Tiny House on the Road Read online

  Cover Copy

  It’s not the size of the house…

  At twenty-two, Vivien is already a homeowner—albeit of the tiniest of tiny houses, a whopping sixty-four square footer called “Shrimpfork.” It’s the perfectly portable home from which to run Organization Oracle, Vivien’s new business as a personal organizer. In fact, she’ll be toting Shrimpfork to her upcoming client’s home near Taos, New Mexico.

  Seventy-year-old Priscilla has a colorful past, a rambunctious boxer named Clay and a home crammed with treasures. Priscilla also has a love for the TV program This Old Thing? Her twenty-three-year-old neighbor, Marco, is happy to watch it with her—while watching over her. When Vivien arrives, it’s clear she and Marco are suspicious of each other’s intentions. But Priscilla’s determination to get her most cherished possession appraised on This Old Thing? soon has all of them grudgingly working together. Vivien and Marco find themselves in cahoots, Priscilla discovers the wider world, Clay digs up trouble—and everyone learns that sometimes the greatest treasures are valued for their flaws…

  Books by Celia Bonaduce

  Tiny House Novels

  Tiny House on the Hill

  Tiny House on the Road

  Fat Chance, Texas Series

  Welcome to Fat Chance, Texas

  Slim Pickins’ in Fat Chance, Texas

  Livin’ Large in Fat Chance, Texas

  Venice Beach Romances

  The Merchant of Venice Beach

  A Comedy of Erinn

  Much Ado About Mother

  TINY HOUSE ON THE ROAD

  A Tiny House Novel

  Celia Bonaduce

  LYRICAL PRESS

  Kensington Publishing Corp.

  www.kensingtonbooks.com

  Lyrical Press books are published by

  Kensington Publishing Corp. 119 West 40th Street New York, NY 10018

  Copyright © 2018 by Celia Bonaduce

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

  All Kensington titles, imprints, and distributed lines are available at special quantity discounts for bulk purchases for sales promotion, premiums, fund- raising, and educational or institutional use.

  To the extent that the image or images on the cover of this book depict a person or persons, such person or persons are merely models, and are not intended to portray any character or characters featured in the book.

  Special book excerpts or customized printings can also be created to fit specific needs. For details, write or phone the office of the Kensington Special Sales Manager:

  Kensington Publishing Corp.

  119 West 40th Street

  New York, NY 10018

  Attn. Special Sales Department. Phone: 1-800-221-2647.

  Kensington and the K logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.

  LYRICAL PRESS Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.

  Lyrical Press and the L logo are trademarks of Kensington Publishing Corp.

  First Electronic Edition: March 2018

  eISBN-13: 978-1-5161-0237-2

  eISBN-10: 1-5161-0237-1

  First Print Edition: March 2018

  ISBN-13: 978-1-5161-0238-9

  ISBN-10: 1-5161-0238-X

  Printed in the United States of America

  Dedication

  For David Traub

  Tu me manques

  Chapter 1

  All Vivien wanted was some coffee—and maybe a ladies’ room.

  Vivien Orlando had planned her route meticulously. She had checked Google Maps. She had studied MapQuest. She followed Waze’s advice when traffic even hinted at slowing. For the drive from Jacksonville, FL, in her hand-me-down battered orange truck stuffed with all her worldly goods, she had plotted a course to Cobb, Kentucky that would take twelve and a half hours with stops for food and gas. Following her strict calculations and driving through the night, Vivien was confident she would pull into her final destination when the place opened at exactly eight in the morning.

  Instead, she sat shivering in the truck in the predawn light in front of a locked gate, wondering when she’d learn to give up on the “precise plan” idea.

  Vivien yawned. She had another two hours until the place opened for business. Maybe she could find a cup of coffee in Cobb’s downtown area. Cobb seemed like a sleepy little town, even by Kentucky standards. But after a ten—not twelve and a half—hour drive, it was not as sleepy as Vivien. Main Street offered nothing until seven o’clock. Vivien was relentlessly optimistic, but even her good nature started to flag. She remembered passing a place on her way into Cobb that at least had its lights on.

