Chapter 8
Lost dogs, stolen four wheelers, and domestic disturbances, oh my.
I groaned as I climbed into my truck, dropping my head on the steering wheel and sighed. Markus and Loralai will be the death of me, I swear.
Turning the key and leaving the parking lot, my phone rang loud and imposing on the silence of the cab.
My dad’s number flashed on the screen.
“Hey, Dad.”
“Son.”
It’s never good when he started with that. “We need to talk about your mom. We need to have a sit down to really discuss next steps. I went to the bathroom and when I was done, she was gone. Our neighbors found her. They said she was adamant about going home. She was walking towards the ranch.”
I swallowed and gripped the steering wheel tight enough to bleach my knuckles. “I actually had an idea.”
We spent the next twenty minutes discussing plans and time frames for Lucy. I wasn’t even paying attention to the road, which is likely why I ended up parked in Lucy’s Gran’s house.
“I’ve got to go, Dad. I’ll call you back when I have confirmation. Do you need me to stay with you tonight?”
Dad’s sigh rattled the speaker of my phone. “No. I’ve got child locks on the door for now.”
“Alright, call me if anything changes.”
I climbed out of the truck and smiled at Gran, tipping my head in her direction.
Lucy’s Gran greeted me from her porch swing. “Garrett. Lovely to see you again. How is your mom?”
“She’s ok. Her dementia is worsening, but she is healthy.”
I sighed and took a seat on the top step. “I don’t know how to answer that question anymore. Her condition is worsening, she is escaping frequently, but her physical health is fine.”
“It’s a wretched curse.”
Gran patted my shoulder. “Why don’t you come inside. I’ll get you a drink. I think Lucy is expecting to hear from you if I remember correctly.”
I nodded and followed her inside. “Yeah, we discussed it.”
“Hey Gran, where are the-”
Lucy’s voice trailed down from the balcony and I’ll be damned if she wasn’t standing at the top of the stairs wrapped in a fluffy white towel, wet hair dripping down her bare shoulders. Fuck me. I fought every urge to stare and dropped my eyes to the floor.
“Lucy Marie!”
Gran admonished and I couldn’t help but chuckle. “What in God’s green earth, young lady?”
Lucy looked at me and blushed, before turning quickly to retreat to her room.
Cold showers, vomit on the floor, mucking the horse pen. Dear God, think of anything that will halt the rush of blood leaving my brain.
“Come on,”
Gran broke the trance and ushered me to her kitchen. “We will get some coffee brewing while my granddaughter finds her senses.”
She shook her head as she grumbled her frustration.
I couldn’t say I shared the same opinion, but I remained quiet and followed her, doing my best to push aside the stunning picture of Lucy fresh out of the shower and the delicate floral tattoos peeking out from under her towel.
Gran started the pot and pulled a glass bottle from the top of the refrigerator. “Would you like a regular or Irish coffee?”
Lucy, now fully dressed in a band t-shirt and black leggings, took the seat next to me at the island and gave me a knowing look. “If you have her Irish coffee, you aren’t driving home afterwards.”
Gran scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Now that’s just nonsense.”
Lucy met my eyes, no sign of embarrassment from earlier. “Who are you going to trust here, Garrett?”
I laughed and glanced between the two formidable women. “If memory serves, you don’t have the best track record for holding your liquor.”
Gran laughed and pointed the bottle at Lucy. “If that isn’t the truth. What’ll it be, Garrett?”
“I’ll take you up on the Irish coffee, ma’am.”
Lucy smirked and shrugged a shoulder. “You were warned, Sheriff.”
She flicked the patch on my shoulder as she stood and grabbed an iced coffee from the fridge.
My eyes followed her movement, taking in the way her shirt fell off her shoulder and exposed her upper back, the little tattoo of Alice in Wonderland still bright as the day she got it on her eighteenth birthday. Her leggings that did nothing to hide her toned legs.
Gran cleared her throat and set a mug in front of me, her eyes told me I wasn’t subtle in my perusal of her granddaughter.
I dropped my gaze to the mug. “Thank you.”
Lucy sat back down next to me, taking a drink, watching and waiting for me to drink mine.
With both women staring at me, waiting, I took a tentative sip and fought the cough as the whiskey burned my throat. God, that had to be ninety percent whiskey and ten percent coffee.
“That is definitely Irish coffee.”
I cleared my throat and set the mug on the counter.
Gran grinned triumphantly. “I’ll leave you two to your discussion.”
She left the kitchen as if she didn’t just give me enough alcohol to lay out a horse.
Lucy laughed and drank her iced coffee. It was one of the best sounds I’d ever heard. “I tried to warn you.”
I got lost in her warm brown eyes and smirked. “I should have listened.”
Pushing the mug away, I turned on the stool to face her. “Are you sure you’re willing to do this? My mom is becoming more and more of a concern.”
