Chapter Twelve
The winner of the Never Tardy Award went to Jeremy, who knocked on my motel room door at precisely three forty-five. Mostly dressed, I still hadn’t finished doing my hair as it was a little hard one-handed; lifting my left arm was still painfully sore.
“Sorry, I’m just about finished.”
He stood at the doorway, his mouth open.
“I know. I know. Tardiness just isn’t something I can control apparently.”
“It’s not that.” His feet remained glued to the spot. “You look… well, you look nice.”
I glanced down at my outfit as a warmth flooded across my chest, and I hoped it wouldn’t land on my face. As I needed easy to pull-on-clothing, I opted for a black knee-length skirt, knee-high boots, and an earthy toned green sweater, which took longer to put on than I expected. There may have been some tears too. Ironically, the sling was the easiest to slip on. Go figure.
“It’s acceptable?”
“Definitely. In fact, I feel underdressed.”
“You look fine to me.” He may have thought he was underdressed, but he was the Jeremy I knew; jeans, hoodie, vest, and work boots. It was comfortable like he wasn’t trying too hard, unlike me who was trying to make sure I made a good first impression.
“You’re ready to go?”
“I just need to finish putting on my makeup.”
“Oh, okay.”
He remained at the door while I dashed into the bathroom and brushed some mineral powder across my cheeks, trying to blot out the freckles. I swiped the mascara wand over my lashes, adding more length to them than I was blessed with, and finished with a dab of diamond sparkle lip gloss. Taking my good hand, I ran it through my hair and gave it a fluff. There was no way I’d be able to do anything else with it and I made a mental note to search YouTube for one-handed hair videos.
I exited the bathroom and stopped by the counter to pick up a container of cookies.
“I wasn’t sure if you or your grandmother were allergic to peanuts, but I made some chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. The chocolate was processed in a plant that may contain traces of peanuts.” As I didn’t want to be responsible for any anaphylactic reactions, I researched all my ingredients. Only the chocolate was an iffy one.
“That’s super sweet of you, thanks.” He took the container. “And nope, neither of us are allergic to peanuts.”
“Whew.”
“When did you find the time?”
“It’s a cheat. I make a batch of dough and freeze it, scooping out what I need. There’s no need to make forty-eight cookies when I only want two or three.” Or a half dozen, depending on the timing of my monthly cycle.
“Freezer foods for the win.”
“Always.” I grabbed my keys, purse, and phone. “I’m ready now.”
“Jacket?”
I grabbed one of my longer ones from the coat hook and put my good arm through it while struggling to cover my shoulder.
“Please, allow me,” he said, pulling it on properly and holding it in position so I could pull out my trapped hair.
“Thank you.”
I locked the door, and he matched me step for step over to his truck, helping me in. Once we were seated with the truck rumbling beneath us, we were off.
“So, tell me about your grandma. What should I know? What should I avoid saying?”
Not so long ago, when meeting an ex-boyfriend’s best friend, Adesh hadn’t warned me that his friend was a stay-at-home dad. As the conversation progressed, I made a comment about how it must be nice to not have to work, staying in your jammies all day while watching TV. Needless to say, I was educated—and right quick!—and that pretty much ended our relationship as Adesh couldn’t believe I’d been so uncool. Fine. Lesson learned.
“She’s a feisty lady. She owned the motel and ran it until her health deteriorated. No one was interested in taking over, and I didn’t want some random stranger to have the place, so I bought it from her.”
“That’s pretty cool.”
He snorted softly. “I didn’t know at the time how much of a money pit it is. She hadn’t invested in it for years, and it’s bleeding cash.”
“Good thing you’re a fixologist then.”
A sly grin pushed out his cheeks. “I suppose so.”
“Jeremy Wentworth, Motel Owner and Fixologist.”
“I should get business cards made.”
“You totally should.” I leaned back into the seat smiling as we exited the road leading to the motel and turned onto the highway. “What else should I know?”
“She’s nearly eighty, so she tuckers out easily, and sometimes she gets short-tempered, but don’t take it personally. That’s when I know it’s time to say goodbye.”
“Being that old would definitely wear a person out.” I couldn’t even imagine being alive that long. All the things she would’ve witnessed, all the technology changes, and the advancement in health care. Kind of astonishing to think about. “Anything else?”
