Six
Reid
“I never thought you were the kind of guy who’d only stay one night or come to town, only to never reach out.”
Just shy of ten minutes away from my parents’ place, my phone rang. The call was from my best friend, Cole, and he didn’t hold back any of his thoughts.
“Sorry, man. It was a quick trip. I got there Saturday morning, and we’re now at Sunday evening. I’m already back in Cardinal, nearly at my parents’ house.”
“Speaking of which, how’s your mom doing?” he asked.
I hated having to admit the truth. I should’ve had more to share than I did.
“I’m heading there now to check in on her.
It’s been a few days since I was by to visit.
She’s obviously better than she was, and she likes being at home over being at the hospital, of course.
But she’s still rather fragile, the way I see it. ”
“I can imagine. Sending all my best for a speedy recovery. I wish we could’ve met up for a bit while you were here.”
There was no question I felt the same. Unfortunately, what Cole didn’t understand was that it simply wasn’t an option right now.
“I know. Same here. But it was a short stay. I had just enough time to deal with a mountain of paperwork for the business before heading back to my place to take care of some things there. Plus, I had to pack up more clothes and a few extra things to bring back here with me. I only got a few hours of sleep last night as it was.”
“You made no time for any fun, then?”
Fun seemed like a foreign concept these days. I’d been feeling miserable for more than a week now, and I was convinced that wasn’t going to change any time soon. “Sadly, I’ve got just shy of another six months of no fun.”
“What exactly is going on there? Are you essentially just running the place while your dad helps your mom with her recovery?”
“Yes and no.” The thought of what these next several months would be like was enough to make feel as though I had added several hundred pounds of weight to my shoulders.
“My dad is taking a step back entirely. He knows I want nothing to do with this place as it is, but he’s requiring me to step in and fill his shoes for six months.
Afterward, he’ll let me have the property to do whatever I wish with it. ”
An extended silence came through the line.
“Something tells me you’ve already got dozens of plans for what you intend to do there, and none of them are what your dad hopes you’ll do,” Cole said.
I laughed for what had to be the first time in more than a week. “I have a couple of thoughts. I just need to get through these next few months without pulling out my hair if I’m going to make any of them happen.”
Cole chuckled. “Are there at least some pretty girls there to bury your frustrations in?”
In an instant, a vision of Natalia flashed in my mind. “That’d be far more of a hassle than it’s worth at the moment. I’m not planning to stay here anyway, so a relationship would be a foolish idea.”
“Who said anything about a relationship?”
Well, if that didn’t just give away where my mind had drifted at the mention of pretty girls…
I shook my head, my lips twitching as I did. “Trust me, Cole, I don’t need that kind of trouble here. I’m already dealing with enough.”
Laughter came through the line. “Alright. Well, I’ll see what I can do about making a trip out there soon. Maybe around the Christmas holiday, since I’ll have some time off.”
I could think of nothing better than having a friend come out to visit.
If the next several weeks were anything like the first had been, there was no question I’d need someone to help inject some sanity and normalcy back into my life.
“That’d be a welcome visit, man. No doubt I’ll need a break from the retreat and everything that comes along with it. ”
Another vision of Natalia flashed in my mind.
I was going to have to make it clear to her that I didn’t appreciate her putting that stupid wreath on the door to my cabin.
If I let it slide, there was no telling what would happen come Christmas.
Cole might arrive to find that lights had been strung up outside along with a maze of inflatables simply leading to the front door.
“It sounds like you need a break already.”
I pulled onto my parents’ street. “You have no idea. But I’ll have to fill you in on it later, because I’m going to be at my parents’ place in a minute.”
“Alright, Reid. I’ll talk to you later. If you do make another trip out here before I come to visit you there, let me know ahead of time. I’ll try to catch up with you, even if it’s only for an hour or two.”
“Sounds good, Cole. Catch you later.”
“Later, man.”
I ended the call with my friend, pulled into the driveway, and parked.
After the way this weekend had started—I still thought about that encounter with Natalia outside the cabin—all the driving, and the work and packing I’d done back in Pittsburgh, I was honestly ready to crash for the rest of the night.