  Maybe they were open?

  Trying not to see it as a bad omen, she turned the truck around and headed back the way she came, pulling into the parking lot of a place called Crabby’s. Perched on the Kentucky River, the restaurant must have been picturesque during the day, but now it just looked cold and inhospitable—even with the giant neon crab sign blinking its deranged invitation to come on in. Vivien’s was the only vehicle in the parking lot. Through the window she could see a woman with bright red lipstick and a black ponytail, setting up the restaurant for the morning. Vivien sat, huddled in her truck, waiting for the Closed sign in the restaurant’s window to be turned around.

  Vivien got out of the truck and set her car alarm. It sounded unnaturally shrill in the eerie silence of the parking lot. The chirp attracted the attention of the woman inside. The woman looked up from behind the counter and smiled at Vivien. She came to the front door and flipped the Closed sign to Open before returning to the coffeemaker behind the counter.

  Maybe things are looking up.

  Vivien slung her messenger bag over her shoulder, before remembering she hadn’t zipped up the front pocket after grabbing her toothbrush and deodorant at the last rest stop. Toiletries scattered in every direction. She stooped in the dark, feeling around the gravel for errant products. Stuffing things unceremoniously back into the bag and blinking back tears, Vivien pulled open the restaurant’s door.

  “Welcome to Crabby’s! I’m Molly.” She waved a pot of coffee across the counter. “First brew of the morning. Want a cup?”

  Vivien tried to say yes, but instead burst into tears.

  “I’m so sorry,” Vivien said as she plunked herself down at a table and grabbed a paper napkin. “It’s just been a bad day.”

  “It’s only six in the morning,” Molly said, rushing over. “How bad can it be?”

  “You must think I’m a crazy person.” Vivien continued to sob.

  “Hey, don’t worry about it. I work at the only place open for breakfast for twenty miles. I know crazy when I see it. You’re okay. Here….” Molly extended a linen napkin. “Have one. We switch to cloth napkins at five. On the house.”

  Vivien nodded gratefully and blew her nose, honking extravagantly. Molly was young—probably just a few years older than Vivien herself, but seemed to have a much better handle on things.

  “It’s just that…” Vivien said, starting to cry again. “This was going to be the first day of the rest of my life. I had everything planned.”

  “Your whole life?” Molly asked, pouring coffee into a large porcelain mug. “That’s some plan. I hope you left some room for a few surprises.”

  Vivien smiled at Molly and ordered the World Famous American Sunrise Breakfast. Vivien wasn’t exactly sure what that was, but maybe Molly was right. Maybe she should leave herself open for a few surprises—especially with
the new life she had planned.

  “We’re pretty slow at this hour,” Molly said, looking around the restaurant to indicate the lack of action. “So I’m the cook too.”

  Before Vivien could ask, Molly pointed down a hallway on the left. “Ladies’ room is that way.”

  Molly was still busy in the kitchen when Vivien returned from the restroom, face washed and hair brushed. If she didn’t feel less like a crazy person, she at least looked less like one. While the soothing smell of bacon and eggs floated in from the kitchen, Vivien closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths.

  * * * *

  The clatter of plates on the table startled her. When she opened her eyes, she was staring into a happy face of food. The bright yolks of two sunny-side-up eggs looked up at her, while a strip of curling bacon formed a smile. A tiny salt and pepper shaker set sat in the middle, filling in as the nose. Vivien glanced up at Molly, who was beaming lovingly at the plate.

  “The salt and pepper shaker nose was my idea,” Molly said. “More coffee?”

  Vivien assumed she wouldn’t be able to eat a bite, but she surprised herself. She wasn’t sure if it was the comfort food or the sight of the sun rising over the river that lifted her mood, but she was thankful. As she buttered the last biscuit, her optimism and the possibilities of her new life seeped back into her spirit. Keeping the doubts at bay was as daunting as driving for hours.