“Don’t mention anything about the weather. She goes off on a tangent.”
“No weather, got it.” I smoothed out my skirt and tucked my hair behind my ear.
“She’s easy to get along with, don’t let my comments make it seem like she’s an old bitty or anything. Oh, and one final thing, despite years of corrections, she calls me Jimmy.”
I nodded, unsure of what I was getting into.
After signing in, we entered the Lodge to a bright sunny room filled with the fresh scent of fragrant flowers. Overhead, classical music played but it wasn’t Beethoven or Mozart, rather it was contemporary music; a classical version of Vampire by Olivia Rodrigo.
“There she is,” Jeremy said, putting a spring in his step and beelining straight to an older woman in a wheelchair, staring out the window.
“Jimmy,” she said, perking her head up.
I looked around, wondering who she was referring to, until I remembered that’s what she called him. Giving them a moment, I approached slower while I shook out of my jacket. Standing back, I took in the frail lady with thinning blonde hair and a pallid complexion who stretched out to accept a kiss on each cheek. Heads bowed together, she whispered something to him.
“Grandma, I want you to meet a friend of mine.” Gently he wheeled her chair around. “This is Molly.”
“Molly,” she echoed in a hoarse voice. “Not a name you hear much of these days.”
“She brought cookies for after our supper.” Jeremy set the bag with the food in it on the table. “I brought you tomato soup and bread.” He turned and whispered to me. “It’s the soft insides of a baguette because the crust is too hard. But I have baguette slices for us.”
Seriously, he was too sweet.
“Peeshaw, I’ll have a cookie now.” There was a wry smile on Grandma’s face that was a borderline copy of the one Jeremy gave me. “Life’s too short to wait.”
“Who am I to argue?” He pulled out the container and held it up for her.
Delicately, she plucked out the bottom cookie and took a nibble. Crumbs coated her shirt with each bite, and it didn’t take long until the cookie had disappeared.
Jeremy shot a raised eyebrow in my direction before he asked, “Was that good, Grandma?”
“I want another.” She made pinching motions with her hands.
“Well done.” Jeremy winked at me. “She doesn’t usually have seconds.”
Grandma waved her hand. “Sit, Molly. Stop standing around. You’re too tall and it hurts my neck to look up to you.”
Quickly, I draped my jacket over a chair, and sat in one nearer to her, hunching over and crossing my legs.
She faced her grandson. “Who is she?”
“That’s Molly.”
“I’m old, but not that forgetful. I got her name. Who is she to you?”
Jeremy secured her chair in place and dragged a brown fabric chair closer to sit upon. “She’s a friend.” He shot me a quick amused look. “She works at the Coffee Loft I frequent and she’s one of the monthly renters at the motel.”
I held my breath waiting to see if he was going to tell her we were fake dating.
“Mmhmm. And what’s she doing here with you?” Her steel-eyed gaze stayed locked on her grandson as if I wasn’t even there.
“After supper with you, I’m going to bring her car back home. But I figured you’d like to meet her, play some cards, and see someone different.”
“There’s a new nurse that roams the halls. He’s different.”
“Grandma.”
I shifted uncomfortably but kept my best half-smile on, although there were other places I’d rather be.
Weathered eyes full of wisdom searched up and down my body, settling on my face. Her expression softened and she slumped more in her spot. “What happened to your arm?”
I threw a glance to Jeremy before settling back on her. “I tripped backward and fell. It’s not broken, but it’s very sore. I tend to be a bit of a klutz.”
She tsked. “Your generation is so soft. In my day…”
Jeremy gently put his hand on hers. “Grandma! Let’s be nice to this one. She only fell last night and it needs time to heal.”
Her shoulders rose and she leaned toward her grandson. “You taking care of her, Jimmy?”
“Yes, ma’am. As much as I can.” He looked at me from the side of his eyes, but I didn’t miss the crimson staining his cheeks under his beard. “As much as she’ll let me.”
“Well, go for the big, grand gestures.” She lifted her brows as she stared at me with an assessing eye that made me feel two inches high. “She’s cute but young, and she looks familiar.” She grabbed another cookie, narrowing her eyes until the colour of her irises was barely visible. “Do I know you?”
I shook my head, as a burst of adrenaline burst into my system. “No, ma’am. I’ve only been in Jasper since the end of September, and this is my first visit to the Lodge.”
