New Winslow S6E70
“What do you think of this one?”
Cleo was in the middle of brushing her teeth, but she leaned over Edie’s shoulder to look at the listing on their laptop. It looked nice enough, but her response was too garbled to get that across. So she held up a finger and went back into the bathroom, shaking slightly as she rinsed her mouth a moment later.
They were actually doing it. Edie had pulled up a page of apartment listings in Boston and they were actually going through them together. It all felt too good to be true, but Cleo tried to remind herself that it was a normal thing to move into a new apartment. It just happened to be the normal that she’d desperately wanted back since moving out here.
She went back into the bedroom and leaned over Edie again to look at the listing. It was a small apartment on a back street in Brighton. The price made her heart skip a little, a sure sign she’d been in New Winslow for too long. But compared to her last apartment, it was actually a little cheaper. Street parking, like she’d expected. But highway access was fairly easy, meaning she could get to her mother’s new home quickly.
“I like it,” she said, scrolling through the pictures to look at the small kitchen and shady back porch. “Are you sure you’re fine with moving?”
Edie laughed and Cleo was happy and relieved to hear the lightness returning to her favorite sound in the world. It had been missing since Edie got trapped in New Winslow and Cleo had taken it so much for granted before then. But now that she’d heard Edie without it, she never wanted them to lose it again.
“Cleo, remember?” they said. “I’m not the one who’s obsessed with any particular city. This place has been fine, but I’m ready to move. Especially if it’s with you. And with your mom moving to Watertown, this is the best decision for everybody. So don’t worry about me.”
They smiled up at her and she leaned down to kiss their forehead. “Plus,” Edie added, “I’m the one with the steady income history.”
Cleo laughed. They were joking, but they weren’t wrong. However, two more licensing requests were sitting in her inbox to discuss with Jude later this week, and one that they’d gone over months ago in Liv’s warm living room had already paid out. She was going to have to increase her time working delivery while she actively looked for another job, but Cleo was confident it was going to work this time.
She had a job interview lined up for a corporate office in a city just outside of Boston. It wasn’t an exciting job, but it was stable. And she was planning to spend this afternoon applying to more jobs while she and Edie sat on the couch and watched mindless TV. And with nearly two-thirds of her planned album written and ready to record, hopefully the momentum would keep her music career moving forward too. Edie planned to leave for their tour in mid-May (something Cleo tried not to think too hard about) and she was already planning to book recording time during those weeks.
Her mother was getting out. But she wasn’t going to get better. Things were going to get a lot harder with her. But she’d have the supports she needed and none of it was going to happen with the New Winslow curse hanging over them. Cleo would be going to her mother’s tonight, but the countdown was finally on. As long as she didn’t get stuck in the next few weeks (a big gamble, but a necessary one), everything would be fine.
“Are you alright?” Edie asked.
Cleo hadn’t even realized her expression must have changed. She shook her head and smiled. “Fine.”
Then she reached over to send a message to the listing agent.
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