  Several people had entered the restaurant in the last hour. Molly was too busy to continue their conversation, for which Vivien was grateful. Vivien was a little embarrassed by her tears and really didn’t want to go into any more detail about her future plans. She’d exhausted herself explaining it to family and coworkers over the last few months.

  Her iPhone made a soft purring noise. It was her alarm, letting her know it was time to head back; the gates would be opening in ten minutes.

  She caught Molly’s eye. In the sign language of the road, Vivien signaled for the check and Molly signed back that Vivien should meet her at the cash register.

  “You have good day,” Molly said, handing Vivien her change. “So, I’m guessing you’re headed over to Bale’s to check out the tiny houses?”

  Vivien almost dropped her palmful of change.

  “How did you know that?” Vivien asked.

  Molly’s eyes shot to the parking lot, where Vivien’s overstuffed orange truck stuck out among the more sedate sedans.

  “I’ve gotten used to spotting Bale’s customers,” Molly said.

  What does that mean?

  Vivien couldn’t get Molly’s words out of her mind. As she threaded her way back to Bale’s Tiny Dreams, she wondered if everyone who pulled into the tiny house lot was a woman in her twenties with a restless desire to forge her own path. Vivien suddenly smiled. There were worse accusations, she supposed. And there was no denying the truth of it—at least in her case.

  She pulled up to the now open gate. It was amazing what sunlight could do. In the predawn gloom, the tangle of tiny pitched, flat, and gabled roofs had looked like a haunted miniature golf course—she had half expected a goat dressed in country club gear shaking a nine iron to come rushing out to the fence, threatening her. Now, as she slowly pulled in among the confection of diminutive homes, the place looked more like a village for peaceable gnomes.

  When she heard a rasping barking coming up behind her, she looked around for the goat.

  Vivien had lived her entire life in the city, so she was no expert. But she was pretty sure the animal now yapping at her heels was no goat.

  “Thor!” rumbled an authoritative voice. “Crank it down a notch.”

  Vivien knew the voice. It belonged to Bale Barrett, the proprietor of Bale’s Tiny Dreams. She’d spoken to him on the phone so many times over the last few months designing her tiny house that she would have known it anywhere.

  The creature immediately sat down quietly and thumped its tail. In repose, the animal looked even more unusual. Vivien assumed it was a male—after all, its name was Thor. Thor was mostly white with a black mask, making him look like a cartoon bandit. He had the build and blank expression of a bull terrier—broad-chested with turned-out, short legs. She would have settled on assigning Thor to the family of “dog,” except for the shock of reddish fur sprouting wildly between its ears, like a Mohawk. He looked like a cross between a dog and a woodpecker.

  “He won’t bite,” Bale’s voice rang out again. “I’ll be right with you.”

  Vivien looked around, but couldn’t tell where the voice was coming from.

  “Okay,” Vivien called back.

  Vivien regarded Thor. She wasn’t much of an animal person. She had nothing against cats and dogs in theory. She’d just never had pets growing up and, at twenty-two years old, had not acquired an affinity for them in her few short years as an adult.

  Thor stared up at her. Even with his disconcertingly blank expression, he seemed to want something.

  “Good doggy,” she said.

  Thor needed no further encouragement. He leaped up, seemingly propelled by the wagging tail. Vivien let out a little squeak and closed her eyes. She staggered backward, pressing up against her truck for safety. She could feel the dog’s paws on her midsection.

  “Thor!” came the voice again. “Get down!”

  The pressure on her stomach suddenly ceased. Vivien opened her eyes. She found herself looking into the gentle eyes of a man. She knew it was Bale—she’d watched his tiny house videos online and followed him on Instagram. They had also used FaceTime when discussing design ideas. He had a ruggedness she found attractive, although he had a few lines around his eyes and some gray in his hair. This man was much too old for her—he had to be forty. She found herself weirded-out that she found him appealing; she was new to the idea that someone close to her father’s age could be attractive.

