The Sky's the Limit

|Eighteen|

Nicole

*****

Skyler's mother came to pick me up with her driver at noon time. I kissed Mimi. "I love you, I'm not sure what time I'll be back home."

"Enjoy your day, dumplin."

"Thank you, Mimi."

I love when she calls me that. She is the best grandma.

I walked calmly to meet Amelia in the waiting SUV. "Good afternoon, Ameila."

"Good afternoon, sweetheart. I'm so happy that you agreed to come with me today. My son told me that you would be invaluable in helping me find a house." Ameila flashed me her beautiful pearly whites.

"I hope I'm up to the challenge, since Skyler gave me such high praise. I don't want to let you down." I got in and shut the car door behind me, with a crease of doubt forming in my forehead. I was stressing already, before we began looking at homes.

We went on our first appointment. The house was nice, but not what I envisioned. The second house, I absolutely fell in love with.

It had vaulted ceilings, hardwood mahogany floors, a newly renovated dream kitchen, master bedroom suite, and three additional bedrooms. There were three and a half bathrooms, movie theater room, an outdoor kitchen, and a beautiful pool. Amelia loved it too. It was a spectacular house.

Amelia decided to put in an offer on the house, and see what happens. The realtor was tickled pink that I came along, this time. Skyler wasn't here and she probably made a sale today. The house was very spacious, and I could definitely see the Penningtons living here.

"My son was correct and I'm so happy that I had your opinion, my dear. You did not disappoint in the least. Why don't we go for a bite to eat to celebrate our successful day?" Amelia gave me an excited hug.

I really like Skyler's mama. She's not stuffy or pretentious, and she's always so nice to me. We had a delectable lunch at a little bistro in the historic section of Savannah. We sat outside on the sidewalk at a table for two.

The server approached our table with pen and pad in hand. "What can I get you ladies?"

Amelia removed her eyes from her menu. "I'll have your house salad with grilled chicken, and sparkling water with lemon. Thank you." She handed her back the menu.

"I'll have the same thing." The salad description sounded good to me. I love candied walnuts, Granny Smith apple slices, and Gorgonzola cheese in my salad.

The weather was beautiful. We sat outside and people watched, as we waited for our food. The bistro was crowded inside and outside. You could hear chatter, plates and forks clanging, and glasses being placed on tables.

Our server brought our food. "Here you are. Two house salads and here's some warm bread. I'm sorry I forgot to bring it earlier."

"No problem, darlin."

Amelia took a bite of her salad. "Mmmm, this is delicious."

"This is perfection. I love these kinds of salads. You can never go wrong." I dug my fork into my salad, and took a sip of my sparkling water.

We shared a huge slice of red velvet cake. We were stuffed.

After lunch, we strolled onto a path in a nearby park to walk off our food. It reminded me of the park that Skyler and I took the picture at, when we first arrived in Savannah.

"Nicole, do you mind me asking how you feel about Skyler? If you don't want to answer that's fine, I understand." She was very considerate.

I thought long and hard and pointed toward a bench. We sat down. "I like Skyler very much. He has become my best friend. He seems to come to my aid when I need it most." I was being completely honest, without going into detail.

"Do you ever think of him as more than a best friend?" She cut straight to the chase.

"I'm trying to figure that out at the moment. I can't really answer that question." I left it at that.

"Fair enough. I like you Nicole. I hope that someday you and my son will realize that you two would make an amazing couple. I've never seen my son behave the way he does when he's around you. You are good for him." She kept it short and sweet, as she touched my hand in a motherly way.

Amelia left me speechless, with her honest assessment of me and Skyler. She didn't beat around the bush, and she gave me her approval. I was in mild astonishment. She felt I was good for her son? I took in a deep gulp of air, that filled my lungs.

The lyrics to my favorite song, Scars To Your Beautiful, by Alessia Cara, started playing in my head in broken fragments, and they hit me anew:
"She don't see her perfect, she don't understand she's worth it
Or that beauty goes deeper than the surface, Oh oh . . . .
So to all the girls that's hurting
Let me be your mirror, help you see a little bit clearer
The light that shines within."

I wish I had felt that way growing up. I felt like a misfit, and like I didn't belong. But now I know better, and see things through my adult eyes.

Skyler's mother, saw me for me. That hit me with the force of a meteor. I can count on one hand, those type of people in my life. My aunt and uncle, Skyler, Mimi, and now Skyler's mama.

Amelia started recollecting about the past. "When Skyler was a little boy, he developed rheumatic fever. It can be potentially life-threatening. He was hospitalized, and was there for several days. I wouldn't leave his side, he pulled through and recovered." She was misty eyed.

"He means so much to me. He never made many friends, he was always so serious. He's friends with Shayne Carrington and now you. That's how I know that you are special. You actually make him laugh, and I see him smiling more and more. He truly cares about you. He may not admit it, but you mean something exceptional to him." Her eyes lingered on me, smiling with hope.

Her blue eyes, so much like her son's, became watery. "Let's go get some ice cream before I take you back to your grandma's house." She wiggled her eyebrows with a conspiratorial look, trying to clear her melancholy mood. Something tells me that she and I will become very close.

*****

I enjoyed my day with Amelia Pennington. I'm back at Mimi's house in my bedroom. Amelia and I checked out some of the small quaint shops that lined the streets in the Historic District. We were on our way to get ice cream.

I managed to find the perfect scrapbook for my photo album, that I wanted to make of this trip. Amelia loves to make scrapbooks too. In fact she has some pictures she wants to show me of Skyler, when he was younger.

I looked back through my photos on my cell phone, and saw the first selfie that I took of me and Skyler. We were on the airplane and he was smiling. Come to think of it, he is pretty serious. But, he's practically a comedian lately. I covered my mouth, so that I wouldn't laugh outrageously loud. I couldn't stop giggling.

Then, I saw the picture of the two of us by the fountain. He placed his arm around my waist. Such a simple gesture, made my breath hitch in my chest. His touch made my skin feel goosebumps. I had to drag him kicking and screaming to take the picture.

But yet, he has the most genuinely handsome smile from ear to ear. His social media likes and comments went nuts. I bit my lip and grinned, with that memory. I sighed and fell back onto my bed.

Do I really mean something exceptional to Skyler? He certainly does to me. . . I'm missing him not being here. It's driving me crazy!

*****

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