Oklahoma (Isaac Hanson)

Chapter Fourteen

Happy Holidays! I suspect this is it until after Christmas.

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As Perrie started to settle, the days seemed to move faster than before. As the days moved faster, so did the weeks, a certain sign that things were going well. Isaac was positive that by Halloween, Perrie would be completely settled in with her new life. Still a couple of months away, he would keep that hope. The summer days began to grow slightly cooler, gently wandering into fall, now the second week of August it would soon be time to find a school and register Perrie for the new semester.

Most of Perrie's time had been divided between spending time with Zoe and dance. Once Nikki had enrolled her at Right Step Dance; Perrie had perked up a little more than before. She had told Zac that being part of the dance studio gave her something to really look forward to each week, while she was still adjusting to life in Oklahoma.

Conversations with Ben were as frequent as ever, he was somebody who always managed to make Perrie's day a little bright. He and sometimes Evan would babble on about college life, while Perrie would jabber on about the things she had been up to. In October, Ben would have a four day fall break, one in which Nikki had suggested he spend in Tulsa - if he wanted to. It was no doubt Nikki's way of showing Perrie that Isaac wasn't the only one who wanted to make her happy, never the less Ben had happily agreed to think about it.

Having Ben spend a few days in Tulsa was something that Perrie could really get behind, she missed her older brother. Ben had told Nikki that he would think about the invite, while telling Perrie that if she didn't ask Isaac to speak with her grandfather Marshall, then the invite was useless. It was Ben's way of having the upper hand, of making Perrie ask Isaac for something that could really help her in her want of getting to know her mother.

Wrestling with the idea of meeting her grandfather, Perrie found herself conflicted. It would be great, getting to hear what somebody else had to say about her mother, especially somebody who knew her long before Isaac had. At the same time, what if getting to know her mother wasn't all that Perrie had hoped for?

Telling herself not to be so silly, Perrie marched down the hall toward the office that Isaac sometimes occupied when he needed a break or to finish work he had brought home with him. How could meeting another family member be so terrible? So far each member of Isaac's family had been great to meet, daunting at first, but Perrie was quickly learning that each and every member of the Hanson family had a valuable place in her life and in the family as whole. Even she was starting to carve out her own place in the family as a whole, it felt nice having that. Not that she didn't have a place in Laura or Grady's family, but this was something all her own.

Reaching the half open office door, Perrie gently knocked. Disturbing Isaac always made her feel a bit guilty, he was a busy man some times and he didn't need her bothering him for silly things. He had never made Perrie feel as though she was a bother, when she or one of the boys needed him, Isaac was always there to help his children. Perrie admired that.

"It's open." Isaac called from the other side of the door.

Swinging the door open, Perrie took a few steps inside the office and smiled a little. "Did I bother you?"

"Never, have a seat." Isaac gestured to the arm chair in the corner, a few feet from his desk. "I'm just finishing up a few things." he explained turning back to his laptop and quickly typing.

"I didn't mean to bug you." Perrie stood beside the chair. "I can come back after or we can talk tomorrow."

Coming back would buy Perrie some time. She had foolishly rushed into this. Completely upreared on what to say or how to bring it up.