  “Sorry about the dog, Vivien,” Bale said, holding Thor by the collar. So he recognized her too! “Thor showed up here a few weeks ago and I’m still working on his manners.”

  Vivien tried to think of something to say. She settled on, “Thor is an interesting name.”

  “He’s an interesting dog.”

  “What kind of dog is he?” Vivien asked.

  “Beats me,” Bale said, looking down at Thor. “I named him Thor because he’s got that weird red hair between his ears. I figured he must have Viking blood.”

  Vivien looked up sharply, wondering if this was a joke. The twinkle in Bale’s eyes said it was. She relaxed.

  “Speaking of no manners,” Bale said, putting out his right hand, while keeping a firm grip on Thor with the left. “I’m Bale, in case you haven’t guessed.”

  “Yes, I figured that out,” Vivien said, shaking his hand and trying to regain her composure. “Nice to meet you finally. I’m Vivien—in case you haven’t guessed.”

  “Come on back to the office,” he said, letting go of Thor, who walked politely beside Bale, having lost all interest in Vivien. “Coffee?”

  “No thanks,” she said, as she tried to guess which of the tiny houses was hers. “I stopped at—”

  “Crabby’s,” Bale said. “Yeah, I saw the loaded down truck in their parking lot on my way in this morning and thought that might be you.”

  “Does every truck that comes through Cobb stop for a tiny house?” Vivien asked, trying not to seem defensive.

  “Pretty much,” Bale said, holding the door to the office open for her.

  “Really?” Vivien asked in amazement.

  “No,” Bale said, smiling. “But we get our fair share. Let’s face it, anyone who’s committed to trying out this lifestyle has pretty much done the emotional heavy lifting and arrives with no more than a truck full of stuff. My customers are usually pretty impatient to hit the road.”

  Thor squeezed ahead of Vivien and shot into a dog bed in the corner of the office. Bale
indicated a chair across from his well-worn desk. As they settled into their seats, Vivien thought about what Bale had said. He was certainly right as far as her own story went. She had been ruthlessly tossing out everything that wouldn’t fit in her truck, let alone her soon-to-be home, and she was more than impatient to start this new adventure she hoped would be her life.

  “So, Vivien,” Bale said as he rummaged around the mountains of paper on his desk. “I know I have all your paperwork here somewhere… Tell me about your plans.”

  “My…plans?” Vivien faltered.

  “Yes,” Bale said, continuing to flip through papers. He seemed to be talking to himself more than her. If I recall correctly, you’re a barista at Starbeams, right?”

  Vivien held her breath. She had paid for the tiny house in full, so Bale shouldn’t really care that she quit her job. But still… This was the first time she’d let anyone in on her new plans.

  “I’m not there anymore,” she said.

  “Well, there are Starbeams everywhere,” Bale said, giving her a quick smile. “I’m sure you can pick up work anywhere.”

  “Actually,” Vivien said, taking in a deep breath. “I’ve moved on. I’ve gone into a completely new line of work.”

  “Oh? What do you do?” Bale asked as he slipped a pair of reading glasses onto his nose.

  Vivien thought the glasses made him look older. He moved quietly into the “dad” role. Vivien didn’t mind. She was about to become a vagabond and romance was the farthest thing from her mind.

  “I’m an oracle.”

  Bale stopped shuffling his paperwork and looked at her.

  “An oracle?” Bale asked, his eyebrows arching over the reading glasses. “Like a prophet?”

  “Sort of,” Vivien said. She was new at describing her self-created job and still wasn’t comfortable explaining it. She knew it sounded weird.

  “I didn’t know there was much of a job market in that,” Bale asked. “Since Ancient Greece, I mean.”

  “I’m freelance.”