Everything She Needed (Cedar Valley Novel Book 2)

by Christina Butrum

  “When do you start here?” Rosie asked, stirring the silence in the café as Rachel zoned out thinking about what she could bake for the customers at the café.

  “I’m not sure... I guess we never talked about it.”

  “She can start as soon as she wants to,” Granny Mae hollered from the kitchen. “I was leaving it for her to decide.”

  “Okay, then,” Rosie laughed, pouring another round of sweet tea. “I guess that answers that.”

  Rachel glanced at a nearby calendar on the wall. She assumed it wouldn’t matter when she started, as long as she was done at the school—give or take a few days.

  “I can start Monday.” That would give her a fresh start to a new week. New job, new week, and a whole new opportunity. Something she would look forward to all weekend.

  Leah slid off the chair, grabbing her wallet and her keys. “Thank you Gran for the breakfast, but I have to get going. I have a doctor’s appointment in Rockford at eleven-forty.”

  She wished that she could go with her, but knew that if Liam wasn’t busy he would end up going. She missed their times together. They had once been inseparable. Now they were busy playing catch up as they lived their own lives, which thankfully intertwined on days like today.

  Wrapping her arms around Leah, she fought back the tears that stung her eyes. As though Leah knew, she whispered, “Don’t start that. We’ll both be in trouble. Once I start, I can’t stop.”

  Laughing, she squeezed Leah one last time for good measure and released her. Wiping a stray tear from her cheek, Rachel laughed through a trembling lip. She couldn’t help the emotion that overcame her when she thought of how things had been and how they were now. So much had changed in the last year, for the better without complaints, but it still felt like they had parted along the way.

  “Drive safe,” Rosie called after Leah, who in turn smiled and waved, blowing them a kiss as she walked out the door. “That girl worries me, ever since her car accident.”

  Rachel patted Rosie’s hand, a simple reassurance that she could relate to how she felt. It had been quite the year they’d had. She hadn’t been sure how they all managed to make it out alive. With the car accident, the fire, and everything else between, she was just thankful that they were all here and doing well.

  Grabbing her paper, along with her keys, she called out to Granny Mae, “Thanks again for breakfast, Granny. I’ll be here Monday morning.”

  Granny Mae pushed through the dividing swinging doors. Pointing the spatula she was using to make lunch for the noon rush, she told Rachel, “I don’t want you here no sooner than ten. No need to spoil your time with that babe of yours. I’ll have this all squared away so it can become your baking station.”

  Rachel’s eyes drifted over the location Granny Mae was showing her. In the back of the kitchen, there was a wide open area with shelves and plenty of counter space. Plenty of room to mix up batches and batches of cookies or muffins, whichever was on the list for the day, and there wouldn’t be a single thing she wouldn’t love above working at Granny Mae’s Café.

  15

  Pulling the stack of applications from the desk, he flipped through until he found one that stuck out at him. “I’ll be damned.”

  Had he known his brother had applied right before his father had retired, he would have tried harder to get him on the team. For whatever reason, his father didn’t want Conner in the service, Adam couldn’t care less.

  Picking up his phone, he dialed his father and waited a good minute and several rings for him to pick up. Finally, his gruff voice wheezed into the phone, out of breath and Adam knew the cigarettes were catching up to him. “Yeah.”

  Hello to you, too, Adam wanted to say, but refused to let it bother him. “Hey, Dad, how’s it going?” Since his retirement, his father’s mood had deteriorated. Not sure whether the guy missed working, or if he just wasn’t enjoying retirement for whatever reason, Adam wouldn’t know. His father was a conservative man, keeping his feelings on lock-down and his emotions in check. Years in the military, along with years with the department, could be blamed. But that was a discussion for another day. Right now, Adam wanted to hear his reasons for not hiring Conner. When his father grunted in response to how things were going, Adam said, “I called to talk to ya about this pile of applications.”

