Chapter 7 #2
“I heard you came here from South Carolina,” Leann questioned, immediately causing my guard to go up. I tried to hide the way my shoulders went rigid, hoping I succeeded.
“Yeah, a few days ago,” I replied not wanting to be rude, but remaining elusive. I wasn’t ready to tell anyone the reason for my return; let alone someone I’d just met.
“Well, I’m happy you’re here. It’s been rough with only one nurse for a while. We may be a small town, but it can get quite busy here on any given day,” she said before snagging that bear claw and leaving the breakroom.
I finished the last of my croissant and walked over to the sink to quickly wash the stickiness off my hands.
I took another sip of coffee to ward off the nervousness and reached in my purse to grab my phone to put it on silent for the day.
A text notification appeared at the top of the screen with Leo’s name. A warmth filled my chest again at his eagerness to get to know Luke.
Leo
He’s adorable.
Yes, he sure was, and he was also a spitting image of his father, which made it hard sometimes to look at him and not remember the man I’d left behind.
Pushing the button on the side of the screen, I dropped the phone back in my bag with a determination to get through my first shift here, excited for this new opportunity.
After checking with Leann, she told me where I could store my belongings and which station I would be.
Just as I closed the locker door and set a new code for the lock, Dr. Gregory appeared behind me letting me know I’d be shadowing the other nurse today to get used to the system they used and the procedures for the office. I couldn’t wait to get the day started.
The day passed by rather quickly. Leann wasn’t kidding when she said the office was busy for a small town, but it was nowhere near the fast-pace I was used to after working in a busy emergency room.
The slower pace was welcomed. I felt energized as I said goodbye to the office staff and left for the day with my head held high.
I couldn’t wait to see Luke. I missed him after not seeing him last night or this morning. He was the brightness and best part of my life, and we hadn’t spent a night apart since he was born.
After the short drive, I pulled in my parents’ driveway and parked.
The house hadn’t changed much over the years.
They lived in a farmhouse style rancher with a wraparound porch.
The flower beds were neatly manicured; the shrubs trimmed neatly with a fresh layer of mulch beneath them.
The front of the porch was still lined with rocking chairs.
I used to love sitting on the porch while my mom knitted a blanket and enjoyed her evening cup of tea while I had my nose stuck in whatever I happened to be studying at the time.
My dad would join us sometimes when there wasn’t any type of sports game playing.
The time when life was simple and the days weren’t layered with the troubles of adulthood.
I got out of my SUV and raced up the stone walkway, taking the stairs two at a time once I reached the porch.
I barreled through the front door and yelled, “Where’s my handsome young man?” as I took off my shoes. There was one thing my mom insisted upon, and that was that no one wore shoes in her house.
The sounds of Luke’s footsteps echoed in the hallway, and he rounded the corner at a fast speed and plowed into me causing me to take a couple steps backward. He wrapped his small arms around my waist and squeezed me tight.
“I missed you,” I said to him as I returned the hug.
“You’ll never guess what we did today?” Luke all but shouted, and I had to remind him to use an inside voice.
“Sorry, Mama. But, Grandpa and I built this huge Lego set. You’ve got to come see it,” he said, the excitement coming off him in waves.
He grabbed my hand and all but pulled me behind him down the hallway to my parents' den.
On the coffee table stood a half-assembled castle, one I knew my parents bought him for his birthday a couple months prior.
“This looks great, bud,” I told him as he rambled on and on about how certain parts of the castle would move to reveal hidden compartments once it was fully assembled.
“We’re going to keep working on it tomorrow,” he said with glee as he bounced up and down.
“Careful now. You don’t want to shake the table too much and knock it over,” my dad said in a soft but stern voice.
Luke immediately stopped jumping. If only he listened to me that easily sometimes. He was a great kid, but sometimes he had a mind of his own and he’d be off in his own little world not hearing me when I instructed him to do something, like finish his homework, which he hated with a passion.
“Are you ready to go home and cook some dinner?” I said to Luke, who happily agreed. When he wasn’t consumed with building things, he was always asking to help cook. I loved the memories we made in the kitchen.
“What’re we having?” he asked as he walked over to my dad and gave him a hug goodbye.
