Georgia Summer

by Heather Colleen

  “You all right there, Miss Georgia?” Duke brushed by with a tray of dirty dishes.

  Immersed in her thoughts, Georgia jumped and hurriedly answered, “Yes! All good.” She turned around to face the machine again, and decided to practice making another round of various espresso drinks.

  By the time ten o-clock arrived and Georgia had finished for the morning, she was feeling far more confident about using the espresso machine than she had when she first walked in through the diner door earlier that morning. She cleaned up her workspace, wiping down the machine, the counters, and sweeping up the floor. As she put the broom away, Duke came over to her.

  “Well, that went fast! How’d it go, Miss Georgia?” he asked, leaning against the counter.

  Georgia turned around. “Pretty well overall! I think I’ve got a firm grip on the basics now.”

  “Wonderful. Say, we’d better draw up a menu and prices for those specialty drinks. Maybe we can do that tomorrow mornin',” Duke suggested.

  “Sounds great, Duke.” She folded a drying cloth and placed it on the counter.

  “Well, thanks again for your help, Miss Georgia. I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow mornin'!”

  “See you tomorrow, Duke.” And with that Georgia left the diner, feeling both proud and relieved that she had survived her first day on the job as a barista, her ponytail swinging.

  Chapter 4

  Dinner with Maddox and Emmarie

  Four Springs Ago

  “Can you hand me that plate? I’ll start serving,” Emmarie said, glancing over her shoulder at Landon.

  Landon handed her a plate from the stack and watched as she served the red rice, shrimp, and sausage onto it. “Here,” he said, taking a piece of cornbread from the skillet and setting it next to the rice on the plate.

  “Thank you. Do you want to go get my dad? I think he’s in the garage.” She set the full plate of hot food onto the table.

  “Sure.” Landon walked out of the tiny kitchen and through the door that connected to the one-space garage. “Maddox?” he called out as he shut the door behind him. The garage fridge was open, concealing Maddox from view. Parked in the center of the garage was his beloved motorcycle, gleaming still in the dim evening light. Landon heard the sound of a can of beer being opened, and the fridge door shut with a soft thud, revealing Maddox.

  “What’s up, son?” Maddox asked. He took a swig from his beer, his long, black, silver-streaked hair falling well past his shoulders onto his worn leather jacket. He wiped his mouth with his hand and looked at Landon.

  “Dinner’s ready,” Landon answered. He watched Maddox carefully, taking in his dark, clouded gaze and the overwhelming stench of alcohol on his breath.

  “Already? I’ll be right in.” Maddox took another drink from his beer and shook his head. “That Emmarie...she sure knows how to cook. Got that from her mother, not from me…” he mumbled, his voice trailing off.

  Landon nodded in agreement. He opened the door for Maddox. “Why don’t you come and eat?” he asked gently. The coaxing smell of rice and sausage floated through the open door and into the garage.

  Maddox followed him into the kitchen, his steps heavy, almost clumsy.

  “Daddy, go ahead and sit down. You’re all served,” Emmarie said as she dished up the last plate.

  Maddox didn’t object and sat down. He watched his daughter finish serving and then looked down at his steaming plate of food. “This sure looks good,” Maddox said, his words slurred. “You really shouldn’t have, Emmarie.” He took another drink from his beer, draining the last bit of it.

  “Don’t be silly, dad. You know how I love to cook.” Emmarie smiled as she came and sat down with Landon and Maddox.

  Landon watched Emmarie. He knew how hard she was trying to keep things together at home with her dad. Ever since her parents had separated, Maddox’s drinking patterns had gone from bad to worse. It was a rare event to have a sober conversation with him anymore. Landon’s gaze shifted to Maddox as he watched him begin to eat.

  Maddox lifted his beer again, but paused as he realized it was empty. He scooted his chair back and began to get up, but Emmarie jumped up first.

  “Let me get you some water, dad,” she said.

  Maddox hesitated.

  “You want some water too, Landon?” Emmarie asked hastily.

  Landon nodded. “Yes, please.” His eyes darted back to Maddox, then again to Emmarie. He gave her a small smile of encouragement as she looked over her shoulder at him.