  “Heck, son, I gave that up a while ago,” his father said, sounding a bit harsh.

  No shit. Adam bit his tongue. It was obvious that his father had given it up, way before his retirement even. The list of things that had been left undone still hung over Adam’s head, on top of empty shifts and the threat of the department going downhill. Part of him wanted to throw in the towel, but the other knew that wasn’t the kind of guy he was. He couldn’t stand back and watch it burn, especially since it was his family name that had lit the match.

  “I didn’t know Conner had applied,” Adam said, tapping a pen against his brother’s application, waiting for his father’s response. “Did you know that he’d applied?”

  Another grunt told Adam that he was stepping across a line that he shouldn’t be crossing, but he didn’t really care. He was a grown man now; his father’s military ways couldn’t scare him into backing down from what was right and wrong, when it came to how his father ran things around here. Hell, the whole time growing up, he’d idolized the man because of everything he had done, oblivious later on to the reasons Conner wanted to leave the state. If there was any kind of revelation, this would be it.

  “No, I didn’t know that he’d applied.”

  Tapping against the top page of the application, Adam focused on the date. It would make sense that his father had ignored it, since the date was two weeks prior to his retirement. But still, it was his son. Didn’t he want the Jacobsen sons to carry on what he took pride in?

  “The application is dated two weeks before your retirement,” Adam said, knowing that his words were rocking the boat. “Is there a reason why you didn’t hire him?”

  “Watch your tone with me, son,” his father said, warning him with a tone of his own. “I have my reasons, but I won’t share them with you.”

  He should leave well enough alone. Heck, he shouldn’t have even called the old man. His mother had told him that his moods were unpredictable lately. She had taken him to the therapist and she had made it clear that he wasn’t violent with her—that’s all Adam cared about.

  “The department needs people. I think you had an idea that the department was going under. People were jumping off, including you.”

  “What’d I say about that tone, boy?”

  Anger rattled the old man’s lungs, sending him into another coughing fit. It wasn’t like Adam to get into arguments with his father, but he wanted answers and he wanted them right now. It all made sense. If Conner knew that their father wouldn’t hire him, their father was the reason he left state. The reason he no longer had a close enough bond to the only brother he had, aside from the ones in uniform.

  “He wasn’t ready. He was too young and immature.”

  “He was the same age I was,” he rebutted. “I wasn’t too mature back then, either.”

  Another grunt, followed by the flick of a lighter, his father said, “You were going places. He wasn’t. He didn’t know his head from his ass. Still doesn’t.”

  It wasn’t his business, what made his father and brother not see eye to eye, but this conversation made it obvious that his father had resentment against Conner. For whatever reason, it was unclear, but he knew it would wash out into the open before too much longer.

  “Well, I still don’t understand why you wouldn’t let him in the service,” Adam said, stacking the applications in a manila folder before locking the office behind him. He had been here most of the day. It was time to go home and relax, try to enjoy the night with his family.

  “I won’t have this conversation with you.”

  “That’s fine, because I’m bringing him back to Cedar Valley,” he said, his teeth grit together
. “And he’ll work in this department regardless of what you think.”

  * * *

  The call had gone horribly awry. He wanted to call and apologize to his mother for having to put up with the man’s anger afterward. It wasn’t like them to fight and argue, especially over the phone. But it was obvious that his father had it out for Conner and wasn’t telling anyone the truth. What had Conner done so wrong growing up that his father seemed to resent him for it?

  Dialing Rachel, she answered on the second ring. He refused to go home worked up; it wasn’t fair to her or the kids. “Hey, babe.”

  “Hey,” she said, her voice sounded sweet and he wished he hadn’t called his father, so he would be driving home instead of the opposite way. “I just gave Ava a bath. Supper will be done in a bit. I made your favorite.”

  He hated to back out on supper with her and the kids. He wanted nothing more than the family life, but between the job and his father, he needed to step away for a bit.

