This has been an incredibly intense twenty-four-hour period. I’ve experienced my first rock concert, declared my love for Huck Wiley, taken my first airplane ride, and now I’m back home trying to be strong in the face of a terrible accident. I want to sleep for a month.
I just hope and pray that Cootie makes it, at least long enough to make peace with her children. She owes them that much.
Chapter 59
Lexi welcomes us into her house and helps us get settled. I share the basics of what’s going on while I help her make up a bed for Gizzy.
She asks, “Are you going home, or do you want to stay here with everyone?”
“I’d like to stay here, if that’s okay. I want to be on hand in case Huck or Maggie need me.”
“Do you want me to make up a bed for you?” she asks curiously. I can tell she’s wondering if my relationship with Huck has progressed while we’ve been away.
“I’ll just crawl in with Maggie,” I tell her.
Which is exactly what I plan to do, but Huck meets me out in the hallway. “Come with me.” I follow along as Lexi pretends not to watch us. He leads me into his room.
“Huck …” I start to say, but I see Maggie is already sound asleep in the middle of his king-sized bed.
He crawls in next to her and indicates that I should get in on the other side. “Let’s all stay together, okay?”
I snuggle in next to Maggie and feel a warmth of contentment spread through me. Huck says, “I love you, Amelia.” Before I can answer him, I hear his gentle snore as though his mind has reached capacity and has finally turned off.
I drift into a deep sleep, welcoming a break from consciousness. When I open my eyes, I don’t know how long I slept—it could be hours or days, it’s all a blur. But, I smell coffee and bacon. I inhale deeply, letting the comforting aroma wash over me. Even though I’m not a coffee drinker, I love the smell of it.
Looking around the bedroom, I discover I’m the only one here. Huck and Maggie are already up. As much as I want to know what’s going on, I want a shower even more. I hurry out of bed and go into the bathroom. One look in the mirror is enough to scare me to pieces. I’m still wearing the heavy makeup I had on at last night’s concert—was that only last night? It feels like a month ago.
My hair is so big and tangled I’m pretty sure a family of squirrels could nest in it. While I wait for the water to warm up, I check to see if Huck has anything I can put on after my shower. I find a soft flannel shirt that looks like it would make a nice mini dress.
The hot water feels incredible as it beats down on me, readying me for a new day. I must stay under it for ten minutes before I finally feel clean and alert. After drying off and brushing the tangles out of my wet hair, I put on Huck’s shirt and make my way downstairs.
The kitchen is a hive of activity. Lexi is scrambling eggs and Beau is flipping pancakes; Maggie is sitting at the table with Huck, Gizzy, and Shelby. Huck’s sister looks up when she sees me. “I have some clothes you can borrow if you want.”
“That would be great,” I tell her. She gets up and leads the way back upstairs before I can do more than wave to everyone else in the room.
When we get to her room, I ask, “Any word on your mama?”
“She’s not awake yet, but she’s still alive, so that’s good news.”
“It is.” Shelby hands me a pair of yoga pants and a sweater. Now doesn’t seem to be the time to mention that I don’t wear pants, so I take the bundle, grateful to have something clean to put on.
“What’s the deal with Gizzy Jacobs being here?” Shelby wants to know.
“He and Huck are really good friends. We were only able to get here as fast as we did because he let us use his airplane.”
Shelby looks surprised. “They live in another world, don’t they?”
“You’re telling me. Just wait until you see your brother perform. It’ll blow your mind.”
“I did see him once,” she says. “I saw both of them play nine years ago in St. Louis.”
“You did?” Shelby and I were never friends in our younger years, so I’m not surprised I didn’t know this. “They were in concert together?”
“Gizzy’s band opened for Huck’s.” I knew they’d started out together and I knew Huck hit it big before Gizzy, but I never knew he was instrumental in his friend’s success. That knowledge makes me understand the depth of their friendship even more.
“It was amazing, wasn’t it? Last night was my first rock concert. I don’t even have the words to explain what it made me feel.” I concentrate on all the positive emotions and not anxious ones about Huck and his women.
