up with the money. After that she would have to put it up on the market. She also agreed if I had the majority of the money by the end of the three months then she would give me a discount. So I chose to pick up shifts whenever I could along with a few odd jobs around town. I got a few more seed packets with new flowers too! I talked to Eleanor on the phone, she was on another trip! I caught her up on everything from the new house to Shayne asking me to be his girlfriend, to possibly buying the flower shop. For some reason at the end of talking with Eleanor I feel like crying. I guess it's just nice to have someone who is like a mother figure for me. It was nice to know how it felt to have a mother who actually cares for you. She was so happy for me and told me she wants to be the first customer I have. I was so excited to finally open it.

"Okay, practice makes perfect." I told myself.



Want some company? -S

Can't! I need to sell some of my flower arrangements =[

I'll stop by for it then! -S

So stubborn. I finished this arrangement before getting ready for the day. I brought all my vases of flowers out to the table and got ready for the day. I would be honest I was really excited to not have to stand in the cold or the heat anymore. I could adjust the temperature as needed! I was even more excited that the shop had the greenhouse attached to it so I wasn't limited when I could plant things. I really hope I was able to make this new dream of mine come true.

"Flowers! Get your flowers!" I announced.



The table only could fit three at a time so that they didn't get ruined by smashing against each other. I didn't have to worry about that though because they were gone in the first ten minutes of opening up the table. A lot of my customers were buying the flowers for their spouses or loved ones. Occasionally I got the more sad reasons of buying flowers and found myself crying later that day for the people involved. Thankfully those didn't happen very often though.

"Hello. I'd like to buy all of your flowers."

I turned around to see Shayne standing by the table.

"That'll be 50k." I joked.

"Ha." He laughed.



"What are you doing for dinner?" He asked.

"Not sure, did you have something in mind?" I asked.

"I wanna take you out." He smiled.

"Sounds violent." I said.

He laughed.

He hung around until the last arrangement was sold. I made a killing today! I couldn't wait to put it away towards the flower shop. I cleaned up and we headed out to this fancy restaurant, it was an Italian place that I've never heard of. He ordered lasagna and I went with chicken alfredo, it was absolutely delicious. He refused to let me pay for my half though. Afterwards we went back to his place and watched a movie. The rest of the night I'll keep for my memories though.

...

I groaned as I walked through the front door after work. I tossed my things on the table and turned around and almost peed my pants.

"Jesus!" I gasped, placing a hand on my heart.

Shayne was standing behind the couch.

"Sorry!! I used the key under the mat." He said.

I had totally forgotten that I told him there was a spare key and that he could use it whenever he wanted too.

"Right. You can go a head and keep that on you if you'd like." I told him.

"You sure? I about killed you." He chuckled.

He walked over to me and pulled me in his arms.




"I missed you today." He whispered after we broke the kiss.

"I missed you too. It was a long and stressful day." I admitted.

"Busy? Or just a lot of custom orders again?" He asked.

We had a lot of custom orders come in this week. A lot of them happened to be very last minute and I wished we could almost turn them down. I would never place a big order in such a short notice, but that was just me.

"No, just non stop customers. It makes me wonder why Emily is selling it. But, she did mention that her mother was ill, so I guess I understand that." I told him.

"I'm sure she doesn't want to sell it. But if anyone deserves it, it's you." He said.

"So sweet." I sighed.



"Ugh, I need to get out of these clothes. I'm going to jump in the shower." I told him.

"Want me to heat up some food?" He asked.

"Sure! Maybe we could watch a movie too!" I said.

"Come here again!" He said, pulling me back to him.

I giggled as he kissed me again.



"Okay seriously! I need to go shower!" I said, pushing him away playfully.

"I'll get the food going. You get grumpy when you're tired and hungry." He said.

"Do not!" I shouted as I walked away.

I smiled to myself as I closed the bathroom door. How did I get so lucky?

Balance: $47,654

I am making money almost too fast! Who knew that would be a problem! I'm excited to try this flower shop idea out though!

[Ally3772]

Chapter Seventeen: Gone

"I'm here all the time anyway." Shayne argued.

"I just don't wanna rush it, you know?" I said.

