by Debbie White
“As I mentioned on the phone, I have a grandmother and auntie who are in their late seventies, living together in a large old home down near the waterfront. My sister lives there too, but she’s very busy with work and life, and so I’m afraid things are not as they should be. I’m dealing with my sister as well, but I thought another set of eyes on the situation would be good.”
“Absolutely. It’s very hard for the older generation to accept they need help, so having someone come in and visit is a good way to break the ice.”
Annie rocked her head up and down. “I agree. So what exactly do you propose?”
“Instead of sending someone too young, we send someone in their age bracket, around ten years younger, that can just go over and maybe offer to take them out to lunch or to the store. How does that sound?”
“Sounds wonderful. They still like to putter around in the kitchen, but I’m getting concerned about that as well.”
“It sounds like money is not an issue, correct?” the lady inquired.
Annie shook her head.
“There are some great meal delivery services available, some even make gourmet foods. How about we set something up on a trial basis and see if they like the food?”
“That’s a great idea. I’ll give them a hint it’s going to happen so they can prepare,” Annie said.
“Often times, it’s best to convince them that they are helping the visitor out and not emphasize that they are there to help them. It helps bring those walls down that you or anyone is trying to take their independence away.”
“Oh, that’s good. My grandmother and auntie love to play bridge. They belonged to a club, but since I got married and Mary is busy, I don’t think they are getting there much.”
“See? That’s exactly what I need to know in order to pair them up with someone just right. What other interests do they have?”
“They love to go to musicals at the performing arts center and have lunch out. They love to go to the park and watch children and dogs play. They love their wine and scotch after dinner.”
The woman looked up from jotting the items down. “It’s probably not a good idea for them to drink while they’re alone.”
Annie twisted her mouth to the side and then lowered her eyes. “I’ll work on that,” she whispered.
“I’ll put all of this information into our database and find the perfect person or persons to help. Give me about ten minutes.”
Annie glanced at her watch. “I’m going to step outside and make a phone call. I’ll be right back.”
Once outside, Annie held the phone to her ear, listening to the rings until Mary’s voice came on.
“Hey, Sis, what’s up?”
Annie quickly gave her the rundown of what she was up to.
“Okay, sounds great. I hope you can pull the wool over their eyes. They’re pretty smart,” Mary said.
“It’s not me, it’s us. We are in this together. And, you do still live there. I have to take this step because you’ve let things go. There was no food in the fridge, the house looked dirty, and it’s not how our agreement went.”
“I know. I’ve fallen down on the job. It’s just that I’m busy, too.”
“I know,” Annie said, softening her stance. “We’ll get through this together. I just wanted you to know what’s up. Once I have all the details, I’ll fill you in. By the way, how’s the job going? Jack said tourism is about to knock on your door and make you a very busy woman.”
“Oh, girl, you can say that again. But Diane and I are kicking butt and taking names later.”
“How’s Danny?”
“He’s good. We’re going to the RiverDogs game tonight.”
Annie stared off into space. The timing couldn’t have been better in regards to her making this stopover to the Visiting Friends Network. “Okay, you have fun. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Oh, hey, by the way, Diane and Richard want us to come over for dinner one night. Are you and Jack free?”
“Jack has been falling into bed exhausted. The house is coming along, and he’s now going to add another bedroom to the house plans and build a cottage.”
“A cottage?” Mary asked.
“Yeah, listen, I got to go. We’ll talk soon. I’ll have Jack call his sister and work out the details concerning dinner.”
Annie stepped back inside the small office. The lady, still sitting behind her desk, smiled when Annie dropped down into the same chair she’d been sitting in earlier.
“I have a couple of choices. In fact, it might be nice to rotate them and see who gets along better with your family and vice versa.”
“I love that idea. Tell me who.” Annie scooted her chair closer to the desk and listened as the woman told her the names of the individuals and all their qualifications. She sat back in her chair and pursed her lips.
