by S. L. Baum
“No, I wouldn’t. Anything to get that blood moving will kick start my day. And I promise not to lecture you about anything. You could talk, or not talk, whatever suits you.”
Marlene stared at Krista while Doc listened to her heart. A hint of a smile crossed her face. “How are you liking Cedar Creek?” Marlene asked Krista.
“I love it.”
“The town has always been good to me. Good people here.”
“I’m lucky to have found it, seeing as I wasn’t exactly planning to do more than make a brief stop here. I’ve been welcomed with open arms, for the most part.”
Marlene gave a soft laugh. “I heard about Sam.”
Krista smiled. “I think he’s starting to come around.”
“You don’t look like a scam artist to me.”
“If I were a really good one, then nobody would be able to tell,” Krista said with a wink. “So what do you think about me coming over tomorrow?”
“We don’t have much money for you to pilfer,” Marlene warned.
“Just lock up your purse before I arrive.”
Doctor Baker stood back up. “Marlene, I think you’re doing as well as can be expected. And I think that you should take your doctor’s advice on everything, including the exercise. I also think you should never give up hope, and if that is what you are doing here on this couch – surrendering – then you need to stop.”
“That’s what I’ve been telling her… especially about the hope.” Ben talked slowly; for fear that his voice might crack. He wanted so desperately to be strong for his wife. He’d fight for her. He’d charge into heaven and scream, Not yet! He’d crawl into hell and beat the devil away if he had to. Ben wanted to grow old with Marlene, not without her. “If you’d rather walk with Krista, then I am all for it.”
“Doc, should we limit the time at first?” Krista asked.
Doc looked at Marlene. “What did the cardiologist say?”
“He said to start with at least fifteen minutes a day, and to work up from there,” she told him.
“I’ll see you at eight-fifteen tomorrow morning then,” Krista told Marlene. “Does that sound alright?”
“Are you sure? You hardly know me.”
Krista reached over and gave Marlene’s hand a squeeze. “You look like someone worth getting to know. See you tomorrow.”
Marlene smiled at Krista and squeezed back. “It’s a plan.”
“We’ll get out of your way. Have a good evening,” Doctor Baker said.
Ben went to open the door. “Thanks for coming over, Doc.”
When they were back in Krista’s truck Doc let out a long satisfied sigh. “I think that went very well. Good job with the walking suggestion. If what you said is true, the more time people spend with you, the more trust they’ll have in your ability, correct?”
“That’s the way it works,” Krista assured him.
“Then you can work your magic on her once a day.”
“That’s my plan.” Krista pulled the truck out onto the main road. “Did you ever call that number I gave you?”
“I threw it away.”
“Why?”
“If you only get one call with that family, then it should be saved for someone with more doubts than I have.”
“You’re not doubting me?”
“Strangely enough, I’m not. I’m pretty much at peace with this. And although a small, faint yet persistent, voice in the back of my head is saying that I’m an idiot to believe someone could ever take on a death for someone else, there is a larger voice shouting that miracles happen every day. Why can’t you be the keeper of that miracle for Marlene?”
Krista continued to drive, with a smile on her face and one in her heart. She had never told a doctor that she was a Deathtaker before and was pleased to find out that even a man with most of his beliefs tied up in the scientific and biological world in which he existed could still have a little faith in the unknown. After she dropped Doc off at his house, she headed to the diner for something to eat.
The familiar clang of bells on glass greeted her as she swung open the door.
“Miss Vita,” Adeline sang out from her favorite stool at the front counter. Her brother Albert sat by her side. “How’s it going?”
Krista smiled at the warm greeting. “It’s going pretty good. And how are my favorite Cedar Creek twins?” she asked, as she went to Addy’s side.
“Strangely, we are the only Cedar Creek twins,” Sheriff Tucker replied.
