Chapter 28
By the time Gemma got home from school, I’d finished putting the last coat of paint on the walls and hanging the drapes. “What do you think?” I asked her.
She gazed around the living room with a smile. “It’s sick!”
I side-eyed her. “That’s good?”
“Uncle Cy, it looks incredible! It hardly seems like the same house.”
I grinned back at her, then swept my own satisfied gaze around. The new drapes went perfectly with the freshly painted walls. I’d sanded the old floorboards to get rid of the cigarette scars, then polished them until they had a rich shine, bringing out their natural beauty. A few plush rugs added extra warmth, and after carting away my daddy’s old furniture, I’d brought all my good stuff in from where I’d stored it.
I’d also changed all the light fixtures and switches, and brought in some houseplants and other decorations. The large windows opened onto a view of the tidy lawn that stretched to the woods, with a glimpse of the river peeping through the trees.
I still had to paint the outside of the house, replace the old kitchen with a new one, and update the bathrooms, but I’d made a good start.
“I’m all done in your room, too,” I told Gemma. “Go take a look at your new drapes.”
She raced into the bedroom, Zeppelin bouncing at her heels. Her whoop of delight made me grin even wider. My back ached, and I had callouses from my hard work over the last few days, but as Gemma emerged from her room, her expression made it all worthwhile.
“It’s so much better! Thank you.” She threw herself at me, and I wrapped my arms around her, hugging her tight.
When Gemma drew back, her eyes were still full of excitement. “You think I could invite some friends over next week?” she asked.
“Of course.”
I tried to play it cool and not grin too widely. But I was already anticipating telling Ruth how Gemma was settling in and making friends, knowing how pleased she’d be to hear it. Hopefully now Gemma was happier here, my sister might decide to move in as well for a while once she was discharged, so I could provide more support and make sure she was okay. It was well past time I got to know her again, like I’d been getting to know my niece.
And maybe if Ruth came back, she’d be able to make peace with the past, like I’d been doing. After our mother died, I couldn’t leave fast enough. But now I was back, my memories of Momma had become more vivid, as though she was imprinted in this land. I remembered how she used to catch fish with us. How every spring, she’d pick the first blooms of blue flowers and make a bouquet. How she’d read us stories and sing us made-up songs.
I wanted my sister to remember those things too. The good times, not the bad.
But if both Ruth and Gemma came to stay, it’d be more important than ever that they could go out in public without being bullied or made to feel like they didn’t belong.
I couldn’t help but think about the way that Jimmy Dale had looked at me. He saw what he expected to see. Son of a murderer. Brother of a criminal. Then again, I hadn’t done anything to change his opinion. Since coming back, I’d only been into town to buy food and other supplies.
Maybe it was time to make more of an effort. To change more than my house.
“You want a sandwich?” I asked Gemma, crossing to the fridge. “PB and J?”
“Sure. Thanks.” She slid onto one of the kitchen stools to watch me pull out the fixings.
“I’ll head into town tomorrow to get my hair cut,” I told her as I put the bread slices onto plates. “It’s about time I stopped hiding, and the barbershop is one of those places where people gossip.”
She raised her eyebrows. “You want to know what people are saying about you?”
“I already know what they’re saying. But I want them to start saying it to my face.”
“So you can argue with them?”
I shrugged, spreading peanut butter onto the bread. “So I can turn it into a conversation.”
“Good for you.” She swiped some peanut butter off the edge of the bread and licked it off her finger. “And you’ll get a nice haircut in the process. I wonder if Mags likes short hair?” When I lifted my gaze up to hers, she gave me an innocent, wide-eyed look, lifting one shoulder. “Just wondering, that’s all.”
Instead of commenting, I handed her the knife so she could lick the peanut butter off it. Then I got a fresh knife out to spread the jelly.
“Seeing as you’re going into town, you should pick up some new clothes.” Gemma got up to drop the knife into the sink, her tone suspiciously casual. “I mean, if you’re planning on interacting with more people, you want to look nice, don’t you?”
She was still wearing her too-innocent look, and I knew what she was thinking. Mags was into fashion. She always dressed well. Even I could tell she was stylish in an edgy, cool way. In other words, the opposite of me.
“I could take you clothes shopping,” Gemma suggested, getting back onto her stool. “We could drive to Knoxville where there are more stores.”