Shelby is quiet for several beats before saying, “Yeah, it was something.” I wonder if Shelby had ever had a crush on Huck and think how weird that would be for her now, knowing that he’s her brother. That thought is dispelled when she says, “Gizzy is something of a god on stage, isn’t he?”
Gizzy? Well, well, well, if this isn’t something. “Hard to believe he’s here now, huh?” I ask, hoping to open a dialogue.
Shelby seems to collect herself. “I expect he’ll be leaving today. I’m sure he has another show coming up.” Then she leads the way into her bathroom. “You can use anything you need. There’s a hair dryer, makeup, whatever you want.”
“Thanks, Shelby. You heading over to the hospital after breakfast?”
“Yeah, we’re leaving in about an hour if you want to come along.”
“I’ll be ready,” I assure her. When she leaves I can’t help but wonder if maybe Huck hasn’t inadvertently brought his sister the person she’s meant to be with. I don’t know Gizzy’s story. He might be married or otherwise engaged, but wouldn’t it be cool if he wasn’t and he and Shelby were to wind up together?
I’m probably just being fanciful, but I love the idea of Shelby finding somebody. After she lost her baby and she and Beau broke up, she claimed to be done with relationships, wanting only to spend time on herself. I think the truth is that she just needs the right guy to come along and sweep her off her feet.
Chapter 60
Scratch what I said about Shelby and Gizzy winding up together. When I get back to the kitchen Shelby, Huck, Gizzy, and Maggie are eating at the table together. Gizzy’s elbow inadvertently nudges Shelby and she snaps angrily, “Could you please move over? You’re crowding me.”
Gizzy scoots over closer to Maggie. “Sorry about that.” But the look on his face indicates that he’s annoyed by her tone.
Huck sees me and stands up to give me a kiss. “Morning,” he purrs afterward.
“Amelia!” Maggie jumps up to give me a hug. “You were so zonked when we woke up, Dad said we should just let you sleep.”
“I’m glad you did. Where are Lexi and Beau?” I ask. In the twenty minutes I was upstairs, it looks like they finished cooking, cleaned up, and went off somewhere.
“Beau went to work, and Lexi went to the market for supplies,” Shelby says.
You’d think it would be weird for Shelby to be staying in her ex-boyfriend’s current girlfriend’s house, but she doesn’t seem to be bothered in the least. In fact, it seems that she and Lexi are becoming friends in their own right.
After we all finish breakfast, we take two cars over to the hospital. Maggie and Shelby leave first, and I go with Huck and Gizzy. I sit in the backseat and listen to the two of them talk.
Gizzy says, “I want to stay for a few days, if that’s okay. I’ll meet the rest of the band in Indianapolis on Thursday.”
“That means a lot, man, thanks.”
“What’s the deal with your birth mom? Was she happy to meet you?”
“Not at all. She shut me and Maggie out. Just got up and walked away from us.”
“Damn, that’s harsh,” Gizzy says. “I’m guessing your sister got her manners from your mom then.”
Huck laughs. “All of my contact with Shelby has been very pleasant. You must just not be her cup of tea.”
Gizzy grunts. “I
’m everyone’s cup of tea, man. Don’t you forget it.”
I love listening to these guys give each other a hard time. You can tell that it’s done purely out of love. They really do act like brothers.
Huck parks the car in the closest parking lot to the front of the hospital. As we walk in, we pass Cootie’s husband, Harold. I say, “Hey, Mr. Wilcox. How’s she doin’?”
Huck looks between me and Shelby’s daddy. “You’re Harold Wilcox?”
“I am. You must be the bastard son,” he drawls nastily. “I knew Cootie got knocked up by some frat boy, but she told me she was smart enough to make sure you never found her. Guess she was overestimating herself.”
“Excuse me?” Huck says, clearly startled by the malice directed at him.
“What are you doin’ here, boy?” Harold demands. “You can’t honestly think my wife is happy to see you.”