“Well, what do you think?” the woman asked.
“I’m not sure. I know the two women sound delightful, and the fact that one loves to play bridge and the other loves performances will be right up their alley. But, I’m not sure about Charles. Having a man around them might not be a great idea.”
The woman tilted her head. “Why would they be opposed to a man? You said they were ambulatory, and could take care of all their hygiene, so this is purely for companionship, and to help them around the house. Having a man could be a great thing if they needed help with a simple repair. Charles has been in our system for quite some time, and the ladies do love him. He’s got a great reputation, and he does it because he’s very social.”
“True. I guess we could give it a try. If it doesn’t work out, then we just take him off the list.”
“He likes to go to plays, too, and it says here he’s a scotch and cigar aficionado.”
Annie’s eyes widened. “Let’s hope those two don’t take up cigars!”
Chapter 11
“I’m going to have to use toothpicks to hold up my droopy eyelids,” Jack said as he drove to Diane and Richard’s place.
“I know, baby, I’m sorry. It’s a very tiring time for the both of us.”
“I’m sorry I haven’t been around much. How’s the bakery coming along?”
“Fantastic. The kitchen is done, and the furniture will be delivered next week. Re-grand opening is scheduled for the Fourth of July weekend. I’m so excited,” Annie said in a bubbly tone.
Jack pulled up to the curb to Diane and Richard’s house. “Here we are. I see Danny is here already,” he said, motioning toward the red Mustang.
“Mary is happy with Danny, so that’s a good thing, I guess,” Annie said as she rapped on the front door.
“Little Brother! It’s so nice to see you. It’s been a while,” Diane said, opening the door wide.
“I’ve been super busy. The house is about eighty percent completed and I’m trying hard to keep those guys on schedule.”
“And killing himself while he does it,” Annie said, bumping shoulders with Jack.
“Dad says you’re still working full-time for the company,” Diane said as she handed Jack an amber colored liquor. “I figured you could use that to loosen up a bit,” she teased.
Jack sniffed the drink. “Oh, the hard stuff, huh? I guess you’ll be driving us home.” He looked at Annie and smiled.
“Jack and Annie,” Richard called out from behind Diane with their daughter Crystal hugging his leg.
“You see Richard more often than you see me,” Diane pouted.
“I know, Sis, I’m sorry. Soon things will be more normal.”
The three laughed. “Normal? The Powells are never normal,” Diane said, taking Annie by the hand and leading her toward the back of the house. “Mary and Danny are snuggling back here,” she whispered.
Annie stopped as she passed by little Crystal. “Hello,” she said, getting down to her eye level.
Crystal rocked back and forth and smiled.
“What’s the matter, Crystal? Can’t you talk?” Jack scooped her up into his arms and t
wirled her around, causing her to giggle.
“Uncle Jack,” she sang.
Jack put her up on the counter and began to tickle her. Annie watched on as Jack interacted with his niece. His parental charisma was warming her through and through.
“Where did you say Mary was?” Annie asked as her eyes traveled to Diane.
Diane pointed to the back room. Annie lurked around the corner, not sure what she’d see. Mary and Danny were indeed cuddled on the sofa. Mary had her leg tossed over his, and she’d just kissed him when they entered the room.
“Ahem,” Diane said, clearing her throat.
“Hey, Annie,” Mary said, pulling her leg off of Danny and standing.
Annie crossed the room and gave Mary a hug. “It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other, too,” Annie said, looking over her shoulder at Diane.
“Dinner will be ready in about ten minutes. We have to get things cracking here before we lose old Jack. He’s working on just a few hours of sleep.” Diane quickly left the room.
“Danny,” Annie said, tipping her head.
“What’s up, Annie?”
“I’m doing well, thank you. Glad to see you and Mary so happy.”
“Annie,” Mary said, blushing.
“Mary’s been slamming busy at the office with Diane. What are you doing to keep busy?”
