Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
ANGELO
I could kill Bee. End her life right now and probably not feel too bad about it.
Okay, I would feel really, really bad, but I would likely still do it considering the smirk on her face as she throws me under the bus.
And not just under it. The old woman runs me over, then backs up and does it a second and maybe a third time. I'm not even sure anymore, that's how much she's enjoying the torture she's putting me through.
"No, you don't need to be worried," I reassure Gracie. "You were walking by the last time I was in here and I noticed. So did Bee."
"You noticed her alright." Bee waggles her brows. "Checked her out in the process."
See what I mean? Just keeps running me over.
"Did I mention we ignore Bee as much as humanly possible? She might own the place, but no one actually listens to her." I pretend like the woman I’m talking about isn’t standing at our table.
Gracie giggles and Jo, Bee's granddaughter, is quick to agree. "It's true. I spend ninety percent of my day ignoring what she says. It's the only way I survive working here."
The level of honesty in Jo's tone has me busting a gut. I laugh so hard, Everly joins in, even though my three-year-old daughter has no idea what is going on.
"Glad y'all can have fun at my expense." Bee shakes her head but there's no heat in her voice. The old woman can take it as good as she can give it.
"Are you ready to order?" Jo asks while wiping a tear from the corner of her eye from laughing so hard.
We place our drink and food order all at once. Bee leaves to harass someone else while Jo goes back to the kitchen to put our order in.
"Sorry about that. Bee can be a lot sometimes."
Gracie smiles. "I like it. You don't get this kind of treatment in Chicago. I was lucky if the servers were nice. Most of the time they saw dollar signs, or lack thereof for their poor service, and not an actual person. I like how intimate Willow Creek is."
I like the way intimate sounds on Gracie's lips, but I can't tell her that. I am glad there's a table between us, though. It helps hide the sudden erection I'm sporting. Time to change the subject.
I clear my throat. "So what did you two do this morning?"
Gracie tells me about her time with Everly, although I'm sure she sugarcoats half of it. I know my little girl well enough to know that every nice thing Gracie says has to be exaggerated. Not because Everly can't be sweet, but because she usually reserves that for me so she can get what she wants.
What she does usually do is give babysitters a run for their money. Which is probably why I have a hard time keeping any. I wonder how long it will take before Gracie finds another job.
Before I know it, our food is brought out and we've fallen into comfortable conversation while we eat.
We get halfway through our meal before Bee visits us again. A shocker really considering what she has to say next. I’m sure she’s been itching to come back and spill more of my secrets ever since she left. "So are you ready for the big day in a few months?"
"Big day?" Gracie looks around confused.
"The one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of our town. Our boy here has a big speech to give."
I shoot daggers at the old woman in hopes that she’ll shut her mouth, but no such luck. Gracie doesn't help either since she keeps asking questions.
"Oh yeah? How did Ang get so lucky?"
This is one of those times where I wish I was just another boring old resident.
"Ang hasn't told you who he is?"
Gracie raises her brows at me in question. When I don't answer fast enough, Bee takes that as carte blanche to tell my entire story.
"Ang is Angelo Creek. The great-great-great-great-grandson of the founder of Willow Creek. His grandaddy came here and set up a life. Named the town after his late wife."
The look on Gracie's face is exactly the reason I didn't tell her. People hear my history and automatically compare it to my life.
It's annoying and I hate it.
"Keepin' secrets, I see," Gracie teases.
Thankfully Everly chooses that moment to get everyone's attention, especially Bee's. For now, the conversation of anniversaries and founding fathers is put to rest while we eat and socialize with my daughter.
When the time comes to leave, Everly is barely keeping her eyes open. I lean closer to Gracie and whisper, "Would you like me to come back to the house and put her to bed?"
Gracie shakes her head as she straps my daughter into her car seat. "Nope, I got this. She's halfway there already, so I'm sure this’ll be a piece of cake."
I should tell Gracie that if Everly falls asleep on the short ride home, it's going to be a nightmare to get her inside. But she seems bound and determined to prove herself, so I'll give it to her. Besides, maybe my daughter will surprise everyone.
"I have to run out of town to see my mother, but I'll be back in time to pick the girls up from their after-school program."
With Everly firmly strapped in place, Gracie leans back out of the car and shuts the door before turning to answer. "Is the after-school program something you always send them to or just because of me?"
I smile, pleased that she’s concerned about my two other girls and how she would do watching all of them. "They go twice a week because their friends are there. It's a playdate without me having to get together with other parents."
She laughs. "I would never have guessed you like to avoid other parents."
