The flower shop was my first stop, then Maggie’s Café for tea, then off to Mercy. I pulled into the parking lot of Judy Blooms just as Judy flipped the sign to open. “Perfect timing,” I said as I walked in.
“What can I get you this morning, Hunter?”
I looked around until I spotted them and pointed. “I’d like two dozen daisies. Bright colors, please.”
“Coming right up.” She got to work picking out the most colorful flowers in the cooler. “Would you like these in a vase or wrapped with a bow?”
“A vase would be great.”
“Let me go get one.” She waved her hand in the air and motioned toward the cash register. “If you’d like, grab a card off the counter. I’ll be right back.”
“Good thinking. Thank you.” I chose one that was just as colorful as the flowers and decided to keep it simple.
Sorry our Wednesday visit is here.
Hopefully, the next one’s not.
Love, Hunter
“Hey, Judy, would you mind putting together two more for me, both with the same flowers, maybe three in each and those can be wrapped.”
She poked her head out from the back. “Of course, Hunter, anything you need.” Judy came back with the vase and the other small bouquets.
“Wow, that was quick. They’re perfect.” I grinned.
“Is one of these for Miss Davis? I heard she’s sick again. I hope you’ll tell her I asked about her.”
“Of course, I will. And yes, the vase is for her.”
After paying for the flowers, I grabbed two more cards to fill out in the truck and then headed a few streets over. I knew how much Stephanie loved tea, and I was sure whatever she could get at Mercy was nasty. Stephanie said Maggie’s tea was second to her own, so Maggie’s it was.
“Morning, handsome. What can I do you for today?” Sherry Dews’s voice grated on my nerves as she attempted to sound seductive.
We slept together once a few years back, and now, she wouldn’t let me forget it. One drunken mistake on my part, but she seemed to disagree and had turned into quite the stalker.
“Good morning, Sherry.” I sidestepped her and headed to the back counter, hoping to find Maggie.
Sherry tried to keep up. “Can I help you with something, Hunter?” I could hear the suggestion in her voice.
“Not a chance,” I muttered under my breath.
“What was that, sexy?”
I rolled my eyes. “No, thank you, Sherry. I’m here for Maggie.”
Just then, Maggie popped up from behind the counter. “Ah, I thought that sounded like you, Hunter. What can I get for you?” She was always so happy. It had to be the pie; her husband made the best pie.
“Morning, Maggie. You wouldn’t happen to know how Miss Davis takes her tea, would you?”
She smiled with pride. “I sure would. You taking her a cup?”
“Yes, ma’am. It’s Wednesday, and I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” I heard Sherry huff behind me.
Every girl in town knew my heart belonged to Jules. Honestly, I wasn’t sure why any of them even tried, they should know by now. Nothing would ever materialize with any of them.
Maggie looked at Sherry with irritation in her glare. “Hey, Sherry. The bathrooms could use a scrubbing this morning. Be a doll, and go do that for me.”
Sherry’s face turned beet red. I wasn’t sure if it was from anger or embarrassment. She opened her mouth to say something, but she must have thought better of it as she scurried off to do what she was told.
I turned back to see Maggie laughing. “That girl. She’d flip her skirt for anyone, but of course, the boy whose heart is already taken is a prize to be won by those types.” She tsked in the direction Sherry left. “So, back to that tea. Let me get that for you.”
“Thanks, Maggie. I wouldn’t have had a clue how to order this without you, and I’m sure she’s going through withdrawals without it.”
I took the two cups Maggie handed me. One was double cupped and hot, and the other was cold. “What’s in the cold one?”
“Milk. I keep that separate so the tea will stay hot longer.”
“Good thinking.” I dropped a ten-dollar bill and backed away from the counter. “Have a great day, Maggie.” I smiled, knowing she wasn’t going to accept my payment, but I also knew she couldn’t make it around the counter before I was out the door.
