Wren shook her head. “I sure don’t. What is it? Some kind of horror slasher book?”
Agnes laughed. “Oh yes, you know how much I love those!”
Wren laughed with her. She was teasing the woman, and Agnes knew it.
“It’s a detective novel. I just love the way this man writes. He is quite amazing, you know.”
“I’ll have to check him out,” Wren said appreciatively. “What type of therapy would you like to do today? Have you been stretching like I told you to?”
Agnes nodded. “I sure have. I’ve been doing yoga with the ladies here. They have a free class, you know.”
“That’s wonderful, Aggie. I’m glad you are taking care of yourself. If you’ve gotten your stretching in, do you want me to give you a massage or something like that?”
Agnes looked out the window. “I was thinking, it’s just a wonderful day outside, such beauty. Can we go for a walk around the grounds? Will that count for your class? I would sign off on whatever you want to write down, though I don’t care for lying.”
Wren laughed. “Fortunately for both of us, a walk is part of your therapy, and we wouldn’t have to lie about it. But we’ll both stretch first before we go, to make sure that you are doing okay and not straining yourself.”
“That’s wonderful!” Agnes lit up, smiling. She got up and came closer to Wren, preparing for the stretch exercises. They were very light, and Wren talked her through them easily. Once they were done, the two of them walked out of the room and down the hallway.
“I’m expecting my grandson a little later today.”
“Oh, that will be nice!” Wren said. “Does he come to see you often?”
“Yes, he comes a couple times a week.”
“Aw, that’s great, Agnes,” Wren smiled at her.
She pushed open the door and let Agnes through first. As they passed through the lobby to go out, Agnes took Wren’s arm and steered her toward a table nearby with a coffee machine set up and disposable coffee cups.
“I know how much you like coffee, Wren. Here, let’s try some of this. The staff put in a new Keurig machine, and you can use any of these that you want!”
Wren looked at the display of different flavors and types of coffee. The K-cups were held in small turntable storage organizers, and she spun two of them around before she found a flavor she wanted to try. She’d never seen Caramel Classic roast before. It looked intriguing.
“This is pretty cool.” She murmured, taking one and putting it in the machine. Moments later, she was holding a delicious smelling hot coffee drink that filled her nose with a sweet aroma. She was sure it was going to hit the spot.
She watched as Agnes easily used the machine, choosing a French vanilla flavored K-cup. When her coffee was brewed, she nodded at Wren and the two of them went toward the front doors.
Wren was glad to be outside. It truly was a bright and beautiful day. The breeze lowered the temperature a little but Wren was wearing a light jacket, and Agnes had on a warm sweater. They noted the green grass and various pretty flowers as they walked through the garden and around the grounds.
“You know, this has to be one of the nicest nursing homes I’ve ever seen,” Wren said.
“How many nursing homes have you been to, dear?” Agnes asked.
“One other, for last year’s lab class. As a first year, I only went a couple times to get the feel of it. This year, I’m in full term. I don’t mind. I like coming and helping you ladies. And the man, too. I just have one man I help.”
“I’m glad to have you. What was the other nursing home like?”
“It was more like a hospital. I must say, no offense, you must have some good money to pay for this place. It’s like something out of a movie compared to the other one. Although I’ve seen plenty of nursing homes in movies that were more like a hospital, too.”
Agnes nodded. “Money does make a difference. And insurance. But you know, there are also differences in levels of care. If the patient requires a more sterile environment and more intense health care, the facility will look different than a place like this, where it’s more people who just need to rest up after being hurt.”
Wren looked down at the woman. “Wow. I didn’t know you knew so much about rest homes.”
Agnes chuckled. “Yes, when I was in the hospital after first breaking my hip, my son and I went through quite a few brochures. I noticed the difference then.”
“So you chose this place because of the more inviting environment?”
“I sure did.”
“How wonderful that you were able to do that.”