“Annie McPherson!”
“You mean Annie Powell.”
“Powell. Please don’t come here and think you can push your big sister attitude toward Danny. That’s not going to work.” Mary put her hands on her hips.
“That’s okay, Mary. I got this. Let’s see. This morning I spent two hours at the VA waiting for my appointment with the shrink. After that, I went to work for the family’s business, where I washed a few cars, picked up a few clients, and then came to dinner with your sister. Is that fulfilling enough for you?”
Annie stepped back, clearly not ready for Danny’s reprimand. “I’m sorry, Danny. That wasn’t nice of me. I’m not thinking rationally. I’m exhausted, too. The bakery is taking a lot of time, and well, what I just said was not called for in the least. Please accept my apology.”
“Apology accepted.”
“Kids, dinner is served,” Diane called out.
Annie kept her mouth shut except to shovel in the delicious food. Diane was a great cook, and it showed with her exemplary recipe of baked chicken enchilada and Spanish rice. Jack remained fairly quiet, too, and Annie could see he struggled to keep awake.
After the heavy carb dinner, Jack really had difficulty staying awake—that and the scotch Diane served him earlier. Annie pushed her plate aside. “Great dinner, Diane, thanks so much for inviting us tonight. I promise the next time we get together, Jack and I won’t have one foot in bed.” Annie glanced over at Jack
“No room for dessert?” Diane asked as she slid back her chair and began to gather the plates.
“Can we take it to go?” Jack asked, helping to clear the table, too.
“Leave the dishes, Jack. I have it. You guys head home and get some rest. I can’t help in the least with building a house, but is there anything we can do to help with the bakery, Annie?”
Annie drew in a deep breath. “Well, since you asked, yes, there is.” Annie scanned the room, her eyes focusing on Mary. Not once had she really asked to help, except to go shopping with her. “I could use a few hands to help me decorate. The furniture comes next week. I have shelves and pictures to be hung, and furniture to place. Not to mention bake a zillion cupcakes and cookies.”
“I thought Betsy was helping?” Mary said.
“Betsy is helping. She’s baking a lot of the cupcakes and cookies. But we are expecting a large crowd. I have Morgan helping, too.”
“I’ll stop over and help. Text me when the furniture comes. I’m pretty handy with a hammer and nails,” Danny offered.
Annie pulled in her bottom lip. “Thank you, Danny. I appreciate that.” She felt bad for spouting off earlier to him.
The four of them walked Jack and Annie to their car. Annie let the window down and put her hand out. “Thanks for the lovely dinner.”
Diane laced her hand with Annie’s. “Anytime, we love you guys.”
“Are you sure you’re okay to drive?” Annie asked as they pulled away from the curb and headed home.
Chapter 12
It happened suddenly. One minute they were chatting about dinner and the next, the car was going off the side of the road. Annie blinked her eyes a few times, trying to adjust to the stark room and bright lights. She rolled her head to one side then the other. Hospital. Jack.
A nurse came in to take her vitals.
“Where’s my husband? Is Jack all right?”
“He’s in the next room. The doctor is with him now.”
“But is he all right?” Annie’s voice grew louder.
“Ma’am, I need for you to stay calm and stop moving around. You’re getting all agitated.”
“Of course, I’m getting agitated. I want to know if my husband is okay and you're not being very helpful.”
The nurse withdrew from the side of the bed and began to look at the monitor at the IV station.
“Please,” Annie said, sobbing. “I just want to know if Jack is all right.”
“Annie,” a familiar voice said.
Annie rolled her head and stared ahead. “Michael! Please tell me Jack is all right.”
Dr. Michael Carlisle, Annie’s old flame and friend, now dating her employee, Rebecca, walked over to her bedside and took her hand in his. “Jack is okay. He has a concussion. You all hit a tree.”