“You too, Hunter.” She looked up from wiping up the counters “You little shit. You know your money's no good here.” Maggie shook her fist in the air. It was kind of funny that she thought she could be scary.
“That’s insulting, Maggie. My money is just as good, if not better, than anyone else's. Love you.” I blew her a kiss and walked out the door without seeing Sherry, which was definitely a bonus.
I pulled into Mercy at a quarter to ten. That gave me just enough time to drop by Jeannie’s desk before heading up to see Stephanie. Taking out the cards, I wrote out Jeannie’s first:
Jeannie,
Thank you for helping me last night.
Your kindness did not go unnoticed.
I’m so very grateful I found you.
Thank you for giving me faith.
Hunter
I grabbed the other card. I think the nurse’s name was Susan, but I can’t be sure. I will have to ask upstairs, but I wrote it out anyway:
Thank you for making an exception
for me last night with Miss Davis.
It truly meant a lot to me.
Hope these brighten your day.
Hunter
With the cards tucked into their bouquets, I loaded up my arms with flowers and tea and headed toward the building. Walking through the same doors as last night, I felt a little lighter although still quite anxious. Not three steps in and I was stopped.
“Sir, you are not supposed to be in here. You’ll have to leave the way you came, and go through the main entrance.”
I turned to see another older woman sitting at the same desk Jeannie was last night. “I’m sorry. I know I’m not supposed to be in here. Jeannie made that clear last night. I was hoping I could leave something for her.” I set down the tray and grabbed Jeannie’s bouquet from under my arm and handed it to her.
Her features softened. “Well, of course. That would be fine. She’s going to love these. She’ll be here in a few hours. I will definitely see to it that she gets these. That’s so thoughtful; she must have made quite an impression on you.”
I nodded. “She did; she helped me quite a bit last night. Enjoy the rest of your day and thank you for giving them to her.”
“Thank you. You as well.” She smiled sweetly.
I headed back out and entered in the main doors. I made my way to the fourth floor and stopped at the nurses’ station, not that they would let me go any further. “Can I help you, sir?”
I set down my tray again. “Yes, ma’am, I’m here to see Stephanie Davis, but first, I would like to leave these for a nurse that was here late last night.” I held out the bouquet I brought. “I think her name is Susan, but I’m not certain.”
“We do have a nurse named Susan.”
“Then that must be her. I’d like to leave these for her if you don’t mind?” I smiled as I handed her the flowers.
“Of course, that won’t be a problem. She’ll be in later this evening. Do you know where Miss Davis’s room is?”
“Yes, I do. Thank you.” I turned to walk away. “Oh, one more thing. Is she allowed to have tea?”
“Yes, tea is fine.” She smiled.
“Thank you.”
I walked toward Stephanie’s room, and when I reached it, I looked in to see her sitting up in bed. “Knock. Knock.”
She glanced up. “Hunter, sweetie, what are you doing here?”
“It’s Wednesday, silly, you think I was going to be the first one to skip out on one of our dates?” I walked in and set the flowers down. “No way.”
“Oh, those are beautiful. You know daisies are Jules’s
favorite?” Her eyes lit up.
I nodded. Of course I did. I knew everything, well, used to know everything there was to know about Jules. I took a stab in the dark that Stephanie would like them, too.
“Well, they’re my favorite as well. Thank you, that was very thoughtful of you.”
I leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. “I brought you one more thing.” I revealed the tray I had behind my back.
“What’s that?”
I put the tray down and poured the milk into her tea. “Tea.”
She sat up straighter and situated herself against the headboard. I swear the color returned to her very pale skin. “You’re a godsend. Why my daughter hasn’t married you yet is beyond me.”
I stopped stirring and stared at her.
“Go on, don’t stop making my tea. I’ve said it all along; you two will be married one day if it’s the last thing I accomplish on this earth.”
I shook my head. Jules and I didn’t even live in the same time zone. “Speaking of Jules, I overheard the nurse talking to her last night. Did you know they were calling her?”