  Emmarie came over with the two water glasses and set them down.

  “Thanks, Emmarie,” Maddox said. He sat down again and took a long drink of water. His mouth was parched, dehydrated from the last several hours of day drinking. He drank almost the entire glass of water before setting it down on the table. “So, a few more weeks from now and you’ll both be graduated,” Maddox said. He looked over at Emmarie, his expression proud, unable to believe that his daughter was about to finish high school.

  Emmarie smiled at her dad. “Just have to get through finals now.” She sighed as she scooped up a bite of rice.

  “You’ll do great, daughter,” Maddox said, beaming at Emmarie. “And how do your parents feel about you leaving Willow Creek, son?” Maddox asked suddenly, turning his attention to Landon.

  Landon looked up, unsure as to how to answer his question. He had already tried telling his dad twice now about his plans to move away from Willow Creek with Emmarie. While Dr. Young was never one to become visibly angry, he instead resorted to the silent treatment, which was even worse. Dismissing his plans to move to Boston, Dr. Young told Landon that he needed to either go to college or join the military. Fortunately, Landon’s mom was more accepting of Landon’s decision. She adored Emmarie, and knew that she made her son happy.

  Landon swallowed the food in his mouth and shrugged. “My mom is on board with the idea. My dad will come around…in time,” he added. He took a drink of his water.

  Maddox nodded. He knew that Landon and his father weren’t very close. He reached over and patted Landon on the shoulder. “He will. Don’t worry, Landon,” he said reassuringly. His ebony eyes were clearer now as he gazed at Landon. He loved Landon like a son, and trusted him with his most prized possession: his daughter. Maddox sighed, taking a piece of his cornbread. He knew that his daughter leaving would be difficult for him, but he wanted what was best for her, and if that meant leaving Willow Creek to start a new chapter with the man she loved, then so be it.

  After they had finished eating, Emmarie stood up and began to take their plates.

  “Here, I’ll help you.” Landon stood up.

  “It’s okay, Landon,” Emmarie said, touching his hand as she took his plate. “Why don’t you two chat some more? I’ll clean this up.”

  Landon shook his head and began to protest, but Emmarie narrowed her eyes at him before glancing at her dad. Landon nodded, comprehending her message. She wanted Landon to keep her dad company. Turning back around to face Maddox, he leaned over and took their water glasses. “Need a refill?” Without waiting for an answer, Landon went and filled the two glasses at the sink before returning to sit down with Maddox again.

  “Thanks, son. Say, we should take the motorcycle out again this weekend. You’re getting pretty good,” Maddox said, a hint of pride in his voice as he lifted the water glass to his lips.

  The two men talked while Emmarie listened in, washing the dishes at the sink. She glanced over her shoulder at Landon, admiring his strong build and chiseled jaw line as he spoke with her dad. She turned her attention back to the dishes, smiling to herself. She had never thought she would find someone so kind, supportive, or more loving than Landon. Every day he gave her more reasons to love him, and every day she fell more in love with him. She couldn’t imagine taking these next steps of her life with anyone else other than Landon.

  “Do you ever go out and target shoot?” She heard her dad ask Landon.

  Emmarie shook her head, laugh
ing to herself as she listened to them.

  “I went out once with my dad. He has a couple pistols. One of them belonged to my grandpa,” Landon answered.

  “I’m just going to take the trash out,” Emmarie said as she removed the liner from the bin, but they didn’t hear her over their animated conversation. Emmarie went out the back door, the full bag of trash in hand. She skipped down the steps and went over to the larger bin. Lifting the lid of the bin, she began to swing the bag to toss it in, but stopped as she took a closer look.

  The trash had been collected yesterday morning, so she had expected an empty bin. She peered more closely. The sun was just beginning to set, but the soft lighting was enough for her to see clearly the contents of the container. A number of cans and glass bottles had already filled it nearly a quarter of the way full.