"We have been dating for a while, honestly if it wouldn't freak you out I'd ask you to marry me right now. You're my person." He said.

My eyes went wide.

"I'm not asking you to marry me. Yet." He said, holding up his hands.

I sighed, "I guess you are right."

"And all I need is my desk and laptop." He added.



"Okay, let's do it. You can move in." I smiled.

"Yes!" He cheered.

I giggled.

He wasn't kidding. All he really wanted was a spot in the corner of the bedroom for his desk. It meant we had to expand the room a little bit but he paid for it. I selfishly wondered to myself if with the double income it would help get the flower shop faster. I hated myself for even thinking it though right after and pushed it out of my mind. The first week together flew by and it was honestly the best week I've had in a while! Our schedules mixed well and we were home at night around the same time. We enjoyed watching the same shows and movies, and he was addicted to my cooking already. When he was in the bedroom working on some at home work, I'd work on my flower arrangements in the living room.



"So I was hoping if I double up on selling my flowers I'd cut the time down by half and buy the shop before the three months is even here." I told him.

"I'm sure you can do that, and I would be more than happy to help." He said smiling.

"No, I'm not going to take your money." I said.

"Babe, we live together now. We share everything which means, we share our money." He told me.

"I'll think about it." I said.

"So stubborn." He laughed.

"Oh yeah? Well then I'm going to take my stubborn self to the shower." I told him.

"Not without me." He hissed.



"I think that was my fifth shower this week." I laughed as I got changed into my pajamas for the night.

"You can never be too clean." Shayne said.

My phone rang in the living room.

"Who is it?" I called from the bedroom.

"Janine." He told me.

"Ugh, will you answer it? She probably wants to set up a double date." I said.

I heard him answer my phone. I finished putting my shorts and slippers on and walked into the living room. He was just hanging up the cell phone as I walked over to him.

"Did she want to set it up? I just am not feeling it this week." I told him.

"Babe-"

"I mean, I love her and I'm glad she's found someone. But we just moved in together. I want to spend time with you. I hope she understands that." I continued.

"Julie." He said, more firm.

"What?" I asked.

I noticed his face. Something was wrong.



"What? What's wrong?" I asked.

"Babe, I'm so sorry-"

"For what?" I cut him off.

"It was Janine, but she wasn't setting up a date. Babe I'm sorry, Eleanor passed away." He said.

I felt the room start spinning.

"What? No. No, it's like last time- She probably is just out with her friends again." I said, starting to laugh nervously.

"Janine saw her. She was the one to- she found Eleanor." He said.

I gasped as my knees went out.



"This can't be real. We just talked! She- She sounded so good on the phone!" I cried.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered.



"She was going to be my first customer!" I cried out.

It was a silly thing to worry about I knew, but I was looking forward to it more than I realized. This felt all wrong, she was like a mother to me, and now she was gone! I pulled my phone from the counter and dialed her number. But she didn't answer, I hung up and dialed again. I did this five more times before he finally took the phone from my hands.

"No!" I wailed.

He came behind me and hugged me tightly.

"Eleanor!" I cried.

"Shhhh." He comforted.

"Come back..."



Balance: $51,362

Shayne moved in! But Eleanor is no longer with us

[Cheezey]

I had a feeling this was going to happen soon with how much time was passing. RIP Eleanor.

Glad Shayne was there for emotional support! He seems like a good guy.

[Auranaris]

Oh no! I was getting overly attached to Eleanor’s character :C
RIP Eleanor Elderberry.

[Sonshine]

What a tragic loss! I'm also glad that Shayne was there to comfort her.

[Ally3772]

Chapter Eighteen: For Eleanor

In the weeks after Eleanor's funeral, I've come to two conclusions.

1. Losing Eleanor hurt worse than losing her own mother.

and

2. It gave me that much more of a push to pursue my dreams.

Having Shayne there with me though made it better. He was so patient with me during all of my mood swings and bad days.



"So I was thinking at work today." I said later one night.

"About what?" Shayne asked.

We were just cuddling in bed and talking about our days.

"I think I came up with a name for the flower shop once I buy it." I told him.