“Yes. It’s time she knows. I figured that the nurse could deliver the blow, so I didn’t have to.” She grimaced.
“Stephanie, she’s probably beside herself. I would have called her; you know that. I’ve been telling you for years to tell her.” I was beyond upset right now; Jules was going to be devastated by the news.
She grabbed my hand when I gave her the tea. “I know, sweetie, but you know I didn’t want to worry her. Now, the situation has changed. She needs to come home. I want her here, and I want my grandson to grow up in McKinney.” Stephanie took a deep breath. “I want to see you two together, as well.”
I smiled down at her. “Stephanie, you know I would love nothing more than to have Jules back in my life, but the ball is in her court and has been for eight years.”
4
Jules
I woke up Wednesday morning with a slight headache from all the wine I’d consumed the night before, but nothing a little coffee and Advil wouldn’t cure. Staring at the ceiling, I made a mental note of all the shit that needed to be done over the next few days before I left. I quickly realized a mental note might not be the best idea as the list seemed to be never-ending. I grabbed my phone, powered it on, and pulled up the Trello app to start my lists. A few notifications popped up, but I swiped them away.
The first order of business was to call Stacey to ask her if she has a space today in her toddler room for Calum. Stacey had become one of my closest friends in California, she owned a small, prestigious day school with small classes. When I needed a sitter, she was always happy to accommodate.
“Bloomfield’s Day School. Stacey speaking. How may we help you today?”
“Hey, girl, it’s Jules.”
“Hey, how are you?”
“Honestly, I could be better. Long story short, the medical center back home called, and my mother has been admitted. Apparently, she has lupus, which is news to me. So, I’m trying to get my shit together to head to Florida for an extended period. So...” I paused, hoping she’d pick up what I was putting down.
“Jules, you know I will do anything for you. Bring Calum over. I’m sure having a toddler around while you have all this shit going on will only add to the time it’s going to take you to get everything set up. Do you want me to send the driver?”
“No, no, but thank you. I hate to pawn off my baby boy, but he’ll have so much more fun there than watching me go crazy.”
“Of course, come on over whenever you’re ready.”
“Thanks, see you soon.”
With Calum situated at day school and me with coffee in hand, I grabbed the laptop and started to work on my list. First, I booked our flights. Friday night at six seemed to be the best option. Calum was going to be all out of sorts with the time change, so I went with it. Next, I hit up Amazon. I was going to need to order large items that I couldn’t bring with us for Calum. I ordered a toddler bed, car seat, and high chair. He was a toddler, but that little booger was a messy eater. Thank God for Amazon Prime. Everything would arrive in McKinney on Friday, so I’d let Taylor know what to bring with her to the airport. I should’ve probably added call Taylor to the list, so I didn’t forget to tell her what was going on. She texted me a few times last night, and I wasn’t in the mood to chat, so I ignored them. I’m sure she’d heard about my mom, and she was probably worried sick.
Once all that was ordered, I grabbed the luggage out of the storage closet and started packing up Calum’s room. My phone rang, interrupting my music. Taylor. Shit, she was going to be pissed. I slid to answer and hit speaker so I could continue to sort through Calum’s clothes. “Hey, girl.” I tried to sound upbeat so she wouldn’t yell.
“Don’t you fucking hey girl me. Where the hell have you been? I’ve been worried sick about you. I know you probably don’t want to talk about it, but damn, at least shoot your girl a text.” She sounded a little pissed but concerned at the same time.
Well, that didn’t work. “I’m sorry, Tay. I wasn’t thinking. I assume you heard about Mama?”
“Yeah, how is she?” Her worried tone softened.
I sighed. “Honestly, I don’t know. They told me she has lupus, and they were waiting on test results, but I’m clueless. I’m scrambling right now to make arrangements to come home.”
“I’m sorry, Jules. I know I’m a horrible person, but is it shitty to be excited you’re coming back to McKinney, even though it’s due to a completely horrible circumstance?”