Tears rolled down her face as she recalled the accident. “He was tired. He’s been working a lot of hours on the house, and we’d just had dinner at Diane’s …”
“It’s all right, Annie. Don’t talk now,” Michael said. “Get some rest. Mary and the others are out in the waiting room. Just as a precaution, I’m going to keep you overnight. You came out of the accident unscathed. You’re very lucky.”
“But Jack?”
“We’re running a few more tests on him. He’s going to stay the night, too.”
Annie drifted off to sleep after the nurse gave her something. When she woke, she’d been moved to a regular room with Mary, Grandmother, and Auntie by her side.
“Dear, you gave us a terrible scare,” Grandmother said.
Auntie grunted as she rose from the chair and leaned over and kissed Annie on the forehead. “We love you, honey,” she said, taking a step back and dropping back down to her chair.
“Jack, how’s Jack,” Annie asked.
“We don’t know anything just yet. He has a concussion, Michael said, and he’s still unconscious. They took him for an MRI just a bit ago,” Mary said softly.
Annie winced as she tried to get comfortable. “This is terrible. I should have driven home tonight. It’s my fault.”
“It’s not anyone’s fault. A deer ran out in front of you. It wouldn’t have mattered who’d been driving,” Grandmother said.
Annie raised her head, drawing in her bottom lip. “A deer ran in front of us? He didn’t fall asleep at the wheel?”
“Absolutely not. He steered right into that big buck, but it flew up into the windshield, causing him to run off the road. It was a very unfortunate accident,” Auntie Patty said.
“One of the deer’s legs came through the windshield and hit Jack in the head. He has a pretty bad gash on the forehead,” Mary said.
“Jack’s strong. He’ll get through this, I know it. He has to finish Sweet Magnolia and the kids’ bedrooms.”
Mary took Annie’s hands in hers. “Honey, I have some more bad news for you. You lost the baby.”
Tears flooded Annie’s eyes and ran down her cheeks. She hadn’t even had the chance to verify if she was indeed pregnant.
“I didn’t know for sure. I wanted to wait until I could confirm it before telling Jack.”
“It’s okay, sweetie. You’ll have lots of o
pportunities to try for more babies.” Mary squeezed Annie’s hands.
Annie’s nurse wheeled her into Jack’s room. She gasped when she first saw him. She held his hand and talked softly to him, even though he never answered. She repeated the visits, sometimes three times in one day. Finally, on one of them, he opened his eyes and squeezed her hand.
“Jack, baby, you’re back.” She raised his hand to her lips and kissed each finger.
“I have a terrible headache.”
“Let me call the nurse. They can give you something for that.”
Jack shook his head. “No, I just want to hold your hand.”
“I love you, Jack. You worried me to death.”
“I’m sorry. I tried to stay on the road, but that buck was huge. It didn’t go down without a fight.”
“I didn’t even know it was a deer. They told me about it. Did you know it kicked you in the head?”
Jack’s hand flew to his bandaged forehead.
“But, thank God, you’re going to be okay. Michael said just a few more days then you’ll be coming home.”
“The house, how are we going to finish the house?”
“Don’t you worry about the house, Jack, we’ll get it finished.”
“The bakery?”
“It’s going to open as scheduled. I’m going home today. I want you to hurry up and heal. Don’t worry about anything else.”
Jack grimaced as the pain rippled through him.
“I love you, Jack. I don’t know what I would have done if you’d left me. I can’t fathom my life without you.”
“I’m not going anywhere. Remember, we have lots of babies to make.” A small smile crossed his mouth.
Annie lowered her gaze, and a tear rolled down her cheek. When she raised her eyes, Jack’s forlorn look made her shudder. Their connection was so deep that he felt her loss unknowingly. Annie held his hand and squeezed it gently. “I didn’t know for sure, which is why I didn’t share the news,” Annie said, wiping the tear that rolled down Jack’s face.
She buried her face into his chest, and together, they wept for their baby they’d never know.