"There's a lot you don't know about me yet," I say, then turn on my heel to walk away before I say something I might regret later.
"I guess I'll just have to crack your secrets, Mr. Angelo Creek."
Gracie gets the last word in as I climb into my SUV and wait for her to get into her car and drive off. Once I know they’re safely on their way, I head out of town.
The drive to visit Mom feels like two hours despite it only taking one.
I enter the building and greet every nurse by name.
They do the same in return. One of the reasons I chose this assisted living facility is the friendliness of the staff.
They take the time to get to know each family member of their residents.
"No girls today?" Clara asks as I approach my mother's room.
"No, not today. Everly should be napping for the nanny. Livy and Zoey are in school. I figured it was the perfect time to see how Mom's doing."
"You know your mama doesn't know how to be in a bad mood." Clara smiles. "But I bet she’ll be much happier once she knows you're here."
Yeah, she will be, and guilt eats at me.
I try to visit at least twice a week, but it never seems like enough.
That's why I need the facility I'm renovating in town to be done already.
I secured Mom a spot as soon as I heard of the plans.
Once it's open, I can visit daily, and much more often with my daughters.
"Hey, Mom," I greet her as soon as I walk through the door of her room.
Just like Clara said, Mom is smiling from ear to ear as she works on a puzzle. Due to her extensive RA, it's one of the larger-piece ones that Olivia brought for her.
"Ang!" Mom beams. "Come look how cute this puzzle is. I mean, I know the box shows the picture, but I just love all the colors. You need to be sure to show Livy I'm working on it."
The puzzle is an array of colors. Livy had me order it because she knew it would make her grandmother smile. The picture is four cats sitting in a kitchen with donuts in front of them. Seeing the donuts suddenly reminds me of Gracie and the shirt she's wearing.
"Now what could possibly have brought that smile to your face? I haven't seen you smile like that since Nina was alive."
My smile slips some. No one ever mentions my late wife's name except my mother. Most know it's too hard for me to talk about, but Mom insists that the only way to heal is to say her name as often as possible.
"I was just thinking how happy Livy will be to see you like the puzzle so much."
"Uh, no, son. Don't bullshit your mother. That look had nothing to do with me or Livy. That was a look of a man thinking about a woman."
I sigh. There's no point in lying. Mom has a bullshit radar better than any CIA agent. "The donuts on the puzzle reminded me of the shirt the nanny is wearing today." I keep things as vague as possible.
"Nanny, huh? Someone new?"
I might as well settle in for what is bound to be a lengthy conversation. I take a seat in the chair opposite her at the table.
"Yes, she's new. Her name is Gracie and she started out as my tenant in the in-law suite, but when the babysitter canceled two days in a row, we came to a tentative agreement. She’ll nanny for me until I find something more permanent."
My mother’s gaze is intense, and I do everything I can not to squirm while I wait her out.
"What does she look like? And tell me more about this shirt you speak of."
I chuckle. "It's definitely not appropriate. None of the shirts she's worn since I met her are. They're full of sexual innuendo."
"Sounds like my kind of girl. But don't think I didn't notice you didn't describe her for me."
I sigh again. "She's got jet-black hair that falls past her shoulders and blue eyes that remind me of the ocean."
I can practically see the wheels turning in my mother's head, and I can't forget the swooning she's likely doing. "She sounds perfect for you."
"How can you say that?" I scoff. "She's the complete opposite of Nina."
"Exactly. Nina was your young love. But could this Gracie be in your life as your forever love?"
I push up from the chair and begin to pace the room. This isn't how I expected this visit to go.
"I never once mentioned love. Gracie's my tenant and now my nanny. Nothing about that screams love."
Except there's something there, even if I refuse to admit it to myself.
"Your words say one thing, Ang, but your eyes scream another. I know you think if you find someone new, it means you're betraying Nina's memory, but I assure you she would want you to find happiness."
I know Nina would. She was that kind of woman. Quiet and reserved, but selfless to a fault. Nothing at all like my youngest daughter or Gracie.
"I'm not sure I'm ready," I admit after several moments of quiet contemplation.
"And that's okay. You don't need to be ready right now, but keep your mind open to it. You don't want to wake up one day and regret letting love pass you by."
Mom sounds like she knows from experience, and maybe she does.
My father died when I was a child and she never dated again.
Our family is full of stories much the same.
Significant others dying young on their partners and the other person never finding love again.
If I were to fall in love with Gracie, I would be the first person in my family to change that curse.
Just another thing for me to think about.