“I’m feeling a bit breathless,” Agnes said. “Let’s sit here on this bench for a bit. Enjoy the sound of the birds tweeting.”
“Okay, but don’t sit under the tree. You don’t want to get pooped on.”
The two of them laughed and sat on the far edge of the bench together so that they weren’t under the branch that hung over one side of it.
Moments later, Agnes surprised Wren by standing up abruptly, calling out and waving her arms in the air.
“Aggie, what are you doing!?” Wren stood up, worried that the woman had suddenly lost her mind.
Agnes looked at her with a smile. “Look! There’s my grandson! Yoohoo! Over here! Christopher! Over here!”
Chills ran over Wren’s arms when she heard the name and looked toward the entrance of the building to see Chris, the very boy she’d made an idiot of herself in front of just a few weeks ago. She hadn’t seen him on campus since and was still wrestling with herself over how she’d behaved.
She knew she was blushing and immediately wanted to tell Agnes what she’d done.
“That’s your grandson?”
“Yes, that’s Christopher. He goes to your college, too. Do you know him?”
Wren laughed softly. “I sure do. I made a complete moron out of myself in front of him. I think I hurt his feelings.”
Agnes looked up at her. “Well, Christopher is a big boy. He can handle it. I’m sure plenty of girls have hurt his feelings. He’s a nice boy. Let’s go meet up with him.” Agnes took her hand and pulled her along the walk. Wren laughed again, giving Chris a sheepish look as they approached one another. He knew who she was, and she was sure he remembered how she’d treated him, but he was smiling nonetheless, not just at his grandmother but at her, too. She was grateful.
The grandmother and grandson met in a tight hug, Chris leaning over and wrapping his big arms around her.
“Grandma! What are you doing out here enjoying the beautiful day when you could be sitting in that room of yours with your nose in a book?”
Agnes laughed and gave him a playful slap on the arm.
“Ow!” Chris looked mortified, holding his arm where her small hand had made contact. “What are you trying to do, break my arm? You’ve been working out, haven’t you?”
“Oh stop it, Chris. You’re so crazy!” Agnes turned to Wren. “You know Wren, don’t you? She does my physical therapy.”
Chris looked at her. She was surprised to see a sparkle of amusement in his eyes. “I do know Wren. She’s worked on my bad shoulder before. She really knows her stuff! How are you doing, Wren?”
Wren was confused but answered him with a smile. “I’m doing pretty good, Chris. How about you?”
“Oh, my shoulder has been bugging me lately but nothing I can’t handle. I hope you will consider helping me out again soon.”
“I’d love to.” Wren felt a wash of relief. Maybe he’d been too drunk that night to remember how rude she’d been to him. Either way, she wasn’t going to bring it up here, in front of Agnes, who obviously adored both her and her grandson.
“You gonna join us for our walk? Do you have time to stay for a bit more, Wren? I don’t know how long it’s been, but we’ve been out here for a bit now.”
Wren glanced down at her watch. “I do have time. We have about 20 minutes left of the session, and I don’t have plans when I leave here. I was actually go
ing to try to contact some friends and see if they wanted to go on a hike or something. I like to get out when it’s nice.”
Chris nodded. “Me, too. Yeah, grandma, I’d like to walk with you. I’m glad to see Wren isn’t putting you through the ringer with a tough exercise routine.” He came up alongside Wren and nudged her playfully with his elbow. “Grandma’s a tough lady. You gotta be careful she doesn’t overdo it.” Before she could respond, he had turned back to his grandmother and put his big arm over her shoulders. “All right, let’s go, grandma. I’ll race you to the other side of the campus.”
The three of them laughed.
Chapter Four
Wren stayed with Agnes and Chris an extra hour, and when it finally came time for her to leave, Chris left at the same time. They walked to their cars together.
They were quiet at first. Even though they had been open and laughing while in Agnes’ company, Wren still had her bad behavior on her mind and wanted desperately to say something to Chris about it. She wanted to apologize. She could see that he was not who she thought he was when she’d put him down in the restaurant.
