Chapter 10 #2
Her eyes round with horror. “No one would ever steal from Bruce or stiff him. And if someone saw someone do that, that person wouldn’t get more than two steps outside the door.”
“Where is Bruce?”
“Back in the kitchen. Just lean in the door and tell him what you want.” She points to the swinging door leading to the back.
“I might need to get some cereal and a toaster in my apartment,” I mutter. I’m not sure I want Bruce cooking my food now that I think about it. At least until I win him over by romancing his granddaughter.
“Oh, you don’t have anything to worry about. You treat Nora like the princess everyone here thinks she is, and you are going to be golden. Bruce will make you things off menu. And trust me, he’s an amazing cook. You’re going to miss breakfast here when you leave.”
Treat Nora like the princess everyone thinks she is. For some reason, I don’t think that’s going to be difficult.
“So I’m going to be okay?”
Everly grins. “Well, I didn’t say that. You’re going to have to treat Nora like the princess everyone thinks she is,” she repeats.
“Is that a high bar?”
“Nora could tell everyone that the sky is green, farts smell like candy, and eating mud will reverse the aging process, and they would all happily nod and go right along with it.”
“She’s a cult leader?”
Everly laughs. “She sure could be. Fortunately for us, she’s also smart, down to earth, and loves everyone right back.”
Suddenly, I realize that I may have gotten myself in over my head.
“So I need to talk Nora into having breakfast with me every day.”
Everly pats me on the shoulder on her way to the door. “You could do that. Or you could go have breakfast at that table by the window.”
I turn and find a table by the window occupied by one older gentleman who is nursing a cup of coffee and reading a book.
“Yeah?”
Everly nods. “Trust me.”
Then she steps behind the counter, leans in the door, and calls, “Hey, Bruce, we need a ham and cheese omelet and cheesy grits out here!”
“Fine!” comes the surly answer.
Everly lets the door swing shut and gives me a wink. “Have a good day, Alex.”
I take a deep breath and start toward the table by the window. “Hi. Would you mind if I join you?”
The man looks up and smiles at me. “Hi, Alex. Sure, sit down.”
I take the seat across from him, feeling immediately at ease. I extend my hand across the table. “Thanks.”
He takes my hand. “It’s nice to meet you. My name is Harley.”
Surprise ripples through me. “Harley. You’re Nora’s grandfather.”
His face lights up. “I am. And you’re her new boyfriend, from what I hear.”
I think I might be blushing. Fuck. I nod. “I couldn’t resist asking her out.”
He smiles. “I understand completely. And you’re brave.”
“Brave? Nora seems sweet,” I say with a grin.
He laughs. “She is. That’s why this whole town is protective of her, and you now have a town full of people who are going to want to be sure you treat her right.”
“So those jars will get even more stuffed full if I don’t take her on amazing dates?”
Harley chuckles. “Oh, way worse consequences than that.”
I try to smile, but even though he laughed, I have a feeling that is a completely serious promise. And I’m not sure Harley is the one who will be carrying out those consequences.
And since nothing has been simple and straightforward since the very first text from Nora, I should have expected that even taking her out on a few dates would come with a side of oh-you-might-die-from-this.
I sit back in my chair and take a deep breath. “I am really sorry I didn’t meet with you last October. I understand that we had a meet-and-greet scheduled, and I screwed it up.”
Harley slides a bookmark into his book, closing it and setting it on the table. “We did. But you were having a bad night.”
I nod. “I was. Maybe the worst I’ve ever had.”
“I’ve had a few of those in my time. I accept your apology. And I’m glad to see that you’ve recovered.”
“Thank you. But I haven’t. I can’t seem to get over this final hump.”
Harley reaches for his coffee cup. I study him closely. I am definitely no expert in strokes, but I don’t see anything obvious about Harley that tells me he has any impairment.
“I know how that feels,” he tells me. “It’s absolutely devastating when your body betrays you.”
I feel a stab of recognition. He does understand. Better than most people. Maybe even in a way that I don’t fully understand. What he went through was life-threatening. And as Nora reminded me in the truck on the way here, he’ll never be one hundred percent.
“I’m glad to see how far you’ve come as well,” I say. “I know next to nothing about strokes, but you look damn good.”
He smiles. “I’m guessing you know a little something about putting on a facade as well.”
Again, that feeling of being seen hits me hard right between the eyes. “Yeah. I sure do.”
He looks around the place, then back to me. “Tomorrow when they ask you to share something about yourself, make it something about you as a person, not hockey.”
“Pretty much everything about me is hockey,” I say. “And that’s why I’m here.”
“Dig deep,” he says. “Or fake it.” He smiles. “They want to know you as a person.”
“I’m a hockey player,” I say with a shrug. “There’s not much else.”
“Everyone here has a label like that. Bill is an electrician. Mary is a teacher,” he says. “But there’s more. Tell us things you like. Things you don’t like. Places you’ve been. Places you wish you could go. A joke or story that makes you laugh. Just something about you, Alex.”
I nod. I have some time to think about it. Maybe I can come up with something.
“So, I have something you can definitely help me with,” I say.
“Shoot.”
“Where should I take Nora on our first date?”
“Oh.” He smiles. “She’ll love anything you come up with.”
“Really?” That seems way too easy.
“Certainly. You’ll find that Nora always appreciates other people and whatever efforts they go to. If someone does something for her, she loves it, no matter what it is, simply because they did it for her. That’s all it takes.”
I frown. “But…I don’t want her to be grateful. I want her to have a really wonderful time.”
“She will,” Harley says with a nod. “At least as far as you’ll ever know.”
My eyes widen. “So…” This isn’t helpful at all. “I can’t mess this up? No matter what?”
“Well, not with Nora, no,” he says.
I lean in. “You’re saying that Nora will love whatever I do, and even if she has a great time, other people will still judge it, and me.”
Harley lifts his coffee cup with a smile. He seems like such a happy, friendly guy.
“Pretty much,” he says.
I slump in my chair.
I maybe should have just stuck with hockey after all.