"You're going to rename it?" He asked.



"Yeah! I think it's the right thing to do. I want it to stand out from what Emily did with it. Not that there's anything wrong with what she did." I said.

He smiled up at me.

"You wanna hear it?!" I asked.

"Of course." He giggled.

"I wanna name it Eleanor's!" I announced.



"I think that's a perfect name for it babe." He smiled.

"You don't think it's weird?" I asked him.

"No! She seemed like such a big part of your life. I think she would have loved it." He told me.

"That's not all though. I came up with another plan." I said.

He chuckled a little, "Such a dreamer you are."

I playfully pushed him.

"Okay, what is this idea?" He asked.

"I want to donate a certain percentage of sales to the homeless." I said.

He looked taken back for a moment.

"What?! Is that a bad idea?" I asked.



"I love you so much." He said.

My heart melted.

"I love you too." I smiled.

"You have such an amazing heart to want to help those who are still homeless." He said.

I laid my head on his chest.

"I just want to help give them the best life they can have. Mine turned out pretty well so far, and I wanna give back." I said.

"I'm so proud of you." He said.

...

"So what do you have going on today?" Shayne asked while he got ready.

"I'm just going to go to lunch with Janine." I told him.

"Sounds fun!" He said.

I looked at myself in the mirror and fixed my makeup.



"You look beautiful." Shayne said.

"Do I?" I asked.

"Very." He smiled.

"I am pretty hot." I giggled.



"Well, I am off to work. Enjoy your lunch and send my hellos to Janine." He said.

He gave me a kiss before heading out. I texted Janine that I would be there in a few minutes to get her. I grabbed my things and headed out of the house. I couldn't wait to tell her everything that I told Shayne! Maybe she could help me promote it somehow when the time came! I decided as well that I was going to save up to 100k before buying the flower shop if possible. That way I wasn't completely back to square one when I did buy it. But, now I was going to push saving into high gear. The time was ticking and I was getting nervous.

Balance: $71,019

Short little update! Name for the flower shop picked out! Slowly but surely getting there!

[Ally3772]

Chapter Nineteen: When One Door Closes...

Shayne's POV

Has she came out of the room yet? -J

Not even to go to the bathroom.

Need backup? -J

No, I'm not rushing her. She'll come out when she's ready.

Except, it's been almost two weeks.

I softly knocked on the door.

"Sweetie?" I said softly.

No answer. I slowly opened the door and poked my head in. She was still in the same position, on her side under the covers.

"I'm going to make some soup, do you want some?" I asked.

She grunted so softly I barely heard her.

I sighed, "Baby, you need to eat."

"Go away." She groaned, pulling the covers over her head.

I put my forehead against the door before slowly closing it again. The house was a disaster and had been for a while. I tried cleaning between work and trying to get Julie out of bed and taking care of herself. I picked up some plates and cups from the table and was making my way to the kitchen when the door bell rang. I juggled the dishes as I opened up the door to find Janine standing there.

"Hey! Hi, sorry!" I greeted.

"Oh my." She gasped.

"Sorry, was just cleaning up a bit." I told her.

"Can I come in?" She asked.

"Oh! Of course!" I said.

I stepped aside and let her inside. She set her things on the couch, well, what was left of the couch. Clothes piled up on it, along with random items. She looked around making a shocked face. The house was normally so put together because Julie kept up on things.

"You didn't have to come all the way over. She won't come out, I've already tried." I said, defeated.

"I figured, but you are my friend too. You don't have to do all of this on your own. I figured I could come over and help with whatever you may need." She told me.

"I desperately need help with this tornado." I begged.

"Let's get started." Janine laughed.

...

"Alright, that's it." I said barging in the room.

Julie was laying with her back to the door. He scrunched up his face as the smell was horrible. I tore the covers off of her and getting a groan mixed with a yell in return.

"Stop! Give them back!" Julie groaned.

"Get up." I said.

"I'm tired." She said.

"Julie. It has been almost a month. You barely eat and you desperately need a shower, or three." I told her, out of love of course.

"Tomorrow." She whined.

"No. Now." I said.