If Huck hadn’t balled up his fist and rammed it right into Harold’s face, I would have. Cootie’s husband goes down like a load of bricks, blood spurting out of his nose. He’s practically sobbing, “What the hell? You no good son of a …”
Gizzy warns, “I wouldn’t finish that sentence if I were you, mister.”
Harold seems to notice Gizzy for the first time and responds like anyone of sound mind would if a six-foot nine-inch giant in black leather cautioned him to shut up. He shuts up.
I reach into my purse and pull out a packet of tissues and hand it to Harold. “You’re as much of a prize as Shelby says you are, aren’t ya?” I ask.
He slowly stands up, staggering a bit to catch his balance. “My wife is a bitch and so is my daughter.” Huck strikes again, this time right in his paunchy stomach.
While Harold is doubled over trying to catch his breath, Gizzy says, “Man, you just don’t know when to stop, do you? One more word out of you and I’m going to have a go at you, and believe me, I won’t be delicate like my buddy here.”
Mr. Wilcox points his finger in Gizzy’s direction. “I’m gonna sue you both. What do you think about that?”
Gizzy picks up Shelby’s dad like he’s a rag doll and carries him into the hospital. He tells me and Huck, “You go on up. I’m just going to deposit this trash in the Emergency Room. Maybe they’ll do us a favor and sew his mouth shut.”
“What are you going to tell them happened?” I ask nervously. Seriously, the last thing either Huck or Gizzy needs is to get arrested.
“I’m going to tell them exactly what I saw. This idiot staggered out of the hospital and walked right into a tree.”
Harold squirms around and yells, “I did no such thing. I’m gonna have your ass thrown into jail for this!”
Gizzy growls, “If that’s what you need to do, go for it.” He sounds so threatening I’m willing to bet that Mr. Wilcox keeps his mouth shut.
As Huck and I take the elevator up to the second floor, he flexes his hand a bit. “That hurt like a mother,” he says.
“I bet.” I reach over and look at it before saying, “While Harold totally deserved what you gave to him, I think it’s best to cut out the punching.”
“I never do stuff like that. I just couldn’t believe what he had the nerve to say to me. Is he always like that?”
“No. He’s normally personable enough. Clearly, that doesn’t make him a good guy. The whole town knows he’s cheated on Cootie for as long as anyone can remember. Of course, no one ever says anything.”
“Why?” he demands. “Why doesn’t she say something?”
I shrug. “I don’t think she’s that into her husband. She probably doesn’t care.”
“Why would she stay with him then?” he wants to know.
“Cootie has a social standing in town, based on being Harold’s wife. He’s worth a lot of money. If I had to guess, I’d say she doesn’t want to lose her position.”
Huck scrunches up his face in distaste. “That’s stupid.”
“Maybe so, but that’s life. I’m not saying everyone would put up with that kind of behavior, but I think a lot do.” I add, “I think it’s part of the reason Shelby beat it out of Dodge for New York City. She wants more for herself than what her mama has.”
Huck shakes his head. “I had this expectation about the kind of person my birth mom would be. Based on Maggie’s mom, you’d think I’d know better. I idealized some fairy tale reunion, you know? I’m not sure I want to pursue this relationship any further. I don’t think I want to expose Maggie to that kind of thinking.”
I take his hand and give it a kiss. “I think maybe we need to just get Cootie better and see what happens from there.” As much as I can’t believe I’m standing up for the woman, I add, “I don’t think she’s had a very easy time of it in life.”
“Okay.” Huck’s tone softens. “Even if I never have a relationship with the woman, I’ll always be grateful to her.”
“For having you?” I guess.
“For that, and for having the good sense to live in the same town as you.” He leans down and gives me the sweetest kiss ever. I have to admit that I’m just as grateful to Cootie as he is. It’s an emotion I never expected to feel toward that woman.
Chapter 61
We run into my mama and Auntie Lee as soon as we get off the elevator. Mama looks at Huck and declares, “I haven’t the words.”
“You haven’t the words for what, Mama?” I ask. That woman has never been at a loss for anything to say, ever.
She looks at me and seems to forget what she was going to say. “Hi honey, welcome home. You doin’ okay?” She reaches out to hug me.
