Chapter 10 Garrison
Garrison
“How you doing over there?” I glance up from my computer toward where Kyle is seated on the floor in front of the couch, a textbook open on the coffee table. He looks up at me, pencil hovering over the page of his notebook. He’s been in that exact spot since we got back from lunch two hours ago.
“Good. Trying to decide what to do for my creative writing assignment.”
“Oh? What’s the topic?”
His brow furrows. “Anything I want it to be. That’s part of the problem. I have no idea what to write about. It has to be three to five pages and have a plot twist.”
“A plot twist, huh?” I push up from my chair and cross the room to take a seat on the couch beside him.
“I’m not a writer.” He groans and sets his pencil down. “I’m reading through my language arts textbook for inspiration.”
“Well, there’s your problem.” I close the book and stand. “Come on, let’s go for a walk.”
“How is that going to help? This is due tomorrow.”
“Well, procrastination is never a good thing.” I reach down and tug him to his feet. “But sometimes the best remedy is fresh air. So, let’s go get some.”
With another groan, he opens the door and steps out with me right behind him. We move past the receptionist desk, and Suzie waves, her expression bright.
“Getting some fresh air?” she asks as she pushes her glasses back up onto the bridge of her nose.
“That’s the plan,” I tell her. “I have my cell, so call if anything comes up.”
“Will do. If you happen to get fresh air by the coffee shop, I wouldn’t complain about a caramel macchiato.”
I laugh and nod. “You’ve got it.” She doesn’t even realize she’s handed me the perfect opportunity to stop in on someone I haven’t been able to stop thinking about.
We step out into the bright sunshine, and I breathe deeply, inhaling the cool spring air into my lungs. Man, I love this town. I had no idea what to expect when I moved here, yet I ended up getting what I didn’t even realize I was asking for: a home.
“How exactly is this supposed to help?” Kyle asks as we step onto Main Street.
“Consider it a power cycle for your brain.”
“Isn’t that what sleep is?”
I laugh and shove my hands into my pockets.
“I struggled with school, too, and anytime I’d get frustrated with an assignment, my aunt would make me go outside.
Most of the time, we’d sit on the porch and just stare out at the back yard.
We’d talk about everything but the assignment, and somehow doing that completely cleared my mind enough that I could actually focus. ”
“It really works?”
“It does. But only if we talk about something other than the assignment.”
He smirks at me, something that’s coming a lot easier to the boy weighed down with far more than his fair share of life. “So what should we talk about?”
“How about Pauline? How is she doing?”
“Much better.” His shoulders relax, and the crease between his brow lessens. It’s no wonder; the kid adores his little sister. She’s his entire universe. “We went and saw a movie last night.”
“Oh yeah?”
He nods. “She’s doing so great, and I know she’s starting to think that maybe she won’t have any more issues, but...” He trails off, and his expression darkens. “I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
“That’s a stressful way to live, Kyle.”
“We have to be prepared. What if it happens when she’s walking to school? What if she falls and hits her head?”
I stop walking and turn him to face me, placing both hands on his shoulders. “That’s where faith comes in.”
“I don’t know that I have much of that, Mr. Holt. I mean, I try, but why would God let these things happen? Why would He have made my dad who he is? Or made my sister sick?”
“God didn’t make your dad who he is. Your dad’s choices are what turned him into the man he is. As for your sister, God didn’t make her sick, but He has given you everything you need to handle it.”
“What’s that?” He sniffles and looks up at me.
“Him. There is no storm we can’t weather with the Lord in our boat. Having faith doesn’t mean that everything is always going to work out okay, but it does mean that you go through nothing alone.”
Kyle takes a deep breath and shifts his gaze away from me. I drop my hands from his shoulders and offer him the silence to process.
“I just don’t know.”
“That’s okay. You can build on what you don’t know.”
“How’s that?”
“The Bible.”
“Mom has one of those. She and Pauline read it together every morning.”
“And you?”
He shakes his head and starts walking again, so I fall into step beside him. “I usually try to be anywhere else.”
“Then maybe that’s where you start. Sit with them. You don’t have to talk or read, but you can listen. And that’s a place to start.” I pause just outside the coffee shop.
“That sounds way too easy.”
I laugh. “Kid, it’s going to be the hardest thing you’ve done, but it’s the only thing that matters. Your past, your pain—none of that will exist in the eternity He has promised us. Your sister will be healed, and there will be no tears.”
He shrugs and looks up at me. “That sounds nice, I guess.”
I clasp a hand on his shoulder. “It’s going to be perfect.”
“I’ll try. I can’t promise anything, but I’ll try.”
“Good.” I pull open the door to the coffee shop so he can move inside. When I follow him and take note of Anastasia working the cash register, I can’t help but feel slightly disappointed that it’s not Katelyn smiling at me.
“Hey there,” Anastasia greets. Her smile is hollow, not at all reaching her eyes.
My gaze momentarily falls to the large scar on her cheek.
The bullet that left it nearly claimed her life almost two months ago.
It makes my stomach churn to know how close we came to losing her. “The usual?” she asks.
“Hi, Miss Knox,” Kyle greets. “Yes, please. For Miss Suzie.” He’s been coming here at least a few times a week, doing coffee runs for Suzie.
“And for you?”
“Just an iced tea, please.”
“You’ve got it. Mr. Holt?” Anastasia asks.
“Just a regular coffee, please. Some cream and sugar.” While she rings it up, I turn to Kyle. “Why don’t you grab a seat?”
He nods and heads toward one in the far corner while I pay for the drinks.
