28. Chapter 28 #2
The last damn thing I’m interested in is any woman but Juliette. I’m pretty sure if she doesn’t somehow change her mind, I’ll be celibate for the rest of my life.
“Anyway, Mr. Carmichael financed a whole-ass new arena for us. Our previous one was old and shitty. ”
“I remember,” I say with a small laugh. “The new one is fucking beautiful though. Thanks for showing me all the behind-the-scenes stuff today.”
“No prob, man. I’m taking you to the town where I live. It’s about a thirty minute drive east of the city, but the drive really isn’t too bad.”
“What’s the name of the town?”
“Pine Tree Falls.”
“That sounds nice,” I say.
“It is. Like I told you, it’s small but a great community. The public schools are excellent. There is a private school too if that’s something you want for your future kids, but to be honest, their sports teams suck.”
Future kids . That hits me hard in the chest. It’s not something I’ve contemplated a lot, but I would have a baby with Juliette in a heartbeat.
My mind goes back to Rocco and his hug in the airport.
Will I ever have that? A son or daughter who wraps their tiny arms around my neck.
A kid I can take to the park and get ready for bedtime?
I picture myself tucking a little blonde girl with a pretty braid into her pink bed with Juliette leaning against the doorframe.
She would watch me with that sweet smile on her lips as I read our daughter a bedtime story.
And when the little one is asleep, I’d take my wife to bed and try to put another baby in her. Yes. Lots and lots of babies.
Snapping out of the reverie, I realize Baylor is still talking, and I tune in mid-sentence. “...nice park and a great library. The grocery store is small, but there’s a Whole Foods in the next town over that my wife likes to shop at.”
“You said a lot of our teammates live in…” I forgot the name of the town.
“Pine Tree Falls,” he fills in. “And yes. Our goalie lives here. You played in college with Gibby, right?”
I laugh. Bryce Gibson is a damn good goalie and quite a character off the ice. “I did. I’m surprised they haven’t run him out of town.”
Baylor grins and puts on his blinker. “He’s calmed down a lot since he got engaged.” He exits and turns right. A few minutes later, I see two gas stations flanking the road before we take a side street into the town square.
The courthouse sits in the center, rising above the other buildings in a mass of tan brick.
Everything is so green, from the manicured lawns to the lush oak trees that appear to be at least a half century old.
Most of the buildings are two-story and boast wrought iron balconies reminiscent of old New Orleans architecture.
I feel myself relaxing because I’m hit again with that sense of belonging, like this little town could be a real home.
“Not a ton to see,” Baylor chuckles, pointing at various buildings.
“That’s our diner there. Couple boutiques, mostly women’s clothes.
We don’t have a Starbucks or other chain coffee shop, but Caffy’s is excellent and has the best damn homemade pastries you’ve ever had.
” His finger waggles toward a neat wooden storefront on the corner.
“The kind that makes you have to put in extra hours at the gym?” I ask with a sardonic smile.
“Exactly.” He turns beside a sign that reads Oak Street and nods at a stunning brick building. “That’s our library. The whole town is really proud of it. It’s one of the only Carnegie libraries still in existence that functions as an actual library.”
I stare at the imposing structure with its wide stone steps and zone out again, wondering how Juliette’s summer program is going. Are there lots of kids there? Does she want kids of her own?
“But they’re done with that now,” Baylor is saying, and I mentally force myself back to real life because I have no idea what he just said.
“This is the nursing facility I was telling you about.” He slows down in front of Shady Pines, which is a sprawling design that takes up an entire city block.
Pine and oak trees surround it, and a few elderly people sit on the wide front porch sipping what looks like lemonade.
Several nurses are seated with them, also enjoying a cool drink on this warm Texas day .
“This is beautiful,” I say.
“It really is. And very well-run. We’ll come back to it in a bit so you can check it out. I want to get you settled in your room first. The team arranged for you to stay at one of the bed and breakfasts.”
After another turn down a shaded street, Baylor pulls up in front of a three-story Victorian home painted in a pale lavender. A few minutes later, I’ve been greeted warmly by the owners, Gayla and Sam, and placed in one of the second-story rooms.
Back downstairs, Sam slaps my shoulder. “I make a mean breakfast, Reno, so make sure you come down in the morning before ten.” The man is probably in his sixties and sports a beard that wouldn’t look out of place on a ZZ Top album.
He leads me into a living area with antique-looking furniture and a sturdy mahogany bar along one wall.
“You can help yourself to the spirits if you want to unwind in the evenings. I’m a retired bartender, so I keep it well-stocked for our guests. ”
“Thanks, Sam,” I reply, taking the keyring he offers.
“The gold one will get you in the front door, and the silver one is for your room. Come and go as you like, but just lock up when you come in.” He has a deep Southern drawl and an affable smile hiding behind all that facial hair.
