Chapter Ten
“How’s your morning going, Marilyn?” I ask as I enter her room. She sits in a chair, looking out at the nursing home courtyard through the large window.
“Did you hear I had a doctor’s appointment yesterday?”
“I did,” I say, kneeling beside her. “It sounds like it wasn’t the best news.”
Her shoulders rise and fall. “Now we know why I’ve lost vision in one eye. The tumor keeps getting larger. I’ve known for a while that there’s nothing that can be done, but I’m not ready. Not yet.”
“I know.” I fold her hands in mine. “How are your kids taking this?”
“Oh, Tina jumped into action and feels like she can make this all go away with the appropriate organization. And Tommy hasn’t said much at all, which makes me worried for him. The grandbabies are having a hard time, too. They all come daily, almost keeping vigil. They’re on a death watch.”
“They love you, Marilyn.”
I think of Abigail and how much she wishes her family were here, too.
“You are surrounded by us all, Marilyn,” I say. “We’re here for you.”
“You’re a dear, Birdie.” She lets her head fall back. “I’m going to take a short nap I think.”
I grab a blanket and put it over her, and then leave her room.
I’ve been lingering around my mom’s office all day, hoping to get a moment with her. I was already asleep when she got home last night, and I want to talk to her about Liam’s offer. I finally see her standing at the South Desk, talking to one of the receptionists.
“Hey,” I say, grabbing her arm. “Do you have a minute for a chat?”
“With you?” she smiles. “Always.”
My mom takes my hand, and we go to her office.
“What’s going on, Birdie?” My mom leans back in her desk chair and puts her feet up on the desk.
“I’d like to get your thoughts on something.” I grab a chair and drag it across the floor. “I may have been talking to Liam and mentioned that the nursing home isn’t doing well.”
“Go on,” she says.
“Well, it turns out he’s a finance guy. He studied it and has worked in the field his entire career. He mentioned that he’d be happy to look at the balance sheets if that’s something you’d be interested in.”
“Hmm.” My mom smiles and picks up a pen on her desk. “And he’s doing this out of the goodness of his heart?”
“Well, yeah,” I say. “He wants to make sure his grandparents are getting the best care.”
She curls her lips up and nods. “Right. I’m sure it has nothing to do with the stunning woman who works at the nursing home.”
“Mom,” I say, picking up a paperclip and throwing it at her. “It has nothing to do with me.”
“If you say so,” she says. “Birdie, you know I’ll never turn down help. My goal is to create a nursing home that will survive and thrive long after I’m gone. I love that Liam is willing to help. I can get him the files by the end of the day.”
“Thanks, Mom,” I say, getting up and wrapping my arms around her.
“For what it’s worth,” she says as I go to walk out of her office, and I turn back to her. “I don’t think this has anything to do with him just wanting the best place for his grandparents.”
“Seriously,” I say, shaking my head.
My mom has the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever known. When I was only thirteen years old, I was on the ranch horseback riding with my grandma. We were in a prairie we’d ridden through a hundred times, but on this day, her horse got spooked and took off running, and my grandma was bucked off.
It was the scariest moment of my life. My grandma lay there, bleeding from her head. Her horse took off, and I rode mine back to the house, where my grandpa was inside making lunch for all of us. He called 911, and my grandma was airlifted to the nearest trauma center.
She survived but had a traumatic brain injury, and it wasn’t long before she could no longer stay at home. The only nursing home within a three-hour radius that was equipped to take her was this one in Wheaton.
For the rest of her life, we’d go to Wheaton every weekend and visit her until she died when I was fifteen years old. It was at that moment my mom became passionate about nursing homes. She was already working as a nurse but went back to school to get a master’s degree in healthcare administration.
She’s good at it, too. She’s turned things around everywhere she’s gone, but I know Wheaton is her passion project. Being here in this town is a full-circle moment for both of us.
“I hope Liam can find somewhere we could save money,” she says. “Because I’m stumped.”
“Back to work,” I say. “Love you, Mom.”
