Daddy's Girls (25)
Gemma left her house with a rented van full of bags of the clothes she was bringing to the ranch, including clothes she might need for auditions, her exercise equipment, her favorite cappuccino machine, and everything she could take with her. The rent she was getting for her house would more than cover her mortgage so she would be saving some money for three months, though less if she went back and rented an apartment in L.A.
She arrived at the ranch looking like a refugee on the run. Kate showed up to welcome her, as Gemma was hauling bags out of the car and dragging them into the guesthouse she always used when she was there.
“Good lord, what is all this stuff?” Kate asked, laughing at her. She was carrying barbells into the living room, her mountain bike was leaning against the wall on the porch.
“I just brought the bare necessities,” Gemma said, looking exhausted and stressed. “I thought the house was bigger. I think it shrank.”
“I think you’ve grown. How many bags did you bring?”
“How many closets are there?”
Kate looked worried. “Three, I think. Maybe four.” She helped Gemma with her bags, and within minutes, they had created a mess of boxes and suitcases in every room. There was hardly any furniture, just the bare minimum in the bedroom, a bed and a chest, a couch, a coffee table and two chairs in the living room, and no TV, but Gemma had brought one, just in case, and her computer. The little guesthouse had never been properly furnished since she almost never used it, and as she looked around, she wanted to cry. She was ready to pack up and leave. “Why don’t you come down to my place for a glass of wine?” Kate suggested. “I’ll come back with you later and help you unpack. Thad is bringing me some papers to sign.” Gemma followed her out of the cottage, and got into Kate’s truck. They drove down the hill to Kate’s house, which was only slightly bigger. She opened a bottle of wine and handed Gemma a glass. Kate was smiling at her sister, who looked flustered and upset. “And to think I used to share a room with you.”
“I didn’t have as much stuff then.” But she’d always had more than her sister, and her closets had been stuffed. Kate had never had Gemma’s interest in clothes, and still didn’t. Juliette showed up a few minutes later and greeted Gemma with a warm hug. And then Thad arrived with the papers for Kate to sign, and they disappeared into the kitchen.
“You can stay at my house if you want,” Juliette offered. “I’m leaving soon.”
“No, I’m going to make it work. I just need to figure it out,” Gemma said, looking distracted, already missing her house in L.A., and sorry that she’d rented it. She hated being broke. She wasn’t yet, but would be soon. Renting her house had been the right thing to do. But she wasn’t sure that coming to the ranch was. Even with her father gone, she could feel his presence there, and her memories of his dominating all of them were strong.
Kate and Thad walked back into the room with the signed papers, and he chatted with Gemma for a few minutes and offered to lend a hand if she needed it, but she insisted she was fine. When she finished her wine, she walked back up the hill, determined to solve the puzzle of where to put her stuff. Kate offered to come up, but Gemma wanted to do it herself. She wrestled with bags and boxes and garment bags for the rest of the night, but she managed to get it all in. There was a tiny second bedroom, which she turned into a closet with rolling racks she had brought. She packed them in as tightly as she could. And she put her empty suitcases on the porch to put in Kate’s garage the next day. She put her barbells there too, since it was warm enough to exercise outside. She sat down on the couch and made a list of everything she needed to make it feel like home, and she knew exactly what she wanted to do.
Kate showed up the next morning at nine. She’d been working for three hours by then, and was impressed that Gemma had managed to put everything away. She even had shoe racks set up between the rolling racks in the tiny room.
“You’re a magician,” Kate said with admiration. “I can never figure out where to put two shirts and a pair of jeans.”
“I’m good with wardrobe changes.” Gemma grinned at her. She felt less panicked than she had the day before. She had a list of things she wanted to get from town. She had called a number she had used before in L.A. for things she knew she couldn’t get in the Valley. They had promised to deliver the next day.
“If you need furniture, we’ve got some leftovers in the barn,” Kate said helpfully. “Thad can bring it over for you.”
“I’m all set,” she said, and took off half an hour later, and waved as she drove by Juliette leaving her house to go to the office. She wanted to get the books in good order before she left for France and had found a bookkeeper to help Kate while she was gone.
Gemma was back from town in two hours, and stopped in to see Kate in her office. She looked busy, with ledgers all over her desk, and a pencil stuck in her hair, which was pulled back in a braid.
“Do you know they have a nail salon in town now?” she said, looking pleased, and Kate laughed, and glanced down at her own, which were cut short. She hadn’t worn nail polish since her teens, when Gemma used to do her nails for her.
“I’m thrilled to hear it,” she teased her sister. But she was relieved to see her in good spirits, and not looking as though she was ready to run, as she had the night before. She hadn’t even bothered to eat dinner while she unpacked. She was determined to make the guesthouse feel like home, as best she could.