I didn't even give her a chance to argue back, I picked her up and carried her into the bathroom. She lightly punched at me trying to get me to put her down. I pushed the door open with my foot. I turned the shower on and put Julie down inside the shower, clothes and all.

"HEY!" She gasped.

The water was cold, I adjusted the temperature of the water before grabbing her shampoo, conditioner, and body soap.

"I love you. But, this has got to stop. It's killing me seeing you kill yourself in that bed. Shower, and use soap." I told her.

I kissed the side of her head before closing the bathroom door and resting against the door.

How did we get here? Well, it's a bit of a long story. I sat on the couch and rubbed my hands through my hair going over the past month in my head.

I walked into the house like any other day. It was actually a pretty good day at work and I even got a promotion! I opened up the door to almost get hit in the head with a shoe. I jumped back before noticing Julie on the floor hugging knees.

"Julie! What's wrong?" I asked.

I rushed over to her, it looks like she had been crying for a while. Her eyes and cheeks were already puffy.

"She sold it!" She cried.

"What? Who sold what?" I asked.

She wailed hard and I wrapped my arms around her. She cried so hard into my chest that I shook along with her. I rubbed her back gently making shushing sounds to calm her down a bit.

"Emily! She sold the flower shop to someone! Said they're offering more than she asked for and she needed the money quicker then she thought." She sobbed.

"Oh honey." I gasped.

"So that's it. It's all over. No flower shop, no job. Nothing. Everything just gone." She cried.

"You lost your job?!" I asked.

"Yep. She literally sold it and closed the shop in the same day." She said.

"Have you tried calling her? Maybe you can-"

"Don't you think I tried?! She won't answer me! I even went to her house and she wasn't there! It's like she just fell off the face of the Earth!" She screamed.

"We'll figure this out baby." I said.

"I don't want to figure it out. That was my dream and she just blew it up like it meant nothing." She said.

She pushed away from me and stood up.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"To my bed, where I belong." She said.

She got into bed and never came out. I had to force her to eat and drink, and even when he was able too she didn't eat much. The door to the bathroom opened and she walked out dressed in the clothes that he put in there a few days ago. He held his breath like if he made one sudden movement she would dart into the bedroom. She started for the bedroom and his heart sank, but then she stopped and turned around. She stood there and just looked at him for a long time. She looked so broken and helpless.

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

"You have nothing to apologize for." I told her.

I stood up and slowly walked over to her. She looked up at me and her bottom lip started to quiver.

"I'm broken, and I fell apart on you. It wasn't fair to you." She said.

"You had your dream ripped from you. It was practically yours, but Emily grabbed the rug and pulled it from under your feet. It wasn't fair, and so help her if I ever see her. But baby, this isn't it. You don't get just one dream. You can have as many dreams as you want! It doesn't even have to be flowers!" I told her.

"You're too good for me." She cried.

"Shhh, don't cry." I said, pulling her into a hug.

She cried silently into my shoulder.

"Your story isn't over." I whispered.

"Thank you." She sniffled.

What happened to her wasn't fair. I watched her go from the happiest girl on the world to completely shattered within twenty four hours. She fell apart and left me to clean up the mess. But that what it meant to be in a relationship. If one falls down the other picks them up, and vice versa. I would pick her back up over and over if it meant that I got to have her in my life. The day I met her was the happiest day of my life as cheesy as that sounds. I would fight to make her happy and I would go to the ends of the Earth to make her dreams come true. It seemed like Emily skipped town after selling the flower shop. I looked after it all happened, it was like Julie said, she just fell of the face of the Earth. I would never forgive her for doing that. If she was that hard up for money she shouldn't have agreed to wait while Julie got the money together.

"Come on, I'll make us some dinner and we can watch whatever movie you want!" I told her.

"Sound perfect."

Balance: $92,215

So, it ended up not working out. But, new things are on the horizon! This was a random post without pictures! Just randomly felt like it!

[Ally3772]

Chapter Twenty: Moving Forward

I decided to get a makeover. Nothing crazy, a new hair style and a new outfit. I know, the cheesy "new year, new me" way of doing things. But, I needed to get up out of bed and get on with my life. I allowed myself to fall apart for too long so it was time.