“Love you, Birdie girl.”
Even though Liam may not have the answers, having someone who specializes in finance looking through things gives me hope. My mom asked me to review the finances recently, but I chose a degree in nursing so I’d never have to deal with numbers. It’s odd because I’m actually very good at math. But I can barely balance my own checkbook, let alone that of a nursing home.
“There you are,” Lucy says as she rounds the corner. “The ex has the kid tonight. We need to grab a drink. And before you say no, I’d like to remind you that you’ve turned me down the past seven times I’ve asked. And you may not know this about me, but I make an excellent friend.”
I laugh. “A drink tonight sounds perfect.”
“Did I hear you guys are getting drinks?” Will approaches us.
“Join us if you’re free,” Lucy says. “We need to blow off some steam and complain about some of the residents’ families.”
Will laughs. “Perfect. I’ll be there.”
*****
I liked Lucy the first time I met her. She cares deeply about the residents. They are her first priority in every decision she makes. I also appreciate that she’s naughty. She makes me laugh.
The distance from my house to the pool hall is a little over a mile, but it’s a beautiful night out and I’m happy for the fresh air. I walk through the door, and everyone’s eyes turn to me. I’m not sure how long someone has to live in a town to no longer be considered the new person, but I know I’m not at that stage yet. I’m still very much an outsider. I spot Lucy at the bar, and I beeline toward her.
“I didn’t know you had clothes outside of scrubs,” she says, pulling me into a hug. “Those shorts are hot. Your legs are gorgeous, girl.”
Lucy slowly checks me out and then gives me two thumbs up.
“Is this what a Friday night at the pool hall looks like?” I look around. Every table is full, and the bar has rows of people waiting to order drinks.
Lucy hands me a drink and starts laughing. “Who knows? I go out about as much as you apparently do.”
She points toward the door. “Oh, there’s Will.”
I turn as he walks in our direction. I haven’t taken many nights to myself to be a twenty-five-year-old, get out of the house, or leave the nursing home. I’ve now been here almost three months, and I’ve never seen Lucy or Will in actual clothes. All we wear are scrubs. He smiles when he sees us.
“It’s loud in here,” he says. He quickly blinks as he takes me in. I didn’t wear anything special. I paired my favorite shorts with a tube top.
“Here.” Lucy hands him a drink. “I can’t promise it’s any good, but I ordered it for you.”
Will smiles. “I’ll drink anything after the week at work I’ve had.”
Lucy grabs my hand and pulls me to a quieter area in the corner, and Will follows.
“So this is what the young people do while I work or sleep,” Lucy says, looking around. “Oh, to be in my twenties again. Don’t get me wrong, I love Gavin more than I ever thought possible, but oh, to be carefree for one night.”
Music plays loudly from the jukebox, and the entire place smells of burnt popcorn and cheap beer. My feet stick to the floor.
“We’re happy you’re here,” Will says, turning to me. There are so many people, and I’m pressed against the wall and him. “I feel like most of the town grew up here and knows each other. It’s great to meet people also from somewhere else.”
Lucy smiles into her drink. Will holds up his empty glass.
“I’m going to brave my way to the bar,” he says. “Can I get you guys anything?”
“Yes,” Lucy says before I have a chance. “Surprise us both.”
Will walks away, and Lucy grabs my arm. “He is so into you.”
I narrow my eyes. “Sorry. Who’s into me?”
“Will,” Lucy says. “He mentioned something at work a couple of weeks ago about you being exactly his type, but now I see how he’s acting. The boy likes you.”
I glance at Will as he makes his way to the bar. I hadn’t even considered it. I’m very out of practice when it comes to dating. I’ve never had anything serious with someone and have been more involved in situationships. Will may be considered handsome by some, but I’ve never thought of him as anything other than a co-worker and potential friend. His attractiveness isn’t the in-your-face kind like some other people’s.
“He’s just being friendly, Lucy,” I say.