“How about that chicken bacon ranch pasta you love so much,” I suggested, knowing he’d happily agree. It took less than thirty minutes to make it, which was a plus for me, and he never turned it down.
“Yes,” he said with a pump of his arms in the air as he ran out of the room.
“Go say bye to your grandma, bud,” I said as I thanked my dad again for keeping him last night.
“It was no bother. Your mom and I thoroughly enjoyed our time with him. We’re so happy y’all are here now and we can see him in person more often instead of relying on pictures and video messages,” my dad said as he stood from his recliner and came over to give me a hug.
I hugged him in return, allowing my head to rest on his chest and relish the moment just a little longer. My parents were older and now that I was almost thirty, my time with them would become more limited, so I wanted to cherish every moment.
My dad kissed the side of my head when I pulled back and after I said goodbye and that I loved him, I went in search of my mom who would likely be in the kitchen, her favorite room in the house. Ever since my dad had renovated it a few years ago, she loved it even more than before.
They’d changed the cabinets from dark wood to bright white, which made the room feel more open, airier, and brighter. My dad gave my mom the island she’d always wanted and a window above the sink so she could enjoy the view while she did the dishes.
“Hey, Mom. Was he good for y’all today?” I asked as I found her and Luke behind the island of the kitchen.
My mom was showing him how to make sure he cracked the egg just right as he put it in the bowl to make sure it was still good and he dumped it in the stand mixer, no doubt to bake something delicious for Luke to enjoy tomorrow.
“He was a delight. He helped me cook breakfast and lunch before he and your dad started working on the Lego set,” she said as she ruffled his hair.
“I’m glad he was good for you. Don’t go spoiling him too much,” I warned with a smirk, knowing good and well she wouldn’t listen.
“Oh hush. I’ll spoil him all I like,” she said with a laugh.
“Say bye to Grandma, buddy so we can get home and make dinner,” I told him.
“Bye, Grandma. I’ll see you in the morning. Can we have waffles tomorrow?” he asked as he hugged her. When he pulled away he’d clasped his hands together in a prayer form and poked his lip out as he pleaded for her to oblige him.
“I don’t see why not. I’ll even let you have a cookie if you eat all your breakfast,” she whispered the last part as if I wouldn’t hear her.
I gave her a knowing look as I pursed my lips and shook my head. “She never let me have cookies after breakfast,” I mumbled under my breath, but the woman with hearing as sharp as a tack heard me anyway.
“That’s because I was your parent. What my grandbaby wants he gets as long as it's within reason,” she whispered into my ear after she rounded the island to give me a hug.
“Uh huh.” I laughed as I hugged her goodbye.
“Thanks again for watching him. I’ll be here around seven fifteen in the morning to drop Luke off,” I told her as I grabbed Luke’s backpack from the barstool.
“See y’all then. Drive safe going home,” she told me as she went back to baking her famous chocolate chip cookies. Maybe I could convince her to let me have some tomorrow morning to take to work.
“I’m glad you had fun today, buddy,” I told him as we got into the SUV. I looked in the rearview mirror to make sure he’d buckled himself up properly before I put the car in reverse to head home.
Luke talked the whole way home about the ingredients we were going to need for dinner and how he was going to help me make the meal.
As we pulled into the driveway, I couldn’t help but look at the house next door. Three trucks were parked in their driveway, and Brooks and Holden stood on the front porch steps, Holden on the bottom step while Brooks was on the top. They were lost in conversation, so they didn’t hear me pull up.
Nervously, I got out of the vehicle and opened the back door to help Luke out. After reaching in and grabbing my purse, I closed both of our doors and clicked the button on my key fob to ensure the doors were locked.
Luke ran ahead of me and bound up the porch stairs. I told myself not to look, but I did it anyway.
Holden and Brooks were staring in my direction, but they weren’t looking at me. They were looking at the little boy so full of energy as he bounced up and down waiting for me to unlock the door.
I gave a small wave, and they tipped their cowboy hats in return. I rushed up the stairs ignoring the questions that circled in my mind.
I’d focus on cooking with Luke and not the man and his brothers who lived next door.