Pushed

Chapter 25

The next morning,Dad’s condition had improved, and he was moved out of ICU and into a regular room. He would be undergoing some more tests as well as cardiac rehab before he’d be cleared to come home.

I stood up from the uncomfortable plastic chair in Dad’s room, and stretched my back. Each vertebrae popped and cracked so loud, I was sure it would wake everyone up. The annoying sound of beeping machines and nurses rushing up and down the hall had kept me awake most of the night.

On the other side of the room, Mom was curled up on a too-small couch covered by a starched white sheet, which boldly contrasted the dark circles under her eyes. She yawned and stretched before sitting up. Guess I wasn’t the only one who hadn’t slept.

“Mom, how about if we go home and shower, and maybe rest a bit? Then you can come back later.” I leaned over and sniffed her, then waved my hand in front of my nose. “Yeah, you definitely need a shower.”

“I do not smell, you big goof.” She shoved my shoulder, then returned to Dad and held his hand. “But I don’t want to leave.”

“Honey, I’ll be fine.” Dad patted her hand and smiled, trying to reassure her. “I don’t need you hovering over me all day like a hen. Go on home for a little while.”

Mom tipped her head and raised a brow at him. “And you promise you’ll behave while I’m gone?”

He brought his hand to his chest and gave her an offended look that said he couldn’t believe she would even think such a thing.

I placed a hand on her shoulder. “Come on, Mom. If we go together, you can drop me off at the restaurant to get my car.”

“Oh, alright. I’m sure some of the kids will be coming by soon.” She turned and gave dad a brief kiss. “Call me if anything changes. I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”

“Take your time. I’m not going anywhere,” Dad grumbled and adjusted his pillow. “Sure can’t wait to get back home to my own bed. Sleeping in the barn would be more comfortable than this.”

“Do what they tell you and you’ll be home before you know it. If you don’t cooperate, sleeping in the barn can be arranged.” I started for the door, but then turned back to Dad. “Hey, is there anything pressing that I should be sure to do today with the farm?”

“Yeah. It’s all listed on the calendar on my computer. Call me if you need me to explain anything.”

“Okay, I’ll take care of it. Don’t worry about a thing, Dad.”

After we left the hospital, Mom drove me to the restaurant where I’d left my car the night before. She parked her car next to mine and grasped my hand before I could open my door. Fatigue and worry bloomed bags under her eyes, making her look older and more fragile than I’d ever seen her. “Sweetie, I hope you learn from your dad’s mistakes. Don’t work yourself into an early grave. That’s not what life’s all about. Make sure you save time for what matters most.”

“Don’t worry, Mom. I can handle it. And I know what I’m doing.”

“Alright. See you at home,” she said as I stepped out of the car.

I stood next to my vehicle and stared at AJ’s apartment above the restaurant, looking for signs of life. And an excuse to go up and see her. The windows appeared dark. She must be sleeping. After such a long night, I couldn’t blame her, and wasn’t about to wake her up.

My body begged to go back to bed, too. But my days would be a whole lot busier now that I was handling all the farm business for Dad, in addition to all my other jobs. My plan was to prioritize and get to everything that was urgent, and hope that I didn’t miss anything important. Sleep would have to wait.

Ironically, this operation was so simple compared to what I did in my regular job, I could probably do this in my sleep. I sat down in Dad’s desk chair, stretched my back and neck, and was ready to dive in. A chimpanzee could do this job. I just had to prove to Dad that I could, too.

If I couldn”t handle it, he’d probably be happy to trade me in for a chimp and send me to the zoo. Hanging out in a tree all day eating bananas—didn’t sound too bad to me.

Storm called as I was just logging into Dad’s computer. “Hey, Storm.”

“Hey, are you still at the hospital?”

“Nope, just got home. Dad’s stable and feisty as ever. We talked Mom into coming home with me to shower and rest for a bit.”

“That’s good to hear. I’m due to be in court in an hour, so there’s no way I can come out until later.”

“No worries. Come when you can. The girls each said they’d be going to see Dad sometime today. Big family comes in handy in times like these.”

“I sure wish I were closer. This really makes me question my choices.”

“How so?” I asked, leaning back in the office chair.

Storm sighed into the phone. “Well, I told you they offered me partner. I still haven’t given them an answer. With all the stress I’ve been under with this case, and now Dad, a quiet small town law practice is sounding better all the time.”

“You’d seriously give up being partner to move back here? Whoa! Is that a pig flying by my window?”

“Very funny. I admit, a couple years ago, I’d have told you there was no way I’d ever give this up to move home to Moonlit Lake. But, well, things change.”