“I am. I flew on an airplane last night.”
“What?” Then she looks at Huck. “You got her on an airplane?”
“She wanted to be there for me and Maggie,” he tells her before pulling me close to his side.
Mama shakes her head and then looks Huck straight in the eye and tells him like it is. “Listen. It doesn’t matter to me one bit if you are Cootie’s son. I think you’re a great boy and I think you’re good for my baby.” She reaches out and pats his arm.
Aunt Gracie look bewildered when she says, “You must look like your daddy.”
“How’s Cootie doin’, Mama?” I ask.
“That woman is too ornery to die. The doc said she opened her eyes a short time ago and asked for a toothbrush.”
I burst out laughing. “Seriously?”
“She said her mouth tasted like a monkey’s butt and she wanted to freshen up.”
I look up at Huck and say, “I can’t imagine Cootie ever making such a disgusting comparison regarding herself.” I wonder about what the doctor told us this morning, about the possible damage to Cootie’s head being at the same location as her personality center. Maybe she’s coming back changed. That could be good or bad. I tremble at the possibility of her being meaner than before.
I turn to my mama. “Where’re y’all off to?”
Aunt Gracie answers, “We gonna go over to the club and let everyone know that Cootie woke up. There’s something of a vigil being held down there.”
I can just imagine all the gossipy biddies hanging out waiting for news. “I’ll call you if we find out anything else,” I tell them.
A quick round of hugs later and they’re gone to spread the word. I tell Huck, “They’re our official town criers. Seriously, Mama and Aunt Gracie would have known the British were coming long before they’d even made up their minds to do so, had they been alive at the time.”
At the nurses’ station, we ask for Cootie’s room number. When we walk in, Shelby and Maggie are sitting on either side of the bed, holding her hands. Cootie’s eyes flutter open when she hears us come in.
Shelby says, “Mama, Huck is here.”
“Don’t get too close,” she warns. “They won’t give me a toothbrush and I’m pretty sure small animals would drop dead if they got a load of my breath right now.”
I unsuccessfully stifle a giggle. Cootie looks at me and nearly knock my socks off when she adds, “Thank you
for bringing my son to the club to meet me. You’re a good girl.”
“You’re welcome,” I tell her. I glance over at Shelby and she shrugs before rolling her eyes up and pointing to her head. I translate that to mean that maybe Cootie’s head trauma has made her nicer.
Cootie seems to knock right out after greeting us. The doctor comes in less than a minute later. “I hear my patient woke up. That’s good news.”
“Does that mean she’ll make it?” Shelby asks nervously.
“It’s likely, being that she woke up as soon as she did. We just need to observe her and run a load of tests to see where she stands. Why don’t you all take yourselves out to the waiting room while I examine her? Someone will let you know when you can come back in.”
We do as he suggests, but Shelby holds back a minute to stare at her mama. Her eyes fill with tears as her face sags in relief. When she comes out of the room, I wrap my arms around her and say, “I hope she keeps her new and improved sense of humor. I like it.”
“I do, too. I think Mama’s got quite a road ahead of her and it would help her heal if she wasn’t so mean.”
“We ran into your daddy.”
“He’s an ass. Do you know he came right into mama’s room and told me that he told her he was leaving her last night? I couldn’t believe it. He didn’t act at all concerned for her or anything. He just wanted me to know that if I needed to get in touch with him, he was staying at his mistress’s place in Babble Creek.”
“I think Huck broke his nose as we were walking into the hospital. Your daddy called him a bastard and your mama a bitch. Huck walloped him.”
Shelby’s eyes brighten and I see her smile for the first time since we’ve been home from Chicago. “Good for him. I love my daddy, but let me tell you, I have never loved the way he treated Mama.”
“It sounds like he doesn’t plan to be around while she recovers. That’s probably a good thing.”
Shelby says, “I called Regina, Lexi’s mom, this morning and asked her to send my stuff. I’m going to stay until Mama’s well again.”
The Plan: A Sweet and Sexy Rock Star Romantic Comedy (The Creek Water Series Book 3) Page 25