“You okay?” I ask Anastasia, keeping my voice low so the other patrons seated around the café can’t hear.
She lifts her gaze to mine, and her bottom lip quivers slightly. Anastasia has spent most of her life being strong, keeping her walls in place until she’s alone and can safely let them down. But right now, that mask has fissures.
“I’ll be fine.”
“Anastasia,” I say softly.
She closes her eyes, then nods toward the back where the entrance to her apartment is. I glance back at Kyle, who’s playing a game on his phone, then follow her toward the back where no one can see.
“It’s stupid,” she says.
“I doubt that. What happened?”
“Sawyer just—” she clenches her hands into fists at her sides. “He won’t let up about Jack, and we had a fight.”
I arch a brow. “This have something to do with Jack’s lunch with your mom the other day?”
“No. At least not completely.” Anastasia closes her eyes. “Jack asked me if he should move here.”
I arch a brow. “Oh?”
“Yeah.”
“And what did you say?”
“That I didn’t want him to change his entire life for me. That we were still new and I needed time to think about it.”
“Ouch.”
“He actually took it fine. It was Sawyer who made a big deal about it. Like he always does.”
“How did he find out?”
“I made the stupid mistake of opening up to my friend, and he blew up on me.” She crosses her arms and shakes her head. “I don’t understand why it’s such a big deal. He’s never liked Jack, and I can’t for the life of me figure out why.”
I arch a brow. Surely, she’s not serious. Still, I won’t be the one to open that particular door. It has to be either her or Sawyer. And at this rate, they’ll be dancing around each other until the end of time.
“Anyway. Sorry. I told you it was stupid. He told me that it was a mistake, that Jack isn’t good enough for me and that, if I let him move here, then I will regret it.”
“What do you think?”
She glares up at me. “Don’t hit me with that counselor jargon.”
I laugh. “I’m not. I’m asking as your friend.”
She blows out a breath. “I’m not sure what I want. I mean, I care about Jack, but there’s just something missing. I don’t know. Maybe it is the distance causing it.”
“Maybe,” I say.
“Or?” she asks.
“I can’t answer that question for you.”
A bell over the door dings, so Anastasia glances past me, then grins. “Oooh look who’s here.”
I follow her gaze and have the air knocked from my lungs at the sight of Katelyn wearing a floral dress and a short jean jacket. Her hair is pulled halfway up, so the loose curls cascade down to her shoulders.
Speaking of unrequited feelings.
“Thanks for the talk, G-man. It actually helped.” Anastasia gently smacks me on the shoulder, then steps past me to greet Katelyn.
“Hey! I thought you two were out taking the big city by storm.”
Katelyn smiles. “I think we’ve got everything we need.” Her gaze meets mine, and in it, I pretend that I see the same desire I know is reflected in mine.
Never, in my entire life, have I felt this way about someone.
This instant connection that might as well be a live wire waiting to ignite.
“Hey, Garrison.” Katelyn’s greeting rips me back to the present.
“Hey. Fun day?” I move back into the main room of the coffee shop. Thomas is sitting across from Kyle, the two teens chatting happily despite their age gap.
“It was.” Katelyn’s smile widens as she looks over at Thomas, but it fades slightly as she turns back to me.
I can practically see those shields going back into place.
It stings—a lot more than I care to admit.
“We grabbed everything he needs for baseball camp. Thanks again for the afternoon off,” she says to Anastasia, who waves her hand in dismissal.
“Please. No need to thank me. You want a coffee?”
“Yes, please. A vanilla latte with some lavender.”
“And a hot cocoa for me, please!” Thomas calls out. “Hey, Mr. Holt!” He waves at me, so I return it, a smile on my face.
“Hey, Thomas. Getting excited?”
“Oh, more than. I seriously cannot wait.”
Kyle says something I can’t quite hear, but Thomas turns around, and the two start talking again.
“Here you go, Garrison.” Anastasia offers me a tray with three drinks on it, then goes to work making Katelyn’s coffee. Even though I have no interest in leaving, I take them, then turn to Katelyn.
“How are you doing?”
She sighs. “I’m managing. My boy will be safe and happy, and that’s all I can ask for.”
“If you need anything—”
“I’ll be okay, but thanks.” Her plastic mask slips into place. “See you later, Garrison.”
“See ya. Thanks, Anastasia.”
“Welcome! See you later, G-man.”
“Kyle, you ready?”
“Yeah.” He pushes up. “If I don’t see you again before you leave, good luck, Thomas. I hope you have a great time.”
“Thanks so much, Kyle. Hoops when I get back?”
“Definitely.” He offers Katelyn a smile and half wave. “See ya, Miss Ellis.”
“See ya, Kyle.” She offers me one final smile, then crosses over to where Thomas is still sitting.
What do I have to do to get her to open up?
Before I can press my luck by trying to engage her in another guarded conversation, I push open the door with my back and hold it so Kyle can walk outside.
“Thanks for bringing me out, Mr. Holt. I actually think I know what I want to write about.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah.” His eyes light up. “I’m thinking a story about a soldier who comes home after service to find his entire town has been taken over by robots.”
I snort. “That’s a book I’d read.”
“Yeah?” Kyle looks up at me, eyes wide and hopeful.
“Oh yeah, buddy. You’re going to ace it.” Overhead, the sky darkens, and the wind picks up. Two telltale signs that the nasty storm they’ve been tracking will be rolling in over the next few hours. “It might be time to get you home. Let’s go get Suzie her coffee, and I’ll give you a ride.”