Beautiful Dreamer

by Melissa Brayden

  Now she was the one battling the tears. She wiped one away and pushed beyond the painful lump in her throat. Jill meant everything to her, and she should know that. “Of course I did. You’re my Jilly, my big sister, ya know? We’re family, and no matter what I have going, you come first. You can believe that.”

  “I do.” Jill nodded, and a thought seemed to hit. “It has been enlightening, though. Seeing you do business from here and stealing a little glimpse into what your life must be like. Phone calls at all hours, a million emails to return. Don’t even get me started on trying to keep track of your myriad of assistants.” She squinted. “I’ve been eavesdropping on those calls, trying to translate it all, by the way.”

  Devyn raised a shoulder. “You could always just ask.”

  “No. I like observing it all more. You’re an important person.”

  Devyn moved her head from side to side. “I like my job, but it takes a village to make it all come together. It’s a hustle.”

  “My existence seems so much slower paced compared to yours.”

  Devyn balked. “Doubtful. You have twenty-five fourth graders to wrangle. I can’t even imagine. The runny noses alone would stress me out.”

  “You’d survive. You’d have them organized into competitive teams ready to take on the other classes.” Devyn had to laugh. “The pay is a little less, though.”

  “Pshhh,” Devyn said. “Who cares about money?”

  Jill leveled her gaze. “You do. You have enough.”

  “Fine. I love money. It gets my fur up but I’m glad there are people like you in the world, willing to fight the good fight so I can be cold and calculating.” It was a joke, but not entirely. Hearing her words out loud struck a chord. Sigh. Maybe she had gotten caught up.

  “Hey, I didn’t mean anything by that,” Jill said, picking up on her deflation. “I’m driven by people, and my connection to them. You’re not, and that is one hundred percent okay.”

  “I didn’t take offense.” Devyn shook off the feeling that she’d sold her soul, knowing it was only a temporary impression anyway. She loved her life in Philadelphia and was crazy about her job. Did it matter that she wasn’t exactly warm and optimistic and out to change the world like Jill or Elizabeth Draper? No. She made charitable donations on the regular. She did her part. “We’re just different. That’s all.”

  Jill tucked herself back into bed more fully. “And different makes the world go ’round.”

  “Yep,” Devyn said, still trying to shake that self-assigned hollowness that encroached.

  “Thank you for sitting with me tonight.” Jill tapped her pillow. “I think I’ll try and get some sleep.”

  “Anytime.” Devyn killed the small lamp across the room and returned to the recliner, her bed for the night. Alone with her thoughts, she stared into the darkness, now defenseless to her own self-recriminations. Her life had purpose. It did. It had meaning. She had friends and colleagues to enrich it further. Wait. No, she didn’t.

  She sighed. Self-awareness could be a total bitch.

  * * *

  “I don’t understand why Dexter doesn’t just dive in?” Jill asked. She moved her right arm in the circular gesture the way the physical therapist had demonstrated an hour earlier.

  “Eight more to go.” Elizabeth bit her lip as she thought on how to explain. “He can be a man child. On one hand, it’s endearing, but when it comes to love and this new woman, he’s just being dumb. He needs to stop dating other people and make her his forever girlfriend. Two more to go.”

  Jill winced at what must have been a hit of pain, finished the final two rotations, and slowly lowered her arm. “What about you?”

  “I have no love life,” Elizabeth stated simply. “I’m a boring woman who watches too many game shows.”

  “What about Thalia Perkins?”

  Elizabeth sighed. “She’s…Thalia. She’s a hard one to pin down.”

  Jill leaned back against her pillow and allowed her eyes to close. The workout had likely tired her. A smile graced her lips. “But you wouldn’t mind pinning her down.”

  “Jill,” Elizabeth gasped, sitting forward and laughing. “Really?”

  Jill was laughing now, too, and Elizabeth handed her a pillow to place against her ribs. “I’m sorry. I just call ’em as I see ’em.”

  “Am I that obvious?” Elizabeth asked. “It’s possible I pine for her a little. She’s…gorgeous.”