They reached his car first, and she hesitated, not wanting to just leave without saying something to him. She looked out across the parking lot toward her car, biting one side of her bottom lip. She hoped her cheeks weren’t red as apples.
“Okay, so you wanted to go on a hike today, did you?” He said, looking at her flushed face. He knew something was up. He still couldn’t tell if she really liked him or if she was just playing it off for his grandmother. “You gonna get your roommate or something?”
Wren finally looked at him, pushing her nervousness down as hard as she could. She wanted to be cool talking to him. She didn’t want to come off like some middle-schooler with a crush.
“Nah, she’s got plans with her man today.”
“Ah.” Chris nodded. “You got other friends you were gonna hit up?”
She shrugged. “Yeah, I guess.”
“Well, that doesn’t sound too certain.”
She laughed, hating the fact that it came out like a bird chirping. She looked down at the ground, feeling her hot cheeks burning.
“You got something on your mind?” Chris raised his eyebrows.
She decided to just go for it. “Yeah, I…I’ve been wanting to talk to you since we saw each other in the restaurant a couple weeks back.”
He didn’t say anything. He just nodded. She had no idea how to take that. “I…I wanted to apologize for being so rude to you. I…don’t know you enough to say that stuff to you. You were right. I was making you pay for something someone else did to me, just because you play football, too. I can see you have other stuff going on. You seem like a good guy.”
“You changed your mind because you saw me with my grandma?” He asked. She noticed he was fiddling with the keys in his hand and wondered if maybe he was a little nervous, too.
“Well, I actually have been feeling bad since that night.”
“You never said anything to me. I kind of got the feeling you were avoiding me.”
She shook her head quickly. “No, I really wasn’t. I…just haven’t seen you around. How is your shoulder doing anyway? Have you been exercising it and stretching it like you’re supposed to?”
He chuckled at her change of subject. “Yeah, I actually went to the therapist the doc sent me to. I…I didn’t like it as much, so I only went once or twice. I’ve been…trying to think of a way to get you to do it but…well, you really didn’t seem like you cared much for me and like I said, I thought you were avoiding me. I didn’t want to pressure you into doing something you didn’t want to do. Just for my own benefit.”
Wren nodded. “I really should have followed up with my offer. You could have talked to my professor. He would have scheduled another session probably.”
Chris shook his head. “I didn’t want to start something you didn’t want to finish.”
“Well, it’s not like we would have been going on a date.”
“Would that have been so bad?”
Wren laughed. “No, but it wouldn’t have been a date.”
He nodded, and they were quiet for a moment. “Well, do you want to go on a hike with me today? We could go up on McNab Mountain. Lots of people around on a day like today.”
She was surprised by his invitation. She immediately wanted to go. “I think I’d like that.”
He looked relieved. He touched the alarm button on his car, and it beeped twice as it went off. “Okay, well, I’m not exactly dressed or prepared for a hike. Meet you on the commons at 12?”
She smiled. “That sounds great, Chris. I’ll meet you there.”
He smiled back. “Okay, see you then.”
Before she knew it, he’d opened his door and got in the car. He nodded at her before closing the door and staring up his car. She watched him as he backed out. She turned to cross the lot to her car. Her chest was aching from her pounding heart. She was going on a date with him after all. So much for another therapy session.
She’d prepared a large thermos of coffee to take with her on the hike, along with two bottles of water and a bag of mixed nuts. She was on the commons early and sat on the edge of the huge fountain, crossing her ankles and taking a drink from one of her water bottles, scanning the grounds for him. She hoped he wasn’t late. She hoped he hadn’t been fooling with her and set her up by asking her to come and then not showing up himself. That would be revenge if he did.
She was scared for a moment and then felt bad when she saw him crossing over the grass, approaching her. He lifted one hand in greeting and smiled wide. Her breath caught in her throat. He looked stunningly gorgeous.