As I’d mentioned to Cole, the likelihood was that I was going to need a break by the time the holiday rolled around, and it wasn’t because I expected I’d be expending so much physical effort in this temporary position.
I was exhausted just thinking about where the next week was going to lead.
If it was anything like the first week had been, it was safe to say I was in for a challenge.
At the very least, I could be grateful for the knowledge that things were being handled back in Pittsburgh by my team of skilled employees.
Sure, I’d have to stay on top of paperwork and a few additional things from a distance, but from what I saw when I was back there this weekend, my guys were getting things accomplished.
I’d debated heading straight for the cabin, but as I’d admitted to Cole, it had been a few days since I’d visited with my mom. I wanted to check in on her, because I didn’t know what I’d run into once the new work week got started. I figured it was best to make the effort now.
I walked inside, immediately making my way toward the family room, since that was where I expected I’d find my mom. Even though part of the recovery for her hip involved being up and moving, I suspected she’d already made that effort earlier in the day.
Plus, overdoing it too soon with her heart…
Sure enough, I stepped into the family room and found her resting there.
“Reid,” she said the moment she saw me.
I offered a sheepish grin. It had been too many days since I’d visited her. “Hi, Mom. How are you feeling?”
She lifted a hand in the air, palm up. “I’d say I’m quite a bit better than I was the last time I saw you, but I’m only marginally better since yesterday.”
Sitting down on the couch beside her, I took her hand in mine. “So, we’re headed in the right direction, then?”
Smiling, she confirmed, “We are.”
“Oh, Reid. It’s you. I thought I heard the front door.”
At the sound of my father’s voice, I tore my attention from my mom and looked in his direction. Why didn’t it surprise me that she was here in this room alone? “Yeah, I just got back into town and thought I’d stop by to visit with Mom.”
He parted his lips to say something, but my mom beat him to it. “Did you go to Pittsburgh this weekend?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I had some things I needed to take care of there. Plus, when I initially got here, I didn’t expect the long stay, so I rounded up some extra clothes while I was there.”
“Have you had anything to eat?”
My lips curved into a smile. It seemed that no matter how old I got—I was thirty-three now—or how sick she might be, my mom was always concerned with me being fed. “I haven’t. I thought about stopping, but I just wanted to get back. I’ll grab something after I leave.”
“We have food already prepared. It’s the most delicious garlic butter chicken with parmesan pasta and a side salad.”
My mouth watered. “That sounds incredible.”
Without hesitation, Mom asked, “Barrett, would you mind grabbing Reid a plate?”
“I can get it myself, Mom.”
She brought her other hand over and sandwiched mine between both of hers. “But I haven’t had much of a chance to chat with you. Stay. Let your dad get you some dinner.”
“I’ll be right back,” my dad declared.
“So, how was your visit home?” Mom asked as soon as we were alone.
I shrugged. “Nothing special. I only went back to take care of a few things at my place. Cleaning out the stuff that had or would go bad in the fridge and taking out the trash. Things like that. Of course, my biggest concern was the business, but there was no need for me to be too worried. The guys have been on top of all the physical work, so I really just needed to deal with paperwork.”
Her features softened, something I couldn’t quite read lingering in her eyes. “I’m so glad you’re here, honey. I know this isn’t an ideal situation for you, but it means the world to me to have you close by again. I feel a bit spoiled now that I’ve gotten several visits from you within a week.”
Sylvia Erickson wasn’t the kind of woman who’d go out of her way to make anyone feel bad, and I didn’t think it was her intention to make it so now either, but a twinge of regret moved through me. I’d left my hometown years ago, and I rarely looked back beyond the occasional visits for the holiday.
While I had no intention of making this move a permanent stay, there was no question that my mom having a heart attack and landing in the hospital was enough to make me reconsider the amount of time I’d been putting between my visits.
“I’ll do my best to remember that and make more frequent stops over,” I promised.
Despite my reasons for remaining in this town now, the stay wouldn’t be permanent.
Once I got through these six months and did what needed to be done to put my future plans for the retreat into action, I’d return to Pittsburgh.
But I vowed to come back more often to see my mom. It was the least I could do.