  “I’m sorry, I won’t be home for supper,” he said, hoping she wouldn’t be too upset. “I’ve had a rough day, so I’m heading to Levy’s for a bit. I need to take some time and clear my head.”

  Hesitation told him that she wasn’t sure about letting him go. “Is everything okay? Do you need me to take the kids to your parents for the night?”

  The last place he wanted the kids to go was to his parents, no offense to his mother. The kids didn’t need to be in the mix of all of this. “No, I’ll be home in a couple of hours.”

  “Are we okay?”

  Her words gutted him. To think that she had even an ounce of speculation that this was about them... “Yes, babe, we’re fine. This has nothing to do with us, or the kids. I just need to clear my mind before I come home.”

  “What happened?” her question was filled with concern. He loved the way she was. The type to try to solve every problem, but this one was on him. No one but he and his brother could figure this out. “I think you should take some time off. We could go to the beach, or rent a cabin out at the lake.”

  “Babe, I’ll be okay. It’s just, work got to me a bit today and I need a couple of beers to unwind.” Knowing she was still processing through what could have possibly happened, he said, “I promise. Everything’s okay.”

  “Okay, if you promise. Be careful,” she said, the sweet voice he loved to hear. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  Pulling into Levy’s, he wasn’t sure if Liam would be working tonight or not. He needed to unwind. Shoot some pool, kick back a couple of beers, and shoot some shit with the guys. Later, he’d go home and everything would be fine. He’d call his brother tomorrow and tell him, more like plead with him, to come back home.

  The bar was crowded for a weeknight. Walking in, he was relieved to see Liam and a few of their buddies hanging out around the counter. Holding a hand out, Liam gripped his, pulling him in close for a bro hug. They’d become better friends over the years, but were closer now than ever before because of their girls.

  “You put a ring on that finger yet?” Liam joked.

  “Nah, too much shit’s been going on lately.”

  “That’s too bad,” Liam said, walking around the counter to grab Adam a drink, but Megan shooed him out of the area before he could reach the cooler.

  “You’re not working tonight,” she said, smacking him with a towel. “It’s my night to rock this place.”

  Liam scuttled away with a defeated, devious grin on his face. Giving her a thumbs up, he turned back toward Adam. “I think she’s got the hots for Conner. Can you imagine?”

  “Man, I’ve heard enough.” He really didn’t care who had the hots for Conner, whether it be Megan, or Granny Mae, he couldn’t care less. He tapped a couple of quarters into the jukebox and selected a few songs, making a vow to leave by nine. It was quarter to seven now.

  “Just think, it might get him to come back here,” Liam jabbed. “Do you think he knows?”

  Shrugging, Adam reached for a pool stick from the stand and racked the balls. The last thing he wanted to concern himself with was Megan O’Brien and his brother. Megan was too good for his brother. She knew what she wanted in life, where his brother didn’t exactly know which day of the week it was.

  Breaking the balls, it occurred to him that his father had said the same exact damned thing, which had caused him to get pissed off. What the hell was wrong with him?

  “Looks like I’ve got solids,” Liam said, chalking his stick before lining up his shot. “So, you still looking for volunteers?”

  Swiping away the foam that had dripped onto his goatee, Adam nodded. “We’re always looking. Know anyone that’d be interested?”

  “If you hire women, I’ll join,” Megan said, walking around the table to hand him another beer.

  “I have no problem hiring women.” Hell, if a woman could do the job, it didn’t make a difference what gender they were. And if he was being honest, Megan had an aptitude for the job. She already had Paramedic under her belt; why not allow her the chance to join fire and rescue?

  When she didn’t walk away, he made his shot and looked back at her. Standing with her arms crossed over her fully blossomed chest, she was waiting for him to take her up on the offer.

  “Wait... you’re serious?”

  He looked back at Liam, who slightly shrugged before taking another drink from his bottle. He couldn’t remember the last time they had a woman on the squad, let alone the last time a woman took the training.