"Whoa!" Shayne gasped when I walked through the door.

"What?" I asked, as if I looked the same as I did when I left.

"What do you mean?! Look at you!" He said.

"You like?" I asked.

"Oh my god I love it!" He said.

I giggled.

"Spin!"




"You look absolutely beautiful." He said.

"Thank you babe." I smiled.

I walked over to him and gave him a kiss.



I pulled away.

"Everything okay?" I asked.

I suddenly noticed that something seemed off with him.

"Yeah, just something bothering me at work." He said.

I grabbed his hand and we went to sit on the couch.

"Tell me about it." I said.

"There's this kid that's been hanging around the office outside this past week or so." He started.

"Do you think he's dangerous?" I asked.

"No, he seems to be a cool kid the few times he's let me talk to him. But I don't think he has anywhere to go." He told me.

"Like he's homeless?" I gasped.

"Yeah, and he's just a kid." He said sadly.

"Oh my god." I said, covering my mouth.

I imagined the worst for this little boy. Where was his parents? Who could just abandon their kid like that?

"I don't know, it's just been bothering me. Every time I try to ask where his parents are or where he lives he runs away. I want to help him, but I don't know how." He said.

"Maybe you start by bringing him food. That could earn his trust." I told him.

"That's a good idea. Thank you Julie." He smiled.

"Anytime." I said.



I left him to think while I went outside to do my own thinking. I walked around my garden, I haven't been out here much since I lost everything. To tell the truth I didn't have much of a passion for it anymore. It would come back to me though, it had too. Shayne said he'd be comfortable enough keeping us afloat with his job so I could take a break for a little. I needed time to figure out what I wanted to do with my life next. I've done gardening for so long that I don't even know what my other passions would be. All I know next is that I won't put all my eggs into one basket as they say.



I wanted to make a difference in people's lives. So maybe I would continue to do the flower stand while I was off work. That way I could be bringing in some kind of money while I was job hunting. But now I was kind of looking forward to a small break from having to wake up and go to work. I would make sure to take care of the house and things around it though. I liked a clean house anyway. I'm sure something good is coming for Shayne and I. I can feel it.

Balance $93,999

This week FLEW by! Tomorrow is already Friday! I hope everyone is having a good week

[Ally3772]

Chapter Twenty One: How to Be Cheesy

"We're going on a date!" Shayne announced.

I was in the living room watching TV.

"We are?! Where?!" I asked, excited.

"To the back yard!" He said.

"Oh, um, a picnic?" I asked.

"Nope! I hired a photographer." He beamed.

"To take pictures of us?" I said.

"Yeah! Couple photos!" He said.

"That's so cheesy." I giggled.

"I know, and we're doing it!" He laughed.

So, there we went outside. There was a girl standing in the backyard as he said. She was surrounded by camera equipment and was waiting on us.

"So, where do you want us?" Shayne asked.

"Right in front of this fence." She said.

We got into position. I couldn't stop giggling.

"Okay, Julieanne, stand behind him and lean into him while wrapping your arms around him." She instructed.

"You can call me Julie!" I said.

She smiled and nodded.

"Like this?" I asked.



"That's perfect!" She said.

"Oh my god Janine is going to die when she sees these." I laughed.

"Okay, now Shayne you think you could lift her in the air?" She asked.

"I think I can manage that." He grinned.



She talked us through a few more poses while we giggled like we were teenagers. It was actually really fun and it made me feel closer to him in some weird way. I was glad we were doing this even if it started as a cheesy joke. The photographer was so patient with us since we have never posed before.

"These are turning out so cute you guys!" She gushed.

"Are they?!" I asked.

She let us peak at a few.

"Oh wow! We are cute!" I giggled.

"I love them!" Shayne said.





"We should get some of these framed!" I said.

"So you didn't hate this idea." Shayne said.

"Of course not! I loved it! Cheesy is perfect." I grinned.

I leaned in and kissed him.

"Okay lovebirds. One more?" She asked.

She had Shayne lift me in his arms, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and looked into his eyes. They were my favorite thing about him.

"I love you." I whispered.

"I love you more." He said.