He was wearing a white t-shirt and jeans and had on tan hiking boots. She thought he looked incredible. She laughed inside, thinking that she was wearing pretty much the same thing, except her t-shirt was light green, and she had a thin black jacket tied around her waist. It was cool at the top of McNab Mountain. She pictured the two of them at the top, sipping on her special delicious coffee, looking out over the incredible scenery.
Suddenly, she realized she didn’t even know if he liked coffee. Secretly, she hoped he did.
Better than beer, she thought to herself with a chuckle.
“You ready to go?” Chris asked when he was close enough for her to hear.
“Yep.”
“Your car or mine?”
She shrugged. “Mine is fine. I’ve got the gas to go and don’t mind driving.”
He nodded. “Let’s take yours. I’m having a little trouble with my transmission, and I plan to put it in the shop when I get the money.”
“Ugh, car trouble.” Wren shook her head and groaned. “There’s nothing worse!”
“You’re tellin’ me! I’ve had this clunker since high school, yeah, I know that’s only four or five years but I’ve been pretty rough on it, and it wasn’t new to begin with.”
“Did you buy it yourself or was it given to you? Just curious.”
“I worked my tail off for a summer to buy that car. And then I made payments on it for a year, too.”
“Really? Wow.”
“Yeah, but I like it. It’s a Chevy, thank God, so you know it’s gonna last a little bit longer.”
“My car is fairly new. But my aunt and uncle gave it to me, it was one of theirs, and I took over the loan. I’m trying to build my credit.”
“Sounds logical.” Chris nodded. “It’s a nice lookin’ car.”
She smiled when he made to go directly to her car. That meant he knew what she drove, which meant he had been noticing things about her when she didn’t realize it. Probably watching her sometimes when she didn’t see him. Not like a stalker.
Her thoughts made her laugh.
“What are you thinking about? I want in on it.” He said.
She surprised herself by responding before she even thought about it. “I was thinking you have probably been watching me sometimes when I don’t see you there but not lik
e a stalker or anything.”
Chris chuckled. “And how do you know I’m not a stalker?”
She raised her eyebrows, watching him circle her car to get in the passenger seat. She looked at him over the top of the car. “Are you?”
He grinned. “Totally.” He got in without another word.
Wren closed her eyes and laughed before sliding into the driver’s seat. “Well, you must be a silent stalker then, because I haven’t received any death threats or proposals of marriage.”
“Give it time.”
The hike up was amazing. The sights and sounds made Wren feel more relaxed than ever. Once they were at the top and she’d pulled out her thermos, she was pleasantly surprised to see his face light up.
“Yes! Coffee! So glad I’ve been stalking you!”
They both laughed. “No proposals of marriage or death threats, please. Just a little calm dating and good times, if that’s okay.”
Chris nodded. “I promise. I don’t want to get married quite yet. I’m a bit young and have no prospects in mind, present company excluded, of course. And I don’t want to kill you. You have to fix my shoulder first.”
“Did your doctor tell you how well you are coming along? Will you be able to play again soon?”
Chris lost some of his jovial mood, and she regretted bringing it up. When he spoke, she wished she’d never said anything at all about it.
“I don’t think I’m gonna be able to return to playing.” He said in a low tone. She could hear the pain in his voice. “I really messed it up, and all the physical aspects of the game might cause more damage than I’m willing to let happen. No matter how much I love the game.”
“You’re not here on a scholarship, are you?” She was afraid for him.
“Nah. I wasn’t this…that good until I got to college. I thought I was gonna go pro, but it doesn’t look like that’s gonna happen now.”
“What happened, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Got tackled and came down on it, ripped my muscle up and cracked the shoulder bone in a bunch of places. It wasn’t good.”
“Oh man, I’m so sorry, Chris.”
Romance: Teen Romance: Follow Your Dreams (A Nerd and a Bad Boy Romance) (New Adult High School Sports Romance) Page 72