  She was a bad ass, everyone in town knew it. Hell, all of the guys knew when she showed up on scene, shit got real and was going to be taken care of. She was a helluva paramedic who didn’t falter where the job was concerned.

  “All right,” he said, nodding in her direction before lining up his shot. “Be at the station Monday at eight a.m. We’ll see what you can do.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  Liam’s face said it all.

  “What?”

  “I got nothin’,” Liam said, holding his hands and beer up in defense.

  “Your face expression didn’t look like nothing.”

  With a slight shrug and the pocketing of the eight ball to conclude the first game, Liam made sure Megan was out of ear shot before he said, “You didn’t really just offer her a job, did you?”

  “I guess we’ll find out come Monday, won’t we?”

  16

  He had kept his promise. She had been sitting on the couch, watching Frozen for the umpteenth time this week, when he walked through the back door. “Hey, babe,” he called out, finding his way through the maze of scattered toys.

  Ava stirred in her lap, squeezing out of her arms to run to his. She was more than happy to have him home. Ava had a few more teeth pushing through, hence the late night.

  With her eyes red and swollen, Ava flung her arms around Adam’s neck, hanging on him like the little monkey she was. Rachel couldn’t help but swoon over how great Adam was with her.

  She watched him travel through the overcrowded living room with Ava, unsure how he managed to not stub his toe or step on building blocks. She would have had it all picked up if she hadn’t spent the last few hours cradling a screaming child.

  “Frozen again?” Adam asked, pointing to the television. Rachel held up three fingers and tried her best to smile. “I have no idea who loves Frozen in this house.”

  “Me!” Ava said, raising her arms above her head. The medicine Rachel had given her after supper was finally kicking in, taking away all signs of painful gums except for the watery eyes and the red face.

  Adam carefully lifted her as he stood from the chair. “What do you say we watch the rest of this tomorrow so we can get a good night’s sleep?”

  Without a fuss or a whimper, Ava snuggled against his chest, almost as though she agreed that it was past her bed time. Rachel stood to follow them, making sure that no matter how tired she was, they didn’t break their nightly routine.

  Their nightly ro
utine consisted of two stories and a silly song, credit given to Adam for being so creative. Rachel couldn’t take credit for the song Adam and Ava sang night after night as she watched on in awe.

  Closing the door behind them, they walked down the hall to check on Tyler. Tyler was growing like a weed, which meant that he was becoming a young man. He no longer liked to be tucked in, but that hadn’t stopped Adam, or Rachel for that matter, of stopping by his room and wishing him a goodnight. Closing his door to just a crack, Adam turned to Rachel and said, “Ten going on eighteen. I’m not sure I’m ready.”

  Rachel wrapped her arms around his neck, looked him in the eyes, and said, “No rushing it. There’s still plenty of time.”

  She had seen the way Adam and Tyler bonded. They were the perfect father and son duo. Unlike any father and child relationship she had ever witnessed, Adam actually cared, and he proved it every day.

  The weight of the world was on his shoulders. The tension in his muscles was obvious as they hugged in the hallway, and her hand glided over his shoulder blade. If she could take away the stress he was facing day in and day out, lord knew she would.

  Swept off her feet, Adam carried her down the stairs. Afraid that she was going to fall, she held tight to his neck. “Relax, I’ve got you.”

  His words reassured her, but the thought of falling still rattled her fears. “I do this for a living, you know?”

  Relaxing only a smidge, she asked, “Sweeping women off their feet and carrying them down the stairs?”

  Grunting, he set her down on her feet at the base of the stairs. “Worked with you, didn’t it?”

  There were a lot of things that worked for her when it came to Adam. The way his personality beamed in their conversations; the way he cracked jokes to cheer her up, and the way his eyes said so much even when he couldn’t. She had known about the death of Tyler’s mother, about the troubling calls Adam had been on with the department, and the overwhelming hurdle of raising a child alone.