Page 40 of The Way We Touch
“Let’s go back outside.” I reach for her hand, but she takes off running ahead of us.
As we return to the patio, I think about her words. “Are you okay, Miss G? Do you need help with anything?”
“Well…” Her voice quavers. “My nurse is retiring. Steven is in his mid-seventies, and last week he said he’ll have to retire soon as well. I don’t know who I’ll get to help me with the roses and all my million repair jobs around here.”
When we walk outside, Kimmie has her face in a large rose bush. “They smell like roses!” She cries excitedly.
“That’s good!” The old lady laughs. “Sometimes they don’t smell like anything.”
Standing beside her, I think about her predicament. “I don’t know any nurses, but my brother Zane was always pretty handy. If you’d like, I could ask him if he’d be interested in helping you. He needs something to do.”
Reaching out again, she grasps my hand tightly in hers. “What a wonderful offer! I’m sorry if I sounded a bit maudlin just now. I was worried, but I trust your recommendation. Tell your brother, I’ll gladly pay him for his time.”
“If he can’t, I’ll ask around for you. We’ll find someone, don’t worry.”
“You are such a dear.” She holds my hand to her chest. “Don’t worry about the nurse. I have a new girl coming to live with me this fall.”
“You do?” My chin pulls in. “Who is it?”
“She’s a friend of my niece’s from Birmingham. She finished her degree in physical therapy, and she’s always wanted to live near the ocean.”
“Well, she’ll be in the right place for that. I can’t wait to meet her.”
“I think she’s about your age.” Her eyebrows rise, and she nods. “Maybe you can be friends. And knowing someone is lined up to replace Steven is such a relief. I have such a good feeling, like something wonderful is going to happen.”
“You sound like a mystic.”
She tilts her head to the side mischievously. “They say the blind have special gifts.”
“Is that true?”
Her face scrunches, and she leans closer. “No.” Then she chuckles, “but you live to be my age, and you start to notice patterns. Just wait and see.”
9
Logan
“You’re where?” My father’s voice is stern on the line, laced with impatience.
“Newhope. It’s a small town on the coast in Alabama.”
“What the hell are you doing there? You were supposed to come back this summer and work with me at the office.”
Groaning internally, I can’t think of anything worse than spending the last of my summer in hot as Hades Houston or being stuck in that high rise in a suit with him every day of the week.
“I never said I’d do that.” My tone is flat.
“You’re acting like a college student. How is the staff supposed to get to know you if you’re gallivanting all over the Gulf Coast with your friends?”
“I’m not gallivanting.” I do my best to keep the snap out of my tone. “I’m visiting Garrett’s family. His brother is Jack Bradford.”
I almost hear the record scratch as his tone changes. “Jack Bradford the quarterback?”
Silence fills the line, and I know he’s impressed. I spent every fall into winter watching the games with him, watching him covet Jack’s celebrity.
“He’s head coach at the high school here. We’re helping him field a team.”
“See if you can talk him into doing an interview. A lot of people were disappointed when he retired the way he did. He had at least five more good years in him. It took the Mustangs a while to recover from that loss.”