“In current residence, that is,” Adeline added. “There were those red boys, Redmond and Redford – poor choice of names if you ask me – but their parents moved the family away ten years ago, or sometime thereabouts. We are overdue for another set. Opal, get working on that.”
“I need a decent man before that can happen,” Opal stated as she placed a glass of ice water in front of Krista.
“Speaking of a decent man…” Krista started.
“Stop right there,” Opal warned.
Addy’s eyes sparkled with interest. “This sounds interesting.”
“Now you’ve gone and done it,” the sheriff said with a shake of his head. “The inquisitor will not be satisfied until she has all the details.”
Addy gave her brother’s shoulder a playful shove. “Shush, Albert. Shouldn’t you be getting home to Patricia? I’m sure she has dinner just about ready.”
“I actually get to go home for dinner with my wife today. Hallelujah!” Sheriff Tucker smacked the top of the counter. “The town council voted to bring Wilson Cooper’s position from part-time to full-time; a necessary increase with Ben needing to stay at home more for Marlene. We’ve started Ben on two three-hour shifts a day – one in the mornings and one in the evenings – but we’ll still keep him at a full time salary. It’s the right thing to do. An anonymous grant in Ben’s name made that possible, without having to stretch the town’s budget. And all that means I get to eat with my wife! Good evening, dear woman.” He stood up and gave Adeline a kiss on the cheek. “Don’t pry too much.”
“I’ll do my best to squeeze every last drop of information from these girls,” she said with a smile.
“I expect nothing less of you.” Albert winked at his sister before turning to leave.
“Goodbye, Sheriff Tucker,” Krista called out to him.
“Goodbye, Kristanta Jessmina Vita. I really do like the way that name rolls off my tongue. Have a good evening.” He tipped his hat to them as he walked out the door.
Adeline looked at Opal and then at Krista. “So, decent man…”
“I’m actually quite shocked that you do not know this already. Your reputation is failing you,” Krista told her.
“I’ve been busy. I painted three separate rooms this week. Spill the beans. Opal?”
Opal shook her head. “I’m not saying a thing.”
Addy poked Krista’s arm. “Miss Vita?”
“If you won’t tell her, I will,” Krista warned Opal.
Opal scowled. “Fine. Go ahead. I’m going in the back to check on my pies. I can’t stand to hear people talking about me.”
“Spill!” Addy commanded.
“Right before you came into the diner during Sam’s, Krista’s out to hurt my uncle, tirade last week, Opal told Pete that he should ask her out sometime.”
Addy’s mouth dropped open.
“She said, and I quote, ‘Nurse Pete, you should try asking me out some time. You’re a little on the young side, but I might actually say yes,’” Krista repeated the line word for word.
“She did not!”
Krista slowly bobbed her head up and down. “She did too.”
“And so did he?” Addy asked as she drummed her fingers on the counter top.
“He’s been calling and texting her for a few days now. And he is supposed to be asking her to come over to the Webber property for a campfire, roasting marshmallows and sipping hot chocolate, this coming Saturday. Sam and I will be there; we’ll be acting as proper chaperones.
”
“Opal, did he ask you?” Addy called out.
Opal came out from behind the swinging door that opened to the kitchen. She’d been standing directly on the other side, listening to their every word. Opal looked at right at Adeline and nodded her head.
“Well?”
Opal rushed forward and sat down on the stool beside Krista. “I don’t know what I was thinking, telling him to ask me out like that. He’s so young, cute, and innocent. I feel like I am toying with him. I should never have said that.”
“Nonsense!” Adeline chided her. “You two are just a few scant years apart. I see bigger age gaps all the time. So he’s a little bit young. You know women live longer than men, so that just means you get more years to spend together. He’s cute and innocent. The cute part is a definite asset, and the innocent part is a definite advantage to you. I say take a chance. Have some fun. You don’t do enough of that!”
“That’s what I keep telling her,” Jim piped in.
“Hush, Daddy,” Opal frowned.
