Chapter 4
“Iknow it’s a shock, Maddox,” Oliver said gently. He moved out from behind his desk and sat in the chair facing them. “You’ve been here seven years, and you’re such a crucial part of this place. Frankly, I don’t know how I’d run it without you most days.”
Maddox nodded numbly, only half registering the last part of his statement, even though his words would normally bring satisfaction and joy.
Selling.
“But I think it’s time,” he continued, running his hand through his thinning gray hair.
“My health issues aren’t going away, as much as I’d like to pretend they are, and Connie has been pressuring me to come to Missouri to live closer to her and the kids.
I’m planning to talk it over with her when I visit next week. ”
“Oh, sure. I get that.” Maddox fought to keep their voice steady and upbeat despite the knots in their stomach twisting tighter and tighter. “I mean…we’ve all been wanting you to take better care of yourself. It shouldn’t be a shock at all.”
Maddox swallowed and turned to the stickiest part of Oliver’s news. “But you’re really selling to an amusement park company? Like, they’re going to flatten all of this and build one right here?”
He leaned back in his chair and sighed. “If the offer is reasonable, yes. Various developers have had their eyes on this property and the surrounding area for ages. It was only a matter of time before they got a foothold, and that’s what’s happening now.”
“What about Blueville?” Maddox asked, worry burying deep, as they thought of the cozy, artsy little town a few miles down the road. “What’s going to happen there?”
“There will be changes to the entire area, of course, but it’s my understanding that the construction will be far enough outside town limits to avoid interfering too much.”
“I see,” Maddox murmured. “And the staff here?”
Oliver reached over and squeezed Maddox’s arm. “We’re still early in the negotiations, but I’m hoping to work with Burt Farrington to ensure there are jobs for all of you eventually, if you want them.”
Eventually. Now Maddox’s rising nausea threatened to overwhelm them. How long would that be? And could this Farrington whoever be trusted to agree to that? Would he employ locals or bring in people from outside? Probably whatever suited his bottom line the best.
Despite their misgivings, they realized it probably wasn’t fair to keep bombarding Oliver with questions.
“It’s going to mean a lot of changes,” Oliver said. “And I really will do my best to make sure everyone here is taken care of, but for you in particular, I think this could be an opportunity to think about your future.”
Maddox swallowed. “What do you mean?”
“Maddie…” His use of Gran’s nickname for them made the lump in their throat grow.
“You’re twenty-six. If you’re truly happy to keep doing hotel work, that’s great.
You’re brilliant at it. But you have so many talents, ones you could grow into something else entirely.
Something new and exciting. Don’t you ever think about that? ”
They looked away and studied the rug beneath their brown leather sneakers.
When they didn’t answer, Oliver filled in the blanks.
“No? Maybe it’s because you’re so busy thinking about this place and how you’re going to take care of Louise.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m so glad she has you.
But she doesn’t want you standing still in your life for her any more than I do. ”
Later that afternoon, Maddox took a break to retreat to the small suite in the resort’s main building that served as their home.
For now, at least.
“Shit, shit, shit,” Maddox groaned as they let the door slam behind them and threw themselves onto their bed face first.
As they lay there, their bones seemed to melt into the bedspread. It was only halfway through their work hours, and they were already exhausted. But they still had to handle the evening shift. For maybe the first time, they were actually dreading it.
Right now, they’d rather stay here, sunk into the covers, limp and lifeless for a few hours.
Putting on the party for Lilly had been a lot of work, but it’d been the energizing kind of work.
Arranging all the decorations, ensuring the sandwiches and juice were ready and that the purple princess cake was perfect had all been so much fun.
Clearly, that wasn’t the reason for their bone-deep fatigue now. It all came back to Oliver’s news.
Maddox rolled onto their back and covered their face.
Now what?
If it were just them, it wouldn’t be that big of a deal. They’d find a waitstaff job or something else and maybe a place with a roommate. But that wouldn’t help Gran.
Maddox glanced at their watch. It was time for their afternoon check-in call with her. They always liked to catch her before the dinner hour at the retirement home.
It was a small, shabby sort of place on the edge of Blueville, but it was affordable, and the staff were decent people.
Maddox had lived with Gran in her house since they were nineteen.
But then, about two years ago, Gran had begun showing signs of dementia.
Ever pragmatic, Gran had realized it wasn’t safe to stay home alone while Maddox worked, so she’d insisted on moving to a senior home.
Maddox had hated the idea at first. They’d wanted to bring in an at-home caregiver, but Gran wouldn’t be persuaded to agree.
And while it had been the more economical choice, the facility bills plus medical expenses weren’t cheap.
Gran had some retirement and her social security, but it wasn’t enough.
So Maddox worked to take care of the rest. It helped that Oliver allowed Maddox to stay at the resort as part of their pay.
But at some point in the not distant enough future, both the pay and the resort would be gone.
Maddox did their best to shove the fear aside as they picked up their phone to call Gran. There was no need to worry her too.
Gran answered the call with her usual bright, upbeat tone. Oliver had once said Maddox must have inherited that from her, and Maddox took a little pride in the notion, even if they felt far from upbeat at the moment. “Maddie! How on earth are you?”
A tiny grin pulled at the corners of Maddox’s mouth.
They’d talked just that morning. Had Gran forgotten, maybe?
Or did she think there’d been some major change in the few hours between then and now?
The thought made Maddox’s stomach drop. It was closer to the truth than they wanted to think about right now.
“I’m okay, Gran. What have you been up to today?”
“I’ve just been sitting here reading and trying to stay awake,” Gran’s thin, papery voice crackled with a chuckle. “But the little blue jay was back on the feeder outside my window again today, and he looked over at me like he was saying hello. He’s good company.”
“I’ll bet,” Maddox murmured. Some days, it was still hard to believe how much her once social and busy grandmother’s world had narrowed in the last few years.
The now-familiar mix of sadness and fear swept through them.
Gran was eighty-seven; her energy levels and short-term memory seemed to dwindle more with each passing month.
“When are you gonna come by? It’s been ages!”
“Well, I was there Tuesday, and I’ll be by tomorrow…” Just like every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. But Maddox left that part out.
“Oh, that’s right! Dang it, I don’t know what I’m gonna do if my memory gets any worse,” Gran fretted. The only time she ever really got melancholy was when she dwelt on her memory loss too much. “Some days I just—”
“Hey! That’s okay,” Maddox cut in. “I forget stuff all the time. It’s no big deal. Besides, no matter how forgetful we get, we’ll never be as bad as old Uncle Willy, right?”
Gran’s laugh trickled through the speaker.
“Now that’s the truth. Mercy! That old fool would forget his head if it wasn’t stuck on.
‘Course it didn’t help that he was drunk most of the time.
Did I ever tell you about the time he wandered off while his tractor was still in gear? 'Bout ran over three of his cows!”
Maddox joined in Gran’s laughter, a genuine smile crossing their face for the first time since Oliver had broken his news to her.
They settled against their headboard to listen to one of the old stories they’d heard many times but still found entertaining.
Redirecting to older, more established memories lifted Gran’s melancholy, as it usually did.
As Gran reminisced, Maddox closed their eyes and enjoyed the familiar cadence of her voice.
She was so sweet. The one person Maddox had been able to count on.
The only one still there when they’d lost everyone else.
She didn’t deserve a single worry for however long she had here.
It was Maddox’s job to make sure of it. And they would.
Somehow.