"So cheesy!" I laughed.



I won't lie though, a small part of me thought that maybe he would propose at the end of this. I mean, he got a photographer and everything. But, he didn't propose. But he would do it when he was ready and that was fine with me. I just couldn't wait to take the next step with him. I was ready to be his wife, and he would make a great dad. It was crazy to think that a guy that seemed so snobby at first turned out to be so caring. After the photographer left Shayne made us some food and we watched a movie.

Balance:108,891

Kind of a cute and short chapter! Felt like doing a little photoshoot with these two

[Ally3772]

Chapter Twenty Two: Plans

"How is that kid doing?" I asked.

Shayne sighed as he sat down on the couch after his shift.

"I've been buying his lunch for the past week. He actually is gradually talking to me. I usually just sit there while he eats and if he wants to talk I let him." He said.

"That's a good idea. What has he told you?" I asked.

"His dad abandoned him when he was a toddler. His mom is addicted and kicked him out because he wouldn't give her money. Now he sleeps where he can and basically only eats when I feed him." He said.

He looked exhausted.

"Oh my." I gasped.

"Yeah, it's heart breaking to watch." He admitted.

"I'll make extra food for you for lunch from now on." I told him.

He rubbed his face with his hands, I could tell that this was really weighing on him. I rubbed his back and stood up, I was going to make him a snack. It was the weekend, but first thing Monday I was going to reach out to some people at the park. Maybe they could help in some way. There had to be resources out there for homeless teenagers. It was bad enough for adults being homeless, no need to throw in teenagers in the mix.

...

"I feel like I haven't seen you in forever!" Janine said.

I hugged her.

"It has been way too long." I agreed.



"What is new?" She asked.

I filled her in on everything she had missed from Shayne saying it's okay I stay home for a little to the homeless kid that he's been sitting with.

"What is Shayne going to do?" She asked.

"I don't know. I'm going to reach out and see if we can't help him more on Monday."

"It's a horrible situation all around." She agreed.



"So when do you think you're going to go back to work?" She asked.

"I'm not sure. I haven't figured out what I even want to do." I said.

"Are you at least making a decent amount of money selling flowers?" She asked me.

"Yeah actually! A lot of people have been even stopping by when I am closed and wondering if I have any to sell!" I told her.

"That's great!" She said smiling.

We talked for a bit more before she headed home. I took advantage of the last of the daylight and tended the garden a bit.



After the garden was good I decided to set up a nighttime flower stand and see if I would get people to come buy them so late.

"Wow! You are open pretty late." A guy said.

"Yeah, I had a few left to sell." I smiled.

"Well that's good. Want to get my wife a little sometime special." He told me.

"Oh? I bet she would love it!" I said.

"I'll take this one." He said, handing me the cash.

I waved goodbye as he headed back down the street with his flowers.



Nighttime flower selling didn't do as well as daytime, but it was good to know! Now, next thing was trying to help Shayne help the kid out the best that I could.

Balance: $110,056

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week so far!

[Ally3772]

Chapter Twenty Three: ...Another Door Opens

I was doing dishes when I heard the front door open.

"Hey babe, how was-"

I stopped in my tracks when I saw Shayne, but he wasn't alone.

"Oh! Hello." I said, smiling.

"Honey, this is Treyvon. Treyvon, this is Julieanne." Shayne introduced.

"You can call me Trey." Treyvon said.

"Julie is perfectly fine." I said smiling.

There was an awkward silence.

"Yeah, um, Trey how about you go get your things from the car? Also the inflatable bed." Shayne said.

"Yes sir." Trey said before leaving.



It was then I realized I was still in my pajamas.

"Go get his things?" I asked.

"So, I might have told him that he can live with us for now." Shayne said.

"You did what now?" I gaped.

"I couldn't stand it anymore! We have a house and can help him, so why shouldn't we?" He asked.

"I- Shayne!" I argued.

He came closer to me and grabbed my hands.

"Look, I know I should have talked to you before just springing this on you. But he really is a great kid." He told me.



"Shayne I'm sure he is a great kid, but-"

"But what?" He asked.