Will comes back with our drinks, and as I look up, my gaze meets Liam’s. He stands next to his friend, Dax. Now, Liam is the obvious kind of attractive that a person would have to be dead not to notice. His dark jeans, shirt, and sneakers look so good together, and my breath hitches in my chest as he says something to Dax, and then they both walk in my direction.
Lucy and Will have a conversation around me, but all I can focus on is Liam as he closes the gap between us.
“Birdie.” Liam holds his glass up and clinks it against mine. “Cheers.”
“Liam,” I say. “Have you met my co-workers? This is Lucy and Will.”
“Of course I have.” Liam turns to them. “It’s nice to see you outside of the nursing home.”
They stay with us in our small corner, like the five of us are old friends. As the crowd grows, we keep getting farther pressed against the wall. Somehow, Liam ends up wedged behind me, and his fingers spread against the bare skin on my waist.
“Sorry, Birdie.” He breathes into my ear. “Someone came up behind me.”
I look over my shoulder at him, my breath becoming labored at the proximity of Liam to me. His fingers linger around me until he drops his hand. Our eyes meet, and I nod.
Everyone takes their turns buying rounds, and at some point, I feel a little tipsy on both alcohol and attraction.
“I work tomorrow,” I abruptly announce to the group. “I think I’m going to take off.”
“Hey,” Will says, grabbing my arm. “I can drive you home.”
“Thanks,” I say, leaning toward Will so he can hear me. “But I’ll walk. I’ll catch up with you at work in a couple of days. I know you have tomorrow off.”
He presses his lips together and smiles. I give Lucy a hug and turn to say goodbye to Liam and Dax.
“Let me walk you out,” Liam says.
I go to protest, but he grips my arm as I maneuver myself through the crowd. We reach outside, and the air is sticky. We stare at each other as the moon beams down and reflects off of the buildings on Main Street.
“Can I drive you home?” Liam asks.
I look down the street. “Like I told Will, I’ll walk.”
“Then I’m walking with you,” he says. “I’ll come back and get my car.”
“Suit yourself,” I say. “But it’s not necessary.”
I start down the street, and Liam follows.
We’re silent, and after a few blocks, we veer to the left and off Main Street.
“Your mom emailed me,” Liam says. I turn to him, and he’s smiling. “She sent me a few confidential documents and said she looks forward to me diving in and providing recommendations.”
“That’s great.” I nudge my shoulder against his.
“Did she seem pretty open to it? Her email made it seem so, but I wanted to check.”
“She was very open to it,” I say. “My mom wants the best for the nursing home. She doesn’t care who’s part of the solution. She’s very unselfish like that.”
The road gets darker. During the day, I’d cut through the cemetery to get home, but I’m not going to do that in the dark.
“My grandma was in this nursing home for a couple of years when I was a teenager. Most places wouldn’t accept her and her condition, but Wheaton welcomed her with open arms.” I glance at Liam, and all of his attention is on me. “She’s always felt a soft spot for this place. When they showed up in the local news about the risk of shutting down, she jumped in, no questions asked.”
The porch light is on outside our home, and my mom’s car is parked out front.
“Your mom said I can work out of one of the empty offices tomorrow so I can go through all the documents she sent me. I’ll have coffee with Grandpa Sunny in the morning, and then get to work.”
“I’ll be there,” I say.
Liam walks me to the door, and we stand on the top step. I stare up at him, confident that I’ve misjudged him from the start. I mistook his quietness for judgment when, really, he was struggling with something in silence. He’s the kind of guy who grows on you the more time you spend with him.
Even his appearance gets better the closer you look, which is rare. When Liam walks into a room, people turn their necks and stare at the six-foot-three man with broad shoulders and a chiseled jaw. But upon closer look, it’s his deep blue eyes that I can’t glance away from.
“Thanks for giving me purpose,” he finally says. He rubs his lips together. “Ever since coming back, I’ve been feeling very—”
“No thanks necessary,” I say, spreading my hand across his upper arm. “Thanks for walking me home.”
Liam pulls open the screen door. “See you tomorrow, Birdie.”