“Don’t hush me. Get out there and live a little,” he told his daughter. “I want you to. Do it for me. Your smile has been a little brighter since that boy started calling. I can see it. That means something.”
“Come on, Opal,” Krista urged. “Just come out with us on Saturday night and have some fun. No pressure, not a date or anything. Just a few friendly people having a good time together.”
“Ugh. I’ve been ignoring that text all day,” Opal admitted.
Krista leaned into Opal. “You should answer it.”
“Fine. Fine. Fine!” She stood up and stomped back into the kitchen.
“Where’s she going?” Addy asked.
“She’s getting her phone,” Jim answered with a smile. “You know, Adeline…” Jim came out of the kitchen. “You and me, we should go see a movie sometime.”
Addy’s mouth dropped open again. “Jim Stone, are you asking me to go on a date with you?”
“I believe I am.”
“I believe I’ll acquiesce to your request,” Addy answered with a wink.
Krista smiled at the two of them. “Look at the Downtown Diner! It’s become a hotspot for match making. I wonder who’s next? Oh, I know. We should find a fella for Doris the librarian. The next time she’s in here I’m going to pick her brain.”
“That’s a lost cause right there,” Addy told her. “Doris has never had a fella and never will. She likes her privacy, and has never revealed anything about her personal life. But she lived with Hannah Prichard, her partner at the library, for fifty years, and many of us agree they were partners outside of the library as well. They were known as the two spinster librarians to most of the people in Cedar Creek. But I think they used to have a chuckle at the town’s expense when they got home every night and sat down at their kitchen table. They lived a quiet but fulfilling life with each other. One of the happiest couples I knew. It was heartbreaking when Hannah passed away a few years ago. Doris will never love another.”
“That’s so sweet and, as you said, so heart-breaking.”
“Doris had fifty years to live with her love; that’s a blessing. I lost my husband after ten.”
Jim poured more sweet tea into Adeline’s glass. “Losing a partner is real hard. Opal and I struggled to keep going after her mamma passed. But life must go on.”
“Life must go on,” Addy agreed.
Opal burst out of the kitchen “Alright. I sent him a text and told him that Saturday night will be great. It’ll have to be late, though. We don’t close the diner until ten on Saturdays.”
“Why don’t you just take off a few hours early, around eight. I can handle it by myself; come then. You can change out of that pink apron and leave it all to me,” Jim told his daughter.
“Daddy, are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure. And Adeline can come over to keep me company.”
Adeline smacked her hand on the countertop. “I’ll come over, but don’t think you can put me to work,” she said with a playful smile.
“Wouldn’t think of it,” Jim told her. “Krista, I assume you’re here for dinner, what will it be?”
“What’s the special?” Krista asked.
“Chicken pot pie.”
Krista licked her lips. “Sold!”
Jim went back into the kitchen and Opal tugged on Krista’s sleeve. “He’s a good guy. Right?”
Krista scrunched her brow. “What are you asking me for? You’ve lived in the same town as him for a few years now. I just got here weeks ago.”
“You work with him every day. You’ve probably spent more time with him in those weeks than I have in my years. I don’t do a whole lot outside of this diner,” Opal admitted. “He seems like a sweet guy. But…”
“Whenever I saw him around, when he was in high school, I always thought Pete was a good kid. After he moved here to work for Doc, he blended in quite well.” Adeline mused.
“Krista, give me your honest opinion. Is he a good guy?” Opal asked. “And if so, why did his girlfriend leave him and move away? I never got to know her very well; she wasn’t from around here, she moved here with him when he took the job with Doc. But from what I knew of her, I liked her. So, what was wrong with him?”
“Nothing is wrong with him, Opal. The girlfriend moved to California because she dreamed of becoming an actress and there was no way she could do that while living in a small town. Pete wasn’t willing to follow her. He likes his job, likes living in Cedar Creek, and said California didn’t appeal to him. That is what he’s told me, and I believe him. Pete’s great. He’s funny, hardworking, caring, and he seriously loves the small town life. He wants a partner, he wants family, he wants foxy pink Opal.”