  “I know it. At the Valentine’s Day dinner, you couldn’t take your eyes off her.”

  Elizabeth nodded. “She wore that red dress.”

  “That showed off her amazing rack.” Jill grabbed her own boobs and Elizabeth laughed louder this time. It wasn’t so much what Jill said and did, but the fact that it was prim and proper Jill saying it.

  “What has happened to you?” Elizabeth asked. “It’s the pain meds, isn’t it?”

  Jill nodded, joining her in laughter. “More of those things, please. Keep the good drugs flowing.”

  And then a voice from behind interrupted them. “Well, someone’s having a good time.”

  Elizabeth glanced behind her and saw Devyn enter the hospital room. She wore jeans, heels, and a plaid blazer. Much too dressy for a hospital, but that was Devyn, she’d found. Dressed and ready for the day, even if it meant working from nowhere. “We were just gossiping a little.”

  “Elizabeth’s life is complicated.”

  “Is that right?” Devyn asked.

  “No. Your sister is being kind. My life is basic at best. Can I steal you for a minute?”

  “Of course,” Devyn said.

  “Don’t forget eight on that other arm. Be right back.”

  Once they were safely in the hallway and out of Jill’s earshot, Elizabeth turned to Devyn. “First of all, how are you holding up? Did you get the book I dropped off for you?”

  Devyn smiled and leaned her shoulder against the wall. “I’m hanging in there, and yes, I read it in a day and half. I called Trevor being the killer, by the way.”

  “Then you’re smarter than I am.” Now that she was up close and personal, she couldn’t help but notice the tiny flecks of gold in Devyn’s hazel eyes. Her jacket was nicely starched, too. “Listen, I had an idea for when Jill goes home.”

  “Okay,” Devyn said, frowning. “It doesn’t involve singing or dancing, does it?”

  Elizabeth swatted Devyn’s shoulder. “No.”

  “I’m sorry. You just never know with you.”

  Elizabeth reined in her excitement, because she had a lot of it about this concept. “I want to have her students in front of the house to cheer for her homecoming. What do you think?” She braced herself.

  Devyn tucked a strand of blond behind her ear. “It sounds great, but that might take some effort. You think that’s doable?”

  “Please. Do you know who you’re talking to? You don’t worry about a thing. Just keep me updated on a possible release day, and I’ll do the rest.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Elizabeth swatted her a second time. “Stop saying that.” She leaned against the wall, mirroring Devyn. “I’m definitely sure.”

  “Then let’s do it.”

  Elizabeth lowered her voice. “Level with me. You really saw the killer coming?”

  Devyn blinked. “Oh, sweet Elizabeth. How could you not?”

  Chapter Eight

  “Am I out of here today?” Jill asked her nurse, with hopeful eyes. She and Devyn had spent the morning prepping for the possibility. Devyn had assisted Jill in the shower, using the special chair, she’d blow-dried and styled her sister’s hair and even applied a little bit of makeup to her otherwise pale face.

  Her nurse today, Eileen, held a folder full of paperwork, which had to be a good sign. They waited for the verdict. “The doc just signed on the dotted line,” she said. “Which means…” Devyn did a drumroll on the side table. “You’re free.”

  “You don’t know how wonderful those words are,” Jill said, sitting up
straight in bed. While her mobility was still compromised, her strength seemed to have returned, and she was anxious to get back into the real world. Devyn didn’t blame her. She was anxious herself.

  She accepted the folder and listened to Eileen’s instructions about following up with physical therapy folks the next day to jump-start Jill’s recovery, which would take time. She accepted the prescription for pain medication and list of activity restrictions, of which there were a lot. Jill faced an uphill battle, but this was a big moment and a victory to celebrate. They were leaving this damned hospital once and for all.