His wife is a kind, stout lady who’s constantly fussing with a curtain or a lampshade, making sure everything is perfect in their bed and breakfast. “We live on the third floor,” she remarks, swiping non-existent dust from a spindle-legged end table, “so you let us know if you need anything.”
“I will, and thank you. Your home is beautiful.”
She offers me a beaming smile that tells me that was the exact right thing to say.
With their arms around each other, the couple stands on the porch and waves at me and Baylor as we walk down the pristine sidewalk. They look like they should be on a postcard. Hell, the entire town is postcard-worthy, and I think Ma is going to love it here.
“We can just walk to Shady Pines,” Baylor says as I dash away a rivulet of sweat from my forehead. “And you’ll get used to the heat.”
Two hours later, I know Shady Pines is the place for Gramps.
The staff is friendly and almost annoyingly energetic, but you can tell they have a deep affection for their guests.
No, they don’t call the people who stay there patients or residents .
They refer to them as guests because they want them to feel pampered and cared for.
The rooms aren’t luxurious, but they are very spacious and clean.
I took Gramps out of a place in Colorado because the room he shared with another man was barely big enough to turn around in.
He was constantly agitated and uncomfortable, so I found another facility where he could have his own space, and his demeanor almost instantly improved.
I meet with a team of nurses and doctors with impressive resumes and caring attitudes.
They also introduce me to Crystal, their social activities director, a lovely lady in her forties with an easy smile and soft voice.
I gawk at the calendar printout she gives me detailing the various activities and events at the facility. Almost every box is filled.
“I understand your grandfather is a veteran?” Crystal asks, and I nod.
“Yes, ma’am. He was in the army.”
“Excellent! Our local VA provides military flags for those who want one in their room. They also come here to honor our guests for their service on Memorial Day and Veterans Day. It’s a nice ceremony, and we welcome families to attend.”
I’ve heard that phrase more times than I can count since I’ve been here.
We welcome families . That sets my mind at ease more than anything.
In Gramps’s current facility, I have to make an appointment to visit him.
The care he gets there is fantastic, but if I want to see my grandfather, I damn well want to see my grandfather without going through some gatekeeper.
I completely understand the need for me to check in with security, but I’d like to be able to pop in and not have to make an appointment like I’m going to the fucking dentist .
I step outside into a pretty courtyard and give my mother a call, telling her everything I’ve seen, and she agrees that it sounds like the place for Gramps.
She may be his daughter-in-law and not an actual blood relative, but she loves him like he’s her own father, making her opinion just as important as mine.
So I go back inside and sign the paperwork.
“Will your grandfather require medical transport from Colorado?” the admissions clerk asks, tapping the thick stack of papers on her desk to straighten them.
“No, my mother and I will drive him. His current doctor approved it already. Gramps does pretty well on car trips, but we’ll make it a two-day trip so he’s not stuck in a vehicle for so long.
” I smile, remembering our trip to California last year.
“He loves stopping at every cheesy sightseeing spot we can find, so it might actually take us three days.”
The lady laughs. “My mother is the same way. I can’t even tell you how many giant balls of twine or fake dinosaur statues we’ve had to have our picture taken with.
And there was a fifty-foot Budweiser can in Arkansas that she was obsessed with when I took her to the Ozarks.
” She shakes her head fondly. “All those beautiful mountains and caves, and my mom’s favorite place was a big beer can. ”
“Sounds like she would get along well with Gramps. I think it’s good for them to get out and travel a bit while they still can.”
“I agree, and we encourage that. You’re welcome to come and get Arlo any time you want. We do require that you check him out due to security reasons. And if there are any medical reasons that would preclude a trip, we’ll let you know.”
“Of course.” Glancing at the nameplate on her desk, I say, “Thanks for all your help, Flora.”
She places the paperwork in a blue folder and smiles at me. “No problem. I’ll contact his current facility and get his records transferred here. Just let me know your expected departure date so I can fill in all the blanks.”
I walk out of the facility feeling about a million times better. Finding a safe and welcoming place for Gramps was my number one priority. Now to locate housing for Ma and me…
“Everything good?” Baylor asks when I step onto the front porch of Shady Pines. He’s sitting in a rocking chair with a glass of lemonade among some of the guests and nurses who are wearing scrubs in a soothing sky-blue color.
“All set up. Thank you for recommending this place. It’s perfect.”
“No problem. Anything I can do. We’ll look at real estate tomorrow.”
That evening, I recline back on the bed in my room and stare at the whirling ceiling fan.
I like Pine Tree Falls a lot. Maybe it’s because I can literally picture Juliette here in this town.
It just seems like… her . The grassy spot beneath a tree in the town square where she can lay back with a book.
The unassuming coffee shop. The beautiful library.
Yeah, my dream girl would fit right in here.