Chapter 1-2: Loves Me, Loves Me Not

                 The next few days continued monotonously, same thing every day. Wake up, water her plants, go to work, come home, take a nap, work on her writing, and go to sleep. One day, after she had saved a little bit of money, Rebecca decided to head down to the shops to get a gardening book. Going in the bookstore, she realized the shopkeeper was selling the first volume for §350. “Absolutely not! I don’t even own my own toilet,” she muttered to herself. 

Empty handed, she decided to walk back home. She passed the town center and the bistro, the consignment shop, meandered past the art gallery, and towards the fire station. Because her parents were rumored to have died by fire, Rebecca decided to stop in and see if she could get any home fire safety tips. There she met Goodwin, a local aspiring firefighter. They chatted for hours about books and the outdoors and just getting to know each other. It would be nice to finally have a friend around town. Finally, at 11, she headed home.

The next day, things started turning around. She helped her boss, Charmaine, with a research project and was asked to read a book on mutation before her next shift. Finally some luck had given her the opportunity to improve her performance while doing something she liked. The book actually turned out to be quite interesting as well. 

Goodwin also called to let her know that he had a contact in the publishing company and may be able to help her increase her royalties. Work was even better the next day and she felt that she was close to a promotion. What a great way to start the weekend!

Friday afternoon, she headed home to take a nap. She was in the mood to go out and have a good time. Maybe she would even invite Goodwin.  When she finished getting ready, she rang him up but he already had a prior engagement. She decided that she was going to go anyway. She headed over to Carl’s and danced and even ordered some bar food. The place was nowhere near hopping but the view of the bayou reminded her of why she had chosen Twinbrook in the first place.

Saturday dawned bright and early. Rebecca watered her plants, which were growing rather nicely and then headed into town.

She ran into Goodwin at the art gallery. She invited him out but he had to get ready for his shift. She headed over to the fire station with him to keep him company. They played video games and talked some more.

Later that night, as she was getting ready to leave, she found herself in an awkward situation.
"Goodwin, you are an amazing guy. We have so much in common and I really think that we would be a great couple," she confessed, her heart beating so loudly in her chest that she was sure that he would be able to hear it.
"Rebecca, I'm sorry but I am with Jenni. I would love to keep seeing you though, as friends".

On Monday, Rebecca was promoted! She was able to extend her home to a 4x5 shack now and had even added a bookshelf, table and chair, and her very own toilet! She headed over to the fire station to tell Goodwin about it. When he touched her arm to congratulate her, she felt rapture and found herself gazing into his eyes.

He scolded her, reminding her of his relationship. If she wasn’t careful she might ruin this friendship.

The next day, she headed back to the fire station. It was like an addiction, one she knew was bad for her but could not resist anyway, like chocolate. Maybe it was the lab coat today or maybe Goodwin was finally willing to admit he had feelings for her.
"I'm glad you came today. I was hoping you would".
"Yeah," she asked, rather dumbfounded after yesterday.
"Yeah, you're a beautiful, smart woman and I don't think I would be happy if I couldn't see you," he replied, making her heart melt as he leaned in to her and embraced her.

Would Goodwin leave Jenni for Rebecca?

Chapter 1-1                                                                                                                                           Chapter 1-3