“I know exactly what you mean.” Between AJ, the restaurant, and my family, everything I needed was right here. I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.

“Are you planning to stay there for good?” Storm asked.

My thoughts returned to AJ and our kiss in the parking lot. Yep. I definitely wanted more of that. Every day, if I had anything to say about it. “Seems that way.”

“I gotta go, but keep me posted on how things are going there.”

“Will do.” I was about to hang up the phone and get back to work, but something stopped me. “Hey Storm. Good luck today. Remember, the key to winning is not just knowing the law; it’s knowing how to rock a killer power suit!”

“It’s in the bag, then.” Storm chuckled and ended the call. I opened Dad’s calendar to see what needed to get done today then made lists prioritizing the tasks.

Before I dug into my work, I sent a quick text to AJ.

Me: Good morning, Princess. Hope you slept well.

About an hour later, my phone dinged with a response.

AJ: Like a baby. But with some really great dreams.

Me: You’ve got my attention. Was I in them?

AJ: Wouldn’t you like to know.

I smiled the rest of the morning.

I slogged through orders and invoices and made phone calls. Everything was going smoothly until I got a call from Paradiso’s restaurant. They were waiting for their delivery, which was supposed to have come two hours ago, but didn’t. They needed the produce before the lunch rush started. A quick glance at the clock showed I had less than an hour to get it to them.

This wasn’t on Dad’s calendar. So who was supposed to make the delivery?

I called Tara, the farm manager. “Hey, Tara. It’s Jasper. Do you know anything about a delivery that was supposed to go to Paradiso’s today?”

“Your dad handled that. I don’t know much about it other than the days he’d be making the deliveries.”

“Who boxes up the produce?”

“Your dad brings the order to Tommy, the farmhand, in the morning for him to box up, and usually delivers it by ten in the morning. That’s all I know.”

“Okay. I’ll see if I can find it, and take care of this today. In the future, would this be something you’d be able to take on? Dad’s going to have to slow down, and I’ll be taking over the farm business, at least for now. I’ve heard he had a hard time giving you the freedom you needed to do your job. Is that correct?”

“That’s a good way to put it.”

“Well, you’ll be getting it now. Your opportunity to shine.” I hoped she’d be able to step up and take more of this load, for me and for Dad. If not, we’d need to hire more help. “When you have time to come to my office, we should talk about what that looks like.”

“I can do that. Thanks, Jasper.”

It took some digging, but I managed to find the order. I ran it out to Tommy, and we boxed it up together. I made the delivery in the nick of time. When I explained what happened to Dad and assured them business would continue as usual, they were understanding. I promised them this wouldn’t happen again.

My day continued like this, dealing with one aggravating snag after another. My frustration grew with each problem that arose. If this was what Dad dealt with every day, no wonder he had a heart attack.

His systems and processes definitely needed to be streamlined. This could be so much simpler than the way it was set up right now. Could I get it all straightened out before Dad got out of the hospital? And would that show him I could handle things, or would it make everything worse?

Just as I was about to scream and pull out my hair, the doorbell rang.

A young guy stood on the step with a paper bag in his hands. I accepted the delivery, brought it inside and set it on the kitchen counter. The bag had Moonstruck Steakhouse stamped on the front. I opened it and pulled out two takeout boxes labeled lunch and dessert. A piece of paper with AJ’s handwriting was sandwiched between the boxes, and it read “Thought you might want to sample today’s special. No, it’s not Criadillas del Toro or Rocky Mountain Oysters. Those need to be witnessed in person.”

I looked at the clock. It was already two o’clock in the afternoon. How did she know I’d forget to eat?

I opened the box and breathed in the heavenly aroma. It looked delicious as well.

I just got the most amazing meal delivered to my door!

AJ

I took a chance that you might have been too busy to eat.

You got that right. What am I eating?

AJ

Chicken shawarma sandwich chocolate lasagna for dessert.

I took a bite and moaned out loud. It was that good.

OMG! This is incredible! I bet it’s a big hit!

AJ

It’s been really popular today. People are raving about it! :)

I’m not surprised. Great job Chef!

AJ

My pleasure.

Everything going ok there?

AJ

Yep. Got it under control. No worries.

I appreciate you taking on the extra load for me. And thanks for making my day with this lunch. How can I return the favor?

AJ

You already are.

How about if I come by later, when I’m done with work, and thank you in person? (Kissy face emoji)

AJ

I wouldn’t say no to that.

Great! Can’t wait!

AJ

Now eat your lunch and get back to work!

Yes, Ma’am.

This gave me the motivation to fly through my endless to-do list. Knowing I’d get to see her at the end of the day made it all worthwhile.