“Hmm. You look so familiar. There’s something about your eyes.”
A lump at the back of my throat made it harder to swallow. My looks had changed since my teen years, and she really didn’t suit the demographic that would’ve known who I was. Plus, my show hair colour was always a strawberry blonde, not the natural red I was now. But yet, she was staring at me as if trying to recollect where and why I was familiar.
Head shaking, she tapped me with her finger, interrupting my thoughts. “You know, Jimmy’s always been protective of his favorite people. Once, when he was ten, he made a ‘No Entry’ sign to keep squirrels out of my flower beds.”
Jeremy’s ears pinked, but he shrugged, leaning toward me as he whispered conspiratorially. “In my defense, those were some very aggressive squirrels.”
Grandma let out a genuine laugh, tipping her head back. “Didn’t you name them?”
I winked. “I’ll have to keep you around for any future wildlife emergencies, then.”
As I went to grab a cookie, so did Jeremy, and our hands brushed against the other. I couldn’t help but stare at the connection, and flustered, I pulled back. Jeremy lingered, but his eyes stayed trained on me until they looked over my shoulder.
Following his gaze, I turned to check out what had captured his attention.
Derek. He was walking at quite a quick pace with a bag in hand. Seeing us, he slowed his steps and cocked his head to the side before leaving the open area.
I inhaled sharply as my breathing hitched, and connected with Jeremy, who did the same. We both turned to face his Grandma.
“How do you spend your time?”
“I’m sorry?” I wasn’t sure what she meant.
“When you’re not at the motel or that coffee place or with my Jimmy. How do you spend your time?” There was nothing slow about her speech. Every word was perfectly annunciated, almost with dagger tips.
I wanted to scan the area to see where Derek went but fought the urge and gave Grandma my undivided attention. “I read a lot, and I play in a band.”
She looked to Jeremy for confirmation. “She’s in a jazz band. She plays the flute.”
“Really?” That garnered me a half smile. A win. “In my day, I played clarinet. First chair.”
I tipped my head down. “I’m not that good, but for right now, I’m the only flutist so I guess you could say I was first chair.”
“Not really. How do you play with your arm like that?” Like a beacon, she laser-focused on the sling.
“I’ll need to work that out, but I’m hoping I can play for our final concert next Saturday. We’re playing at the Jasper Park Lodge for a fundraiser.” Rest, ice, hydrate, and medicate. And if necessary, grin and bear the pain because there was no way I was going to sit out the concert. I’d been practicing for months.
“What fundraiser?”
“It’s for the hospital. Some big gala event. They’re raising money for their community outreach programming or something?” I wasn’t up to date on all the reasonings. All I knew was I got to dress up in my fancy clothes, play my flute for an hour, and walk around Jasper Park Lodge in all its majestic glory.
Under the table, Jeremy rubbed my knee and sent a wink in my direction. The touch sent shockwaves rippling throughout my body, and although it was a brief connection, the effects lasted much longer.
“Well,” she raised her gaze to connect with me. “Good luck to you. I hope it works out.”
I swallowed. “Thank you, me too.”
I took a bite of my cookie and chewed it slowly, watching how Grandma turned away from me toward her grandson. But I understood why. I was a stranger, an outsider, and if I didn’t want to offend her, I needed to jump in with both feet so to speak.
Jeremy reached into the bag and retrieved a deck of cards. “Well, should we play a round of rummy?”
“Oh, Jimmy. Thought you’d never ask.”
“You’re in, right, Molly?”
One quick look to see if Grandma was okay with it, and there was no change in her expression. I took a wild guess. “Of course.”
“Excellent.” He went over the rules for my benefit and dealt the cards.
Grandma held her cards like she did her cookies, tight and close. “Molly, have you seen the renovations to the old Honeysuckle suite? Jimmy says it’s the nicest it’s ever been.”
Jeremy cleared his throat, looking slightly embarrassed, and lowered his voice to a barely audible level. “That’s the suite I now live in.”
“Oh yeah?” I cocked a brow as I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “Do all the suites have names?”
“Just a couple. They used to, now they’re just numbers,” he answered.
“How are my flowers doing?” Grandma picked up a card and set one from her hand down.