  Emmarie set the trash bag down and reached into the bin, counting the beer cans and bottles. By the time she had finished, she had counted thirty-six total, and that wasn’t even counting the bottles and cans in the trash bag she had just carried out. Emmarie felt her eyes swimming with tears as she sat down on the back steps. She put her head in her hands, feeling a wave of sadness and guilt wash over her, the tears coursing down her cheeks.

  Maybe she shouldn’t leave for Boston. Maybe it was a mistake to leave her dad here all alone. Her mom had left him—how was she any better by leaving him, too? Going to Boston would be a mistake. Her dad couldn’t possibly make it without her here to take care of him.

  The back door suddenly opened. Emmarie sniffed back the remaining tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes and smoothed her hair. “I was just watching the sunset,” she said quickly as Landon came down the steps and sat next to her. She glanced sideways at Landon, knowing her puffy eyes were a testament to the fact that she had been crying.

  Landon didn’t say anything and put his arms around her.

  Emmarie buried her face in his chest, not trying to hold the tears back anymore as they flowed freely. “How can I leave him in just a few weeks?” she asked, her voice muffled.

  “Your dad is going to be fine,” Landon assured her. “Emmarie, listen.”

  Emmarie pulled away from his chest and looked up at him, her dark eyes deep wells of sadness.

  “You just got accepted into a wonderful art program in Boston. You’re so talented.” He wiped a tear from under her eye. “You’re bright, and hardworking. What are you going to do? Throw it all away to stay in Willow Creek?”

  Emmarie didn’t answer. Her eyes were still misty from crying as she gazed at Landon.

  “I know you’re worried about your dad, but he’s going to be fine. He wants you to go.” Landon reached over and smoothed her hair away from her cheek. “You can’t stay in this small town. You can’t throw away this opportunity.”

  Emmarie nodded and looked down at her lap.

  “Besides, you’ll have me with you there,” Landon said.

  Emmarie looked up again at Landon.

  Landon scanned her face, his gaze intense as he looked at her with concern.

  She swallowed, clearing her throat. “I don’t know what I’d do without you, Landon,” she said softly. She leaned closer to him and kissed him as he put his arms around her, holding her close.

  Chapter 5

  The Zephyr

  Georgia felt her earlier exuberance rapidly wilting as she walked home from Duke’s. It wasn’t even noon yet and already it was oppressively hot. She felt a bead of sweat run down her chest, its journey thwarted by the lace band of her brassiere.

  As she let herself into the house, the cool air-conditioning was a welcome relief. She collapsed onto the couch as Millie rounded the corner into the living area, her nails excitedly scraping against the wood in her haste to greet Georgia.

  “Hey, Millie,” Georgia said tiredly, leaning over to scratch Millie behind the ears. Millie rested her head on Georgia’s lap, and looked up at Georgia with her soulful, amber eyes. Georgia kissed her nose. She loved Millie dearly.

  Georgia sighed as she looked around the living room, feeling more relaxed as her body temperature adjusted from the heat. Her eyes passed over the familiar décor, roaming over to the recessed shelving where one of her favorite photos of her mom and dad was. The photo had been taken on James River in Virginia where they were fishing, the bright green foliage a clear indication of midsummer. Her dad stood behind her mom, helping her to reel in the line of what must have been a big fish.

  Georgia smiled as she looked at her mom in the photo. Virginia was the spitting image of their mom with her blonde, sun-streaked hair, golden honey skin and turquoise eyes. Mirror images of each other though separate in generations.

  Georgia gazed at the photo. Her mom was clearly at ease with her husband’s arms around her, laughing as she pulled in the line together with him, her swollen belly full with little Virginia. Her mom and dad looked so happy together, so content with the imminent promise of parenthood on the horizon. Virginia had been born just a couple of months after that photo had been taken, her name a tribute to the beautiful state in where she first breathed life. Her dad’s training had taken them all to Virginia with him that year, and he still talked about that period as being one of the best in his life. ‘Virginia is for lovers,’ he would always say.

  Georgia looked at her parents’ carefree faces in the picture. The future would have been exciting for them in that moment, full of promise and hope with little Virginia on the way. Little did they know that years later all of their lives would be turned upside down by a single phone call from the doctor.