Her hand landed on mine. “I want to help, Garrett. She’s practically family.”
My heart crashed against my chest. “She won’t remember you or anyone most days.”
Her hand squeezed mine and I looked up at her.
“I have worked with Alzheimer’s and dementia patients before, Garrett. I can give you my references from the nursing home I had a contract with. I am still a registered nurse. I know what I am doing.”
I took a steadying breath. “I don’t know what I’m doing. It’s like I lost my mom, but she’s still here. I don’t know how to come to terms with that.”
Lucy swallowed and stood, her stool scraping on the tile floor with the movement. In seconds, her arms were wrapped around my neck and her warm almond scent invaded my senses. I wrapped my arms around her waist and buried my head in her neck. Tears pricked my eyes. She held me until I let go.
“When can I start?”
“Is tomorrow too soon?”
I huffed a laugh and rubbed my chin, the stubble scaping my fingers. “No, let me recommend you to the home nurse program we have and make things official so insurance can help with the salary. My dad wanted me to go that route before I paid you out of pocket.”
Lucy nodded. “Okay. I’ll send you my certifications and we will go from there. But in the interim, I’ll be happy to go to your parents and hang out with them.”
“If you do, I will pay you for that time.”
“Have you heard from your brother? Is he in a place where he could come back and help?”
Her thumb caressed my knuckles as she watched me.
“He left rehab a while ago. No one has heard from him in a long while.”
I really should call him. She’s right. He loved Mom. Dammit. Add that to the list of things to do.
Lucy released my hand and nodded. She stood and began pacing the length of the kitchen. “I officially listed our old house for sale. The girls are going to kill me.”
It had been a beautiful home in the suburbs. Honestly, it wouldn’t be on the market for long. “What lead you to that decision?”
Her arms wrapped around her midsection as she shrugged. “It’s not home anymore.”
I was torn between rushing to her and wrapping the woman in my arms and taking a long drink of the coffee flavored whiskey on the counter.
“There’s nothing for us there. We need to focus on laying down roots here.”
She shuffled her feet, staring down at those painted pink toes. “He’s gone and not coming back, and we need to start living our lives looking forward.”
“I’m sorry, Daze.”
The words caught in my throat.
She shook her head, damp hair sticking to her cheeks. “No, I think it’s good. I feel good about this. I want the girls to see a healthy example of growth and happiness after loss. I messaged the realtor in the middle of my bath.”
She chuckled and tucked her hair behind her ears. “That was why I rushed out in my towel. She told me there were already people asking if our house was for sale.”
“And you feel good about this?”
I sipped my coffee, trying to remain neutral.
“I do. I mean, Liam turns one next month. David’s been gone for a full year. We can’t keep our lives on stand still, right? He would want us to be out here doing fantastic things. He’d be pushing me to start an equine therapy retreat. He would want Eve in the theater program and Kaley in martial arts. He would want us happy, and I feel like we’ve been stagnant for long enough.”
“I think David would understand. But you’re right, he had only ever wanted to see you all thrive.”
My mind caught on the equine therapy and my grandfather’s ranch. Now wasn’t the time, but the thought, it could work.
She sighed and plopped onto the barstool next to me. “But I don’t want them to think I am rushing their grief, you know? Kaley seems stable, but Eve? She has so many emotions she is holding in and being a thirteen-year-old girl on top of it all. Ugh, I’m sorry, I just made that about me. I’m sorry.”
It was my turn to place my hand on hers and squeeze. “I would rather talk about you than my brother.”
She rolled her eyes. “The girls start school on Monday. I could come over after I drop them off and hang out with your parents until it’s time to pick them up. Would that work?”
“I think it will work for now. I’m going to need to hire someone for the evenings as well. Or, I don’t know. I don’t know what I’m doing.”
Lucy grabbed her drink and held it out. “Here’s to adulthood and having not a fucking clue what to do next.”
I laughed and clinked my mug against her glass. We both took a drink, except I coughed after mine.
Lucy leaned forward and whispered, “I wouldn’t tell if you just…”
She motioned to dumping the mug into the sink across from us.
I contemplated my choices and decided her solution was the best option.
“I should get going and discuss the plans with Dad. Send me your certifications so I can get the process rolling and I’ll see you Monday?”
She smiled, nodding. “Knowing this town, I’ll probably see you before then.”
Standing from my seat, I was torn with whether I should hug her goodbye, kiss her cheek or simply wave.
Daze, as always, saw my hesitation for what it was and wrapped her arms around my waist. I let out a sigh of relief and hugged her back.
“Take care, Garrett.”
“You too, Daze.”
I left, saying goodbye and thank you to Gran and headed to my parents to discuss the plan. Even as I crawled into bed that night, the feeling of Lucy in my arms never left my mind. No one had ever fit so perfectly.