Chapter Ten
Krista looked at her watch, the last gift from her grandmother, something she cherished. Grandma had always told her that a good quality watch would never go out of style. Krista loved feeling the weight of the metal on her wrist; it was a constant reminder of the woman who had given her so much unconditional love.
It was nearly eight o’clock and Sam would be arriving soon. He’d promised to leave the diner around seven-thirty, go home, grab some supplies, and then meet Krista at the guesthouse. They would walk out to the fishing pond together, with Opal and Pete scheduled to arrive sometime soon after. Krista hoped the evening would be a success. When Sam had come over the night before, to sketch out a plan for the evening, he laughed at her determination to aid in the match. But before he left, he decided it was good of her to want Pete and Opal to find happiness.
“Sometimes life passes by much faster than we ever imagined, and to be truly happy in the moments that we have, well, that is something worth striving for,” Sam had told her.
It was a statement that held so much truth; Krista could do nothing but agree with it. Strive for happiness, live in the moment, because no one ever knows when their last breath will come.
Krista looked out the window when she heard the crunch of tires on gravel and saw Sam park his car and then run into the main house. Krista grabbed her backpack, which contained all the ingredients for S’mores, and went outside to wait for him. Sam emerged a few minutes later, his own backpack slung over his shoulders and a duffle bag in hand.
“You ready?” he asked.
Sam was breathing more heavily than he should be. He felt as though he’d been rushing through every single movement that evening. He was excited to spend some time with people closer to his age; since he moved in with Abe, he’d done nothing but sit around with his uncle, work at the diner, and hole himself up in his room doing schoolwork.
“Absolutely,” Krista said with a smile. “Are you sure Pete knows how to get out to the pond?”
“I drew him a detailed map with this exact spot as their starting point. They’ll be fine. C’mon let’s get out there and get the fire going before they arrive.” Sam turned his flashlight on to illuminate the path up ahead and then handed another one to Krista. “We’ll
need these. Walking through the woods in the dark is not the best idea.”
“Good point. Lead the way.”
Sam started walking. “We’re going my way, across the creek on those big rocks I pointed out.”
Krista stopped in her tracks. “You don’t think the bridge is better?”
“Do you really think crossing a plank bridge with big holes every other step, in the dark, when you need both hands on the ropes to stay stable, is the best idea?”
Krista started walking again. “Do you think jumping from rock to rock is any better?”
“I do. One of us will light the way while the other one crosses. Don’t worry. It’ll work. I’ve done it tons of times with both Uncle Abe and with my mom.”
“You’ve done it tons of times… I haven’t done it at all,” Krista pointed out.
“You’ll be fine. There’s no rain in sight. The rocks will be dry, and I promise that makes them easy to cross.”
“Fine.” Krista forced out a huge sigh. “I’ll trust you.”
Sam and Krista walked beside each other on the well-worn path through the trees. Sam slowed from his usual large strides to match pace with her shorter ones. Every few steps his arm bumped into her shoulder and after the fourth time he widened the gap between them. “Sorry about that.”
“What?”
“I keep bumping into you.”
Krista laughed. “I think technically it’s my uncoordinated self that keeps bumping into you. I just hope I don’t trip over a tree stump and bring you down with me.”
“If you do, just make sure you soften my fall.” Sam laughed with her.
“Jeez. I have to land underneath you? I can’t even guarantee that I’ll walk straight, let alone fall with perfect aim.”
“If you can’t promise to shield me from harm, then you’d better not fall. And if you do, just don’t take me down with you.”
“I’ll do my best,” Krista promised.
When they got to the path of rocks across the creek, Sam insisted on going first. Krista lit his way while Sam hopped from one large stone to another until he was safely on the other side. He didn’t even seem to lose balance carrying the duffel and supporting his backpack. Krista was impressed.
