5. The Shake-up
CHAPTER FIVE
Dalton
The Shake-up
D alton could not believe that Brooke Garcia had married into the Banks family, let alone that not one of his family members ever thought to mention it to him. And she had a kid he didn’t even know existed. Kicking off his sneakers, he opened the screen door and stepped into his gran’s warm kitchen that smelled like cinnamon and coffee.
“Is there a reason you never mentioned that Brooke married a Banks and had a child?” Dalton asked, but he stopped in his tracks when he saw Wes sitting by himself, in uniform again.
“Probably because that happened like a decade ago and you were incommunicado, off on some commando mission,” Wes said, standing and walking to the sink to rinse out his mug.
“Where’s Gran?” Dalton asked.
“She’s snoozing in the living room. But I did manage to get her to tell me why you had to take her to the hospital yesterday. Care to fill me in?” His older brother leaned against the counter, muscles flexed as he crossed his arms over his chest. He was clearly pissed.
“Gran claimed she was just fixing a ripple in the carpet, but she fell and seemed disoriented so we went to the hospital just to be safe.”
“And?”
Dalton hesitated about what to tell Wes. They didn’t have any test results to prove it, but Dalton suspected there were some health issues their gran had been ignoring. But she’d sworn him to secrecy.
“And I think this house is too big for her to maintain on her own. She was definitely dehydrated, and she needs to drink more water.”
“And?” Wes prompted.
“Dr. Tommy ran a few tests, and we’ll know more in a week or so.”
“I mean, in your expert medical opinion what’s going on with her?” Wes asked.
“Honestly, it’s likely just time catching up to her. Poor diet and poor circulation are the top causes of other health issues.”
Wes’s eyebrow lifted with skepticism. “You sound like a brochure, and I think there’s something you’re not telling me. But Gran won’t tell me either way. So you’ll be my only eyes and ears on her health. What I don’t like is finding out from folks at the diner that my grandmother was seen at the hospital and my brother didn’t bother to let me know.”
“You’re right, I should have called you. It was hectic at the hospital, and then Gran asked me not to say anything once I got her home.”
Wes closed the space between them and poked Dalton in the chest. “That won’t work here. You don’t get to roll into town after fifteen years and keep secrets about Gran or her health. Are we clear?”
“Crystal,” Dalton said with his hands up. “I was thinking we could hire some help around the house, and I’ll get her diet squared away. I’ll also make sure she’s had the recommended tests for her age.”
“And you’ll keep me informed because when you leave again, I’ll be the one making sure she gets everything she needs. She’ll never agree to leave this house, so finding someone who can help with cleaning and groceries is a good start. I can ask around, but she’s going to fight us.”
“I won’t hire anyone until you sign off,” Dalton said.
Wesley nodded. “You hear from Levi?”
“No. Doesn’t he usually stay in Atlanta for the season?”
“Yes, but he was injured last season, and I think he’s downplaying it.”
“When his shoulder was torn?”
Wes nodded. “He’s going to risk a major injury to secure his next contract.”
“This is his last year with Atlanta?”
“Yep, and they may not renew his contract if they know he’s injured, then he’ll be a free agent next year.”
“He’s had a great run with the same team. It’s not uncommon to get traded multiple times in a career.”
“Try telling our little brother that.”
“At least he has a degree to fall back on.”
Wes scoffed. “You mean the one he didn’t finish because he went pro a year early?”
“I thought you convinced him to finish it.”
“Damn, Dalton, I thought you had to be good at math to go to medical school. Levi did three years at state college then joined the MLB when he got an offer from Atlanta. Said he wouldn’t need his degree to make the Baseball Hall of Fame.”
Dalton gritted his teeth. Wes was right: he’d missed the details, and it was his own fault.
“She barely ate any breakfast, maybe you can make sure she eats a healthy lunch?” Wes walked away to the door.
“Got it.”
“You know she only married Tyler Banks because you never came back.”
His head popped up and he stared at his brother. “What?”
“Brooke. I think she only dated and married your enemy because you left her behind. Unfortunately for her, you might be the only reason Tyler ever thought he was interested in marriage. He couldn’t resist going after Brooke, knowing she’d meant something to you once.”
“I think you’re giving Tyler too much credit, and Brooke wouldn’t marry someone she didn’t love.”
“Oh, I think she did love him, so much so that she didn’t see the truth about him. Of all the Banks brothers, she chose the worst one. The one that just so happened to be too selfish to love her back.”
“Does he at least love their son?” Dalton asked, a sinking feeling in his gut.
Wes stepped one foot out the door. “Probably as much as anyone who thinks the world revolves around himself can. But Miles goes to all of Max’s games and donates enough money for their jerseys and team equipment. He seems interested in his nephew, or maybe he’s just interested in Brooke,” Wes said before the screen door slammed shut.
For some reason that annoyed Dalton even more than knowing his childhood friend had married his enemy. But that was all old news, a stupid feud between the two oldest families in this beach town. Brooke was far too good to be used as a revenge tactic.
*
The next day Dalton found himself walking into the hospital after his morning run with a tray of coffee from the diner, looking for Brooke.
“Dr. Hart, it’s nice to see you again so soon,” Nurse Nora said, sitting behind the intake desk.
“Good morning, Nora, I was out on my morning run and thought I’d stop by with coffee to bribe you and Dr. Tommy into talking about my grandmother.”
Her head fell back in a laugh that shook her entire body, and she reached for a coffee.
“I would never turn down a cup of diner brew. I’ll never understand those posh mocha frappe latte drinks posing as coffee.”
Dalton laughed and set down the tray. “Is Dr. Tommy in today?”