I laughed at my best friend. “No, of course not. You don’t have a horrible bone in your body. I’m excited to see you, too. I’m super anxious about coming home, though.”
“That’s understandable. When are you coming? What do you need me to do?”
“I love you. We should arrive around two a.m. your time. I’ll email you the itinerary. Do you think you could pick us up?”
“Of course. I’ll grab a Monster to stay awake. Anything else?”
“Uh, yeah. I ordered some shit off Amazon to be delivered to your place Friday. If you could bring it with you that would be great. You still have the truck?”
“Hell yeah, she’s still kickin’. If you need anything else, let me know, I’m here.” She paused. “Oh, I ran into Hunter last night and told him about your mom. He tore out of there like a bat out of hell. He seemed pretty upset.”
I didn’t want to think about him right now. “That’s weird. Maybe he had a hot date to get to.” I laughed.
“Jules.” She said my name as a warning. “Don’t play. How’re you feeling about seeing him after all this time?”
“I haven’t thought about it. I’ve been busy, but thanks for bringing that up, bitch.” I sighed.
“You love me, and you know it. Whether you thought about it or not, you know you’re going to see him.”
“I know, okay. I can only deal with one thing at a time.”
“All right. All right. I’ve got to run. I’ll let you get back to your shit. Email me your flight info, and I’ll see you Saturday. In the meantime, if you need anything, let me know.”
“Love you, bitch.”
“Love you, too, Jules. Take it easy.”
We hung up, and I continued to pack.
Before I knew it, it was Friday, and my nerves were completely shot. I dropped Calum off with Stacey again so I could help Gina move in.
“Thanks so much for helping me out, Gina; you’re a lifesaver.” I hugged her tightly.
“Girl, do you have any idea what it’s like living with my parents? You are most likely saving me from murder charges.”
We both laughed.
My phone alerted me to a text.
Bestie: You’re lucky I fucking love you. I’m sweating like a damn hog from putting that car seat in the truck. WTF?
I was laughing my ass off to the image of Taylor doing some sort of acrobatics to get a car seat in her truck.
Me: LMAO
! Don’t be so dramatic. It’s not that hard.
Bestie: Says the MOTHER!
Me: OK, I guess it can be hard at first. Go shower, so your ass doesn’t stink when you pick us up.
Bestie: See you soon. Have a safe flight.
Me: Can’t wait.
5
Jules
I’m woken by the sound of Calum calling for me. The poor kid was probably wondering where the hell he was. He wandered in with a big smile on his face as I was getting up. Clearly, he wasn’t at all afraid. He climbed in bed with us and poked Taylor in the eye, waking her up. I couldn’t help but laugh. Taylor was not amused.
"Morning, Calum. Aunty Taylor is going to eat that finger, nom nom nom," she said, grabbing his finger and pretending to eat it.
He screamed and laughed with her. Taylor and Calum were pretty close. Her job as an architect required her to come out to the West Coast several times a year for clients, and Calum had so much fun with her every time she visited.
"Are we going for a swim in Granny's pool today while Mama goes out?"
"Swim pease," he screeched as he jumped, landing on Taylor, and knocking the wind out of her.
I looked over and realized it was already eleven. This time change was going to take some getting used to. "I better get showered and head over to Mercy.” I tossed back the covers. “I didn't realize it was so late. The doctor said he would be in at two, and I want to get a chance to talk to Mama before he comes in."
"No problem, Jules. I'll get Calum some breakfast so you can get ready. Don't worry about us. We got this, right, buddy?"
"Wight, Tay Tay." He gave her a baby high five.
"Thanks, T." I gave her a hug and kissed my little man before grabbing an outfit and heading for the bathroom.
I took a long shower, mentally preparing for the day. I had no idea what to expect. I’d done some research on lupus, but I was still completely in the dark.
Wrecked by Her (Like a Hurricane Duet Book 1) Page 3