  As Georgia felt her eyes brim with tears as she remembered her mom, something cold and wet touched her hand in her lap. She looked down at Millie, who was gazing at her solemnly with her expressive eyes. Millie could always sense when Georgia needed comfort. Georgia stroked Millie’s soft fur. Then, heaving herself up off the couch, she went into the kitchen to make herself some lunch.

  ✽✽✽

  After she had finished eating, Georgia poured herself a glass of iced tea and decided to spend the afternoon reading. The worst of the heat had passed for the day, and it was just tolerable enough to sit outside on the porch swing. Georgia didn’t mind, though. She was too immersed in rereading one of her favorite books, “My Antonia.” With Millie at her feet, a good book in her lap, and a tall glass of iced tea beside her, Georgia was perfectly content to sit on that porch swing forever.

  It was close to dinnertime when her dad arrived home from work. If it hadn’t been for Millie standing up to greet her dad, Georgia wouldn’t have noticed him coming up the porch steps as she turned another page of her book, completely absorbed.

  “Well, aren’t you a bookworm,” her dad said, smiling at her from under his broad-brimmed cowboy hat.

  Georgia looked up. “Hey, dad. How was your day?”

  "Sure is nice to have my daughter ask me that in person here at home, rather than over the phone from her dorm room.” Her dad chuckled and sat down beside her on the swing. The swing creaked in protest against the added weight.

  Georgia marked her page and closed the book before placing it next to her empty glass of iced tea.

  Her dad scratched behind his ear. “It was all right. Got a tip about a possible meth lab underway on the outskirts of the county. Somethin’ we’ll have to keep our eye on. But other than that, it was pretty uneventful.” He rubbed his forehead in thought, a habit Georgia had picked up at a young age.

  “Are there a lot of reports about meth labs in Willow Creek?” Georgia asked.

  Her dad shrugged his shoulders. “Well, let’s just say that it never used to be the problem it is now. Crystal, speed, crank, ice…I’ve heard it called just about everythin', but it’s all the same. It’s an epidemic is what it is. An epidemic that’s spreadin' faster than wildfire, especially in rural areas and towns like Willow Creek.” Her dad heaved a sigh of frustration.

  Georgia frowned as she looked down at her lap. In high school there had been a
few kids that used meth. It tended to run in groups of kids that had gotten mixed up with the wrong crowd. If it was an issue then, it likely hadn’t improved since she graduated.

  Her dad went on, “The problem is that the ingredients are easily bought just 'bout anywhere. Hell, it’s ‘bout as easy as goin’ to the Piggly Wiggly to buy yourself some fried chicken. The resultin' concoction, though… Whew.” Her dad raised his eyebrows. “That’s some deadly, volatile stuff.”

  Georgia didn’t say anything as she listened.

  “Enough about that, though. How was your day, sweetheart? Oh! How did your first day at the diner go?”

  Georgia smiled as she described to him her many espresso triumphs and how she had conquered ‘the machine.’ She paused, thinking of Dr. Young. “Oh, dad. I was going to ask you something.”

  Her dad turned to face her. “What’s that?”

  “It’s about Dr. Young. Have you seen him lately?”

  Her dad nodded slowly as he caught her drift. “Yes. He’s been strugglin’ for the last year, year and a half or so. From what I hear he had another tumor develop. That and—”

  “Another tumor? He’s had cancer before? How did I not know about this?” Georgia demanded, her expression shocked.

  “Hold on, hold on. From what I hear, the previous tumor was benign. He had it removed though, just to be safe.”

  “And this tumor? Is it…?” Her voice trailed off as she thought of the c-word, the word that the doctor had used during that phone call to her mother years ago. The word that had changed the course of their lives forever.

  “Well, I don’t know. He’s havin’ treatments done and he’s cut back on his hours at his practice, I know that much.” Her dad pressed his lips together in consternation. “He’s a very private man, that Dr. Young. Not to mention he’s lived alone for years now being separated from his wife…” Her dad stopped, as if concerned to disclose his thoughts.

  Georgia looked at him expectantly.