  It had been three weeks since Devyn had arrived in Dreamer’s Bay, but it had been hard to tell. She’d spent most of that time in Jill’s various hospital rooms, making one day blend into the next. She’d been there with Jill through two back-to-back surgeries, the therapeutic exercises that all but killed Jill with pain and many a sleepless night, and now it was finally time to put this chapter behind them. While she’d been counting the days until Jill would be released, she was also sad to see their one-on-one time come to a close. They honestly hadn’t spent this much time together in years, and now that Jill was on the mend, Devyn would start making plans to get back to her own life.

  “We should call Elizabeth,” Jill said, of her most frequent visitor. “Let her know I’m sprung, so she doesn’t stop by.”

  It just so happened that Devyn was way ahead of her and had already dashed off a text to Elizabeth. She’d actually turned out to be rather useful, bringing Devyn the odds and ends she needed to get through the long days, even taking her lunch order a time or two and dropping it by the hospital as a treat. Say what you want about an overly upbeat woman, sometimes in a chicken suit, but they really did come in handy. Elizabeth, she already knew, had plans that morning, and they were good ones.

  Devyn nodded. “I will be sure to do that just as soon as I have you safely home.”

  “Home,” Jill said with a big smile. “I can’t wait. It’s still the same, right? You haven’t renovated with your own space-age style?”

  “I was tempted, but the plans for your aluminum foil kitchen complete with a mural of Elon Musk were scrapped last minute. Sorry to disappoint you.”

  “Look at me, dodging eighteen-wheelers and terrifying design projects.”

  “This is your year, Jilly. I can feel it in my bones.”

  On the drive, while they both basked in the freedom that lay ahead, Jill turned to Devyn from the passenger’s seat, outfitted with soft pillows to make the bumps in the road hopefully less excruciating. She shook her head in disbelief. “It’s all still here. Look. The town, the people. In the midst of all I’ve been through, the world kept turning. They’re still living their regular lives.” She waved at an older couple walking hand in hand down the sidewalk. They waved back with a smile.

  “Look, though. They’re happier now,” Devyn said. “The Bay was just waiting for you to return, so all could be right with the world again.”

  That sentiment was confirmed when they turned onto Jill’s tree-lined street. This was the part Devyn had been waiting for. Elizabeth Draper, along with twenty-five fourth graders holding homemade Welcome Home signs, began to cheer loudly and jump up and down right there in Jill’s front lawn. Devyn glanced over happily for her sister’s reaction, which was one she’d never forget.

  “I don’t believe this,” Jill said, covering her mouth as they pulled into the drive. “I’m going to cry. Oh, my God. Yep, crying in progress. Look at these guys. Devyn, these are my kids.”

  Devyn grinned at Jill’s happiness. “Well, don’t go leaping out of the car. Let me come and help you. We still have to be careful, small people or not.”

  She hurried around the car, and once Jill was safely in her new set of wheels, namely the wheelchair they’d rented, she wheeled Jill over to her students, who each took turns covering her in gentle hugs, well-wishes, and love. In their midst, Jill simply beamed. It was the best medicine possible.

  “I’m so glad it worked out,” Elizabeth said quietly, taking her spot next to Devyn as they looked on. She folded her arms across her chest and let out a happy sigh, wearing a cute pair of denim overall shorts that looked great on her. “The kids were thrilled to welcome her home.”

  Devyn held out a hand in Elizabeth’s direction. “All the credit goes to you. I had my doubts about putting you guys on call without knowing the exact time we’d be discharged, but you did it. This just made her day. Her year. I can tell.”

  “You doubted me?” Elizabeth’s jaw dropped playfully. “I had those kids occupied with art supplies and pretty much any and every Hostess product on the market. I’m no rookie.”

  Devyn laughed. “I won’t doubt you or your company ever again.” She frowned. “I forget its name.”

  “On the Spot. You should write that down. In fact, here’s a business card. We have a fantastic website you need to take a look at, too. Tell your friends. We’re getting busier by the day.” Elizabeth lit up when she talked about On the Spot. She clearly took pride in her work, as random as the work might be.

  “And how much do I owe On the Spot for this particular task?”