"He's going to eat us out of house and home! He is a teenager!" I gasped.

He laughed, "That is what you're worried about?"

"Yeah! I'm going to have to constantly keep this fridge full! Which means I need to make a list of more groceries." I said.

"So you're okay with this?" He asked.

I took a minute, "Of course, it is a bit of a shock. But does seem like a great kid."

"You're amazing." Shayne said, kissing me.



There was a throat clearing by the door. We broke apart quickly, Trey stood in the doorway holding a backpack and the box with the air mattress. I quickly went over and helped him grab things. I handed the box with the air mattress to Shayne and he set it on the table.

"So! Welcome to our home Trey! Um, it's not the biggest as you can tell. But, we will move my flower bar outside again and we will set up the bed there for now." I told him.

"Thank you ma'am." He said shyly.

"Please, it's Julie. How about I make us some food while we get to know each other? Are you hungry?" I asked.

"Starving." He admitted.

I got dressed, and Shayne got dressed in his pajamas ironically. He worked on blowing up the air mattress while I heated up some food. I didn't know what Trey liked so I heated up a few dishes for him to pick from. It was such a whirlwind of a change that I barely had time to process what really happened. I don't know if I was the right person to be a parental figure to a stranger. But, he needed the help, and after all I was once in his situation. No one offered to help me or bring me into their home. Granted I wasn't a teenager, but it was still a struggle not to have much help from anyone. We all sat at the table once the bed was set up and ate our food.

"So, Trey, we are more than happy to help. However, there will be rules while you are living here." Shayne started.

I nodded, "Nothing too hard though."

"I understand." He said.



We all talked through the rules. They were really simple. He would go to school, and have decent grades. He could get a job if he would like as long as it didn't effect his school work. He would have to pick up after himself. Things like that, and he didn't seem to have any issues with it. We also told him that if he had any hobbies that he would like to try we would help him with what he would need. He was very polite which threw me off because who would abandon him? He seemed like he had a steady head on his shoulders. It was just hard to wrap my head around two people choosing not to have him in their life.

A Week Later

"Ten more minutes, and it's homework time!" I called from the kitchen.

"Yes ma'am!" Trey called.

"Julie!" I corrected.

"Sorry!" He chuckled.

I smiled as I got out the things for tonight's dinner. We had dipped into our money to get him a gaming console. He talked about playing a lot when his mom wasn't home. It wasn't that expensive and it was the least we could do to make him more comfortable.



I heard him set his controller down ten minutes later. He walked into the bathroom and got changed back into his normal clothes before walking back into the kitchen.

"There's a hole in my mattress again." He told me.

I looked over at Shayne who was at the counter.

"I can patch it again." Shayne told him.

"Thank you." Trey said.

Trey sat at the table and opened his homework.

"How is school going?" I asked.

"It's okay, but if I'm honest I don't like it much." He said.

"I hated school." Shayne said.

"I think we all did." I giggled.

"What if I were to just get a job instead?" He asked.

I looked at Shayne.

"Give it a bit more of a chance, okay?" Shayne said.

Trey groaned.

"Here, have some pancakes!" I said.

"For dinner?!" He asked, closing his homework.

"You've never head breakfast for dinner before?" I gaped.

"Not that I remember." He said, a bit of sadness in his voice.

"Well, now you have!" Shayne said.



Shayne and I walked into the bedroom for a little alone time while Trey ate his dinner.

"So, I think this is going great." Shayne said.

"It actually is!" I agreed.

He pulled me into his arms. I closed my eyes and breathed in his scent.

"I do miss you." I said.

"I can be quiet, can you?" He asked, smiling.

"You're bad." I giggled.

He pulled me onto the bed.

Balance: $135,056

Meet Trey! Time to see what this new chapter brings!

[Sonshine]

Breakfast for dinner? How about "dinner" for breakfast? We (my hubby and I) do that all of the time. Whatever is leftover in the fridge, we eat. LOL

[Ally3772]

Breakfast for dinner? How about "dinner" for breakfast? We (my hubby and I) do that all of the time. Whatever is leftover in the fridge, we eat. LOL

I never thought about dinner for breakfast! I'll have to try that!