I finished making the sandwiches while I considered it. “You want me to take you to the jam session at the community center this week?” I asked.
“Yes!” She almost shouted the word. “Of course I do. I still can’t believe you went without me!”
I slid her sandwich over to her. “Then we should both get something new to wear.”
She gave a delighted squeal. “Really? Thanks, Uncle Cy! When should we go shopping?”
“If I write you a note, you think you can get out of school a little early tomorrow?”
“This is getting better and better!” She took a big bite of her sandwich and chewed, still grinning.
I loved seeing her so happy. It made me feel the same way. I took the stool next to her and pulled my own sandwich in front of me.
“In all the photos Mom has of you, you’re clean-shaven,” she said, swallowing her mouthful. “Would you ever shave your beard off?”
Surprised, I ran my hand over the bristles. “Having a beard means I don’t need to shave every day.”
“So you’re lazy?”
“You think I should shave it off?”
She tilted her head to the side, studying me as though she’d never seen me before. “Actually, I kind of like it.”
“Maybe I’ll have the barber trim and shape it a little more.” I found myself running my hand over it again and picked up my sandwich instead.
She nodded, her eyes alight. “A haircut, beard trim, and some new clothes. When she sees you, Mags will die!”
I laughed. “I’d prefer a non-fatal reaction.”
She pursed her lips, adopting a serious tone. “I love you, Uncle Cy, but I need to tell you that Mags is a lot cooler than you are.”
“I know she is.” But it was the first time Gemma had ever told me she loved me, and my heart was expanding so quickly, I didn’t care about anything else. “I love you too,” I said. “Seriously, Gem. I hope you know how happy it makes me to spend time with you. I didn’t see you anywhere near enough before, and I’ve really liked getting to know you better.”
“Me too,” she mumbled through a mouth full of sandwich. Then she swallowed. “But you know you’re going to have to listen to more than just country music if you’re dating Mags, right?”
“Will you do something for me?” I asked slowly. “I’d like to hear that song by her ex-boyfriend. The song you were talking about when you first met.”
“Should I put it on now?” She reached for her phone and a few moments later, music started playing.
I wanted to hate the song, but I had to admit, her asshole ex had a good voice. The music was melodic, with a catchy beat. But he was singing about Mags. My Mags. About halfway through the song, I motioned to Gemma to turn it off.
“Your momma’s going to call tonight,” I said, because I didn’t want to talk about the song.
“I know,” she said. Then she asked, “Uncle Cy, is Momma going to be okay?”
“Sure,” I said in my most reassuring voice. “She’s sounding better on the phone, isn’t she? They needed to get her medication right, and she’s been talking to her therapist. She has some stuff to work through, seeing as she’s been holding a lot of pain inside her for a long time.”
“Pain from when you were kids, right? And because of my father?”
I nodded.
Gemma’s mouth twisted. “I remember him from when I was little. He could be scary sometimes.”
“That wasn’t right. She deserved to be treated with respect, and so do you.”
I hated that Gemma had been exposed to her father’s ugliness. But she’d been young enough when Ruth had left Gemma’s father, maybe his violence hadn’t affected her too much. I hoped not.
“I was thinking of asking your momma if she wants to come and live here for a while when she gets out of the facility,” I said. “Would that be okay with you?”
She nodded. “I still miss my friends in Nashville, but it’s not so bad here. But what if Momma wants to stay in Green Valley permanently? I mean, you thought you were only coming for a few weeks and ended up staying.”
“We have plenty of land. You two could live here, and I could build another house up by the river. It’s pretty up there.”
“I guess that would be okay.” She ate another bite of her sandwich, looking thoughtful. “Uncle Cy, do you think Mags will stay in town?”
My heart clenched. “No,” I said honestly. “I think she’ll go back to New York.”
Her mouth turned down. “But you want her to stay, don’t you?”
I didn’t answer, because I didn’t need to. I was sure she could see how I felt about Mags from my face.
“You know what you should do?” Gemma’s eyes lit up with enthusiasm. “You should walk into the community center on Friday night with a new haircut and your beard trimmed, wearing some nice new clothes. Like a male Cinderella! Then tell her how you feel about her and ask her to stay. I bet she’ll say yes.”
“Hmm.” I ate the last of my sandwich, not able to feel nearly as much optimism as my niece. “Don’t you have some homework to do?”