  Elizabeth balked. “No, no, no. This one was for Jill. On the house. Plus, it was my idea. I’m not gonna hire myself.”

  “Then allow me to make a donation.” Devyn pulled a handful of bills from her pocket and thumbed through some twenties.

  “Put that away,” Elizabeth said, swatting at it playfully. “We’re all squared away here. Jill is happy. The kids are happy. And you and I are happy. There’s no need for money to change hands when the world is at peace.” With that, she flitted away to wrangle the kids with Devyn staring after her and those overalls.

  She might not have been much of a businessperson, refusing payment, but Elizabeth’s actions spoke to her character, and Devyn could certainly not fault her. She also came with a certain lighthearted optimism. It was…nice, and maybe “nice” deserved more credit than she’d previously assigned it.

  Three hours and a lot of slow maneuvering later, Devyn had Jill comfortably on the couch with an audiobook and her pain medication administered on schedule. Now she needed to figure out dinner and the near future beyond. “So, what’s on your list of requirements for an at-home nurse? I mean, if we were to hire your perfect Mary Poppins.”

  Jill pressed pause on her phone and turned from her spot on the couch. “What do you mean?”

  Devyn found a bag of heat-and-serve frozen pasta to pop onto the stove for the two of them. Perfect. “I’ll do the legwork to make sure they send us the right person, but since you’re the patient, you should get a say in what they’re like. What qualities are you looking for?”

  “I don’t understand. Why do we need a home nurse?” Jill stared at her quizzically. “You’re here and doing a great job. Don’t second-guess yourself.”

  Devyn paused mid-bag-rip. “It’s just that I’ll be heading back to Philadelphia soon.” She was already pushing it. Her team was doing the best they could with Twenty-Four Walker and had sold six units, but that put them way behind schedule. She was the closer and she was the one the other brokers wanted to do business with.

  Jill took a moment. “What are you talking about? You’re leaving already?”

  “I figured you understood that I’d have to get back to work.”

  Jill nodded but didn’t say anything. The best way to describe the look on her face was distant and devastated.

  Devyn hated that. “I’m sorry. I thought we were on the same page about that.”

  “It’s just that there’s just so much rehab ahead of me still, and I can barely get myself off this couch.” Now she just looked terrified.

  “That’s why we get you the best home health nurse possible.”

  Jill shook her head in sad disbelief. It was clear her coping skills were taxed, and who could blame her? “I just can’t imagine having a stranger in my house, doing those kinds of personal things for me.”

 
Devyn hesitated. What was she supposed to do with that? She had to sell out that building in three months instead of four or lose the biggest listing of her career. The one that would put her at the top, where she’d worked tirelessly to be. It would be pulling a rabbit from a hat, but she had to try. “Jill, I can’t work effectively from here.”

  “Okay. I guess I’ll be all right, and of course you need to go home. Your life shouldn’t be put on hold. I just misunderstood is all.”

  Like a knife in her heart. She’d never seen her sister look so dejected, and it just wasn’t fair after all she’d already been put through. If Devyn stayed and devoted the same kind of attention to Jill as she had thus far, she’d never get anything done. What was the compromise here?

  She set the bag of pasta on the counter and rounded the counter into the living room. “What if I stayed a little longer. Another few weeks?”

  Jill seemed to perk up. Her green eyes glimmered again. “That would be wonderful, if you could manage it.”

  “What if we had someone part-time, though, which would give me the chance to steal away and still do my job?”

  Her sister nodded, taking what was offered. “I don’t love the idea of a stranger, but I suppose I could get used to it.”

  Devyn remembered the business card in her back pocket. “What about Elizabeth?”

  “Liz?” Jill considered this. “You think she’d be up for it?”

  “Doesn’t she do this kind of random request for a living? Plus, you guys have great rapport. You laugh together like lunatics, and she’s well versed on your condition because of how often she visited.”

  Jill considered this. “If she’d be game, I’d love that.”

  Devyn ripped open the bag of pasta with gusto and stared at Jill in determination. “Leave this to me.”

  Chapter Nine