[Ally3772]

Chapter Twenty Four: Learning

"Treyvon, the dishes are still not done. Remember you need to do them tonight." I said.

Trey jumped up from the couch, almost startled, and rushed to the sink.

"Sorry ma- I mean, sorry Julie." He stammered.

I looked at him for a moment, trying to find the words.

"It's okay, I didn't mean you had to do them right now." I said.

"Sorry, I just was watching this show." He said.

"Hey, hey! Trey look at me!" I said.

He stopped what he was doing with the dishes.

"Did... Did you get in trouble at home? If you didn't do your chores?" I asked carefully.

"My mom would... She would- do bad things to me if I didn't keep up with my chores." He said.

He went back to scrubbing the plate. I looked at him for a moment trying to process this new information. I knew he had a rough life, but every time he opened up it seemed to get worse. I turned the water off and grabbed the dish from his hands. I took him by the arm and led him back to the couch.

"Trey, I know this is still very new. You're learning what it's like to have a roof over your head again, and I'm learning how to care for you and help you. We haven't had the time to do a heart to heart, so here it goes. Do you wanna know how I started out?" I asked.

He nodded.

"Just like you, but my upbringing was better. I came from a rich family, a mansion, help, everything you could possibly imagine, was mine. Then my parents died and I decided no more. I didn't want to be in that life anymore. Life wasn't solved by just tossing money at problems hoping they'd go away. So, I donated all of my inheritance and sold the house. I was homeless." I said.

"By choice?" He gasped.

"I made a promise and goal to myself. That if I was going to become rich I was going to do it my way. So I found myself at this park in town. Eventually landed a job at a greenhouse, saved up money, and got this house. It took time of course, but I worked hard for it." I told him.

He was quiet for a moment, taking it all in.

"The point in this story, is now I have the opportunity to help someone like me. So, yes. I would like for you to keep up with the chores. But I will not harm you in any way for not doing them. As long as they are done before you go to bed at night is fine by Shayne and I. You understand?" I asked.

"Yes Julie." He said, giving me a little smile.

"Good, now how about we watch that show?" I asked.



Shayne's POV

"This is so stupid!"

I walked up the sidewalk from coming home from work.

"Trey?" I asked.

"There is no point in this!" Trey shouted.

He tossed something on the ground.



"Trey! What is going on?" I asked.

"They want us to do this stupid project at school." He scolded.

"And you're struggling with it?" I gathered.

"Obviously." He said with attitude.

"Okay, I understand you're frustrated. But don't take it out on me. I can help you." I told him.

I picked up what he threw on the ground as he scoffed.



"Sorry." He whispered.

I looked up at him as I screwed some screws into their holes.

"I imagine this is all overwhelming." I said.

He looked away from me.

"New home, new school, homework, and you're just stuck in the middle of it all." I continued.

"Yeah." He said.

"We're going to figure this out, I promise." I told him.

"Man, you and Julie are some sentimental people aren't you?" He asked, cracking a smile.

I laughed, "She give you the 'I was homeless too' story?"

"Yeah, I honestly didn't expect it." He said.

"But seriously, we got you." I told him.

"I appreciate that." He said.

I helped him finish up the project and we headed inside. It was a long day at the office, and an even longer day with figuring out my surprise. I've thought about it for a while and even before bringing Trey home. I knew that Julie loved this house, and she wanted to expand it. However, we also wanted a family. We haven't had the conversation with Trey yet. It's only been a couple months, but eventually we would like to adopt him. We agreed that from the moment we met him we felt something special with him. So my surprise only became that much more important. I found a house for us. It wasn't finished yet, and we would have to come up with the money, but it was perfect. We each would have our own room. Trey would have a space for him, something I knew he never had.

"Hey honey, welcome home." Julie smiled.

I walked over and wrapped my arms around her.

"How was today? I heard you gave the homeless story." I laughed.

"Guilty as charged." She smirked.

"I'm glad you guys had a heart to heart." I said.

"Eww, get a room." Trey said.

He passed us to walk into the bathroom. Julie and I busted out laughing as we broke apart.

Balance: $148,551

Maybe this is a good thing after all?