Before Nora could respond, Brooke appeared with her arms full of tablets.
“Found them,” she said in a huff, but then stopped in her tracks when she spotted Dalton.
He moved to take the load from her, and a jolt of awareness spread up his arm from the contact.
“Where do these go?” he asked, carrying the stack.
“Over here,” Nora said, opening up a cupboard with multiple charging stands. “Why does that man think he needs a new one for every patient?” She huffed and began taking each tablet out of Dalton’s stack and placing them on the chargers.
“I don’t think he knows how to start a new file, so he just grabs a new tablet,” Brooke whispered. “Oh, coffee, thanks, Nora.”
“Don’t thank me. Dr. Dalton is our coffee delivery boy today,” Nora said and winked at him.
“Oh.” Dalton thought she was going to put the coffee back but then she squinted her eyes at him. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I was hoping to chat with Dr. Tommy about my gran. I can teach him how to use the medic tablets while I’m at it,” he teased.
Brooke’s mouth pursed, but she didn’t let the smile he knew was hiding behind it out. “Tommy is off today, and we can’t speak to you about your grandmother’s medical condition unless she signs a waiver.”
“Technically Dr. Dalton is her next of kin, doctor, and she did sign that waiver. I witnessed it myself.” Nora winked at him. “Just in case.”
“Thanks, Nora,” Dalton said.
Brooke sighed. “Well, you can wait until Dr. Jones is finished with his current patient to talk about your gran, but if I was you I’d wait for Tommy to be back tomorrow.”
“That bad?”
“They just have different styles and Tommy was the one to do the assessment on your gran, so he’d be the best one to speak with,” Brooke said, sipping her coffee.
“You saw her too, so maybe we could talk,” Dalton said.
“Great idea, take him over to the surgical suite, there’s more privacy,” Nora said just as another patient arrived.
“Please?” Dalton said.
Brooke grabbed a fresh tablet. “Fine, follow me.”
He had no problem following that request. When he’d left town, Brooke Garcia had been a skinny, shy, demure girl with thick reddish-brown hair, freckles under her glasses, and was always carrying too many books in her beat-up backpack. Now she was a curvy, confident woman, with her thick hair pulled back into a ponytail he wanted to tug.
“Have a seat,” she said, holding a stainless-steel door open that led into a cold, bare room with a huge light, hospital surgery table, and several chairs set up like a lounge in one corner.
“Not doing too many surgeries in Sandy Point?” he asked.
“Any cases that require more than a few stitches get sent to Savannah; we’re not insured to handle anything more. We don’t have the staff either.”
“So about my gran, I get the feeling there’s a lot more going on, but I was hoping the tests would help me narrow it down so I can start making some informed appointments with specialists for her.”
Brooke nodded as she looked down at the tablet and ran her finger over the screen to see the tests that had been done and if any notes were left behind.
“Her bloodwork and tests came back within a healthy range. But as you know, cognitive impairments can take years to fully manifest, or be just simple blips of aging.”
“Right. How was her blood pressure reading? Obviously it was high when she fell, but Dr. Tommy took it several times.”
“Yep, everything was in the range of good health. How has she seemed to you? Is she forgetful, disoriented, any nightmares?”
“Well, this is day four and I haven’t noticed anything like that, but I’ll be staying with her and keeping a close eye on her for a while.”
“You’re not staying with Wes or at Levi’s place?”
Dalton paused from studying the pretty dusting of freckles along the bridge of her nose. “I didn’t realize Levi kept a place here. But no, I figured staying with my gran and her home cooking was far better than dealing with Wes’s surly moods and shift work.”
She nodded. “Your brother has a lot on his plate, between running the sheriff’s department, the summer influx of people in town, your grandmother, and the pier.”
The implication was subtle but he heard it loud and clear: Dalton had shirked all responsibility while Wes had taken on all the family burdens.
“I’m back, so I can help him with two out of the four things.”
“For now, but maybe finding someone to help your gran out before you leave would be a more permanent solution.”
“Already on it, in fact, do you have any thoughts on where I should inquire about someone looking for some part-time work helping out an old woman who will likely spend more time trying to get rid of them than accepting their help?”
Brooke’s furrowed brow lifted and her smile was like the golden hour at sunset, brightening her entire face. “No, I’d say you could post something on the town’s social media pages, but your gran would see those and probably burn this town to the ground.”
“We don’t want that,” he said, leaning closer with his elbows on his knees but keeping a socially acceptable distance away. Her light, soapy scent hung in the air between them. “What about the library bulletin board, does that thing still exist?”
“Uh, yah, and there are always new flyers or posters up. There’s also May’s coffee shop.”
“Your sister opened a coffee shop?”
“Yah, well, it’s more like a small coffee stand with a garden, but it’s the town’s water cooler. If anyone is looking for a side hustle, May will know.”
“Great, thank you.”
Brooke stood as if she couldn’t wait to end their chat.
“I just had a few more questions,” he said, standing too.
“Okay.”
“Why’d you marry Tyler Banks?”
Her gasp was audible, and he knew it was borderline inappropriate for him to ask, but he couldn’t stop thinking about what Wes had said.
“None of your business, Dalton,” Brooke said sternly. “If you have any more questions about your gran, you can wait for Tommy to return. I have to get back to my patients.” She was out the door before he could respond, but her reaction told him everything he needed to know.
Brooke had a fire in her, one he had never seen before when they were in high school. They’d only ever just been friends back then—admittedly they’d been the oddest duo, he was the jock and she was the bookworm, but they’d clicked. Maybe he’d always been curious about what made her tick, but now there was some kind of magnetic heat pulling him toward her and he needed to figure out exactly what it was.