Jeremy picked that card up and shuffled it into his hand, dropping another. “Still growing, Grandma. Tulips are just getting ready to poke through, and the perennials are just waiting for a little more heat.”
There was a beautiful flower garden in the centre of the parking lot; a grove of leafy trees with an array of colourful blooms surrounding it. At least there was, according to the pictures on the web. I hadn’t been there long enough to see it all in bloom as everything was dying from an early blast of cold when I arrived at the end of September.
Grandma stared at her cards before looking at me. “Those trees, the ones in the garden, they’re original to the place. Made sure the builders left them alone. Same with most of the others on the property.”
I pulled a card off the top of the pile, not sure if I needed it. The game rules were still a little fuzzy, but I was sure after a few rounds, I’d catch on. “How old is the motel?”
“Built in 1973.” Grandma didn’t skip a beat and grabbed another card to replace the one in her hand. “Original owners until my boy Jimmy took over thanks to that no-good daughter of mine, who just up and left with that hippie gang when little Jimmy was nine. Haven’t heard from her since 1997, but I bet on my deathbed she’ll show up for the will. Too bad I already cut her out.”
The bite in her voice made my stomach churn, and I froze mid-turn. The unexpected revelation hung in the air, sharp and raw. My gaze darted to Jeremy, but he was focused on his cards, his jaw tightening ever so slightly. For someone as warm and open as Jeremy, I could only imagine how deeply a wound like that cut, especially if he’d been so young.
A ripple of unease swept over me. It felt intrusive to sit here, a stranger privy to this family history. Was I supposed to react? Ignore it? Pretend I didn’t just hear the words no-good daughter of mine ? The sheer intensity of Grandma’s voice left little room for comfort.
I swallowed hard, feeling a pang of guilt for the thoughts I’d had about my own family. A part of me wanted to reach out, to say something, to acknowledge the weight of what Grandma had just revealed. But what could I say? That I understood the ache of familial estrangement? That wouldn’t be entirely true, and this moment wasn’t about me. Yet the silence was deafening.
Jeremy met my eyes, his expression softening as if to say, It’s okay. Don’t worry about it . He mouthed, “I’ll explain later,” so discreetly that I almost missed it. The sadness in his eyes was unmistakable, though—like a child still longing for something he’d long ago accepted he’d never have. It hit me squarely in the chest, an ache I hadn’t been prepared for.
I nodded, quickly, tightly. The lump in my throat felt almost physical now, but I pressed it down and reached for a card. My hands were suddenly clammy, and I had to concentrate on keeping them steady. It wasn’t my place to dig deeper, not here, not now.
Grandma shuffled her cards with the deftness of someone who’d done this a thousand times, completely unbothered by the bomb she’d just dropped. “Your generation is so soft,” she muttered, almost to herself, but the sting in her words lingered.
Soft? I wasn’t so sure. It seemed to me like Jeremy had endured more than his fair share of hardness, and here he was, still kind, still thoughtful. If that was softness, then maybe the world could use a little more of it.
Jeremy broke the tension with a faint smile. “Grandma, I’m happy to be working at the motel. There’s no place else I’d rather be.”
“That’s my Jimmy.”
For a brief moment, the heaviness lifted, but the questions still lingered in the back of my mind. Who had Jeremy turned to when his mother left? How had that shaped the person he’d become? And why did Grandma’s words feel so personal, as if I was peeling back the first layers of something far deeper than I’d expected?
He kept his eyes trained on his hand until his eyes went wide, and with a flourish, he laid them down. “Rummy!”
Grandma moaned in mock defeat, showing off a set of threes, a set of sevens, and a ten. How did she manage that so quickly? My own cards were pairs at best.
“You rascal! Always showing off for the ladies.”
As he looked up from the table, he locked onto something. Someone.
Slowly, I turned and looked too. There was Derek walking by again, this time heading toward the entrance.
Jeremy placed his hand on mine, and my heart skipped a beat as I faced him, staring deep into his eyes. As if it were the most natural thing in the world, he gently tucked a wayward strand of hair behind my ear and tipped his head toward me. His touch lingered a fraction of a second longer than necessary, but I wasn’t in a hurry for him to break the spell I was suddenly under.
Grandma cleared her throat and eyed me with a warning. “You might want to watch him. Jimmy’s got a habit of winning people over. Even the squirrels, eventually.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”