The Perfect Plan

by Carina Taylor

  Her Aunt Leanne had promised she would visit Libby as often as possible while she lived in Portland. Her life plan was finally coming together: good job, great retirement plan, extra time to hang out with Leanne. It didn't make sense to spend the summer taking care of Evan's grandma.

  "You wouldn't have to be a nurse. Grandma's still capable — a tad eccentric, but capable. She needs someone to keep an eye on her, but my mom and I don't have enough time to spend with her. We would pay you to live with her. Besides, it would only be for a couple months until you start your job in Portland."

  She closed her eyes again and leaned her head back on the couch. "And so begins my career as a hospice worker."

  "What is your deal with old people? You act like they're a completely different species. Guess what? That's you in forty years."

  She felt Evan tuck something soft and warm around her. His large hands wrapped the edge of his sweatshirt around her shoulders. She must have looked as tired as she felt. "I don't think old people are weird...maybe. I just haven't been around them."

  "Look, I'm trying to help you out, keep you off the streets for the summer."

  "Ha."

  "She's the best grandma there is; I think you guys would have fun together. She needs someone to make sure she eats healthy and sees the doctor regularly. Someone to be there and make sure she doesn't have an accident — that sort of thing. She's been a little forgetful lately — locking her keys in the car, asking for directions to places she's been before, and stuff like that. We'd like to know that she's safe."

  "Why doesn't she move to a senior care facility?"

  Evan snorted. "You'll understand when you meet her." He leaned forward and pulled his phone out of his back pocket. He scrolled through his photos, found one of his grandmother and him, and showed it to her. "This is her."

  Libby leaned over to look at the picture of an older woman wearing lipstick and makeup with a white, shoulder-length blowout that screamed excessive hair spray use. She didn't appear to be crazy, but looks could be deceiving. She was Evan's grandmother, after all. She probably mixed her colors in the washing machine, too.

  "I'm sure she's sweet, but you know what they say about starting strong with your career."

  "No, what do they say?"

  "I'm not sure, but I'm assuming it has something to do with not gathering dust under the rug and all that, rather than be an elderly woman's nurse and wheelchair pusher."

  "But you said yourself that you're jobless for the summer; this would be perfect. It's only temporary. You could get paid to be with my grandma. If you don't, then—" He abruptly cut himself off and nervously looked at his phone.

  "Wait a minute. 'If I don't then' what? You're supposed to be staying with her this summer, aren't you? You are ridiculous. I can't believe you." This time she did summon up enough energy to smack him in the face with a throw pillow.

  "I'm moving up to Portland tomorrow." He shrugged. "Work starts next week. I could check on my grandma on the weekends, but I'd feel better knowing someone was with her all the time. I'm glad I'll be in Oregon close to her, but it's not the same as seeing her every day. I told my mom I'd try to find someone to be there full-time. We'd like to have someone there we trust– and we trust you. You've met my mom."

  "Yeah, I have, and she's scary." Libby had met Evan's mother, Charlene Garber, at Evan's twenty-second birthday dinner. It hadn't been a relaxing evening. Adding Evan's mother to the mix had nixed any fun. She spent most of the evening glaring at people and frowning at jokes she didn't think should be told. She'd even been upset that the restaurant they ate at didn't have tablecloths.

  "Scary?" Evan laughed.

  "Yup. No other word for it."

  "I've thought of my mom as a lot of things, but never scary. What makes you say that?"

  "I have a feeling that if I get on her bad side, she'll sue me for every penny I've got. Right now, she would only get two, but it's the principle of it."

  "My mom's used to being driven. Ever since dad ... well, she's had to support us the best she can. Just because she's a lawyer doesn't mean she'll sue you. Besides, she likes you."

  All Libby wanted to do was close her eyes. She didn't want to think about where she was going to live. She didn't want to think about why Evan's disapproving mother would like her. She especially didn't like to see the stark look of pain on Evan's face whenever he talked about his father. Libby wanted to make it all better for him, like a mother who kisses her toddler's scrape all better. But there was nothing Libby could do to solve the hurt of a parent passing away too soon.

  Libby reached over and squeezed Evan's hand.

  She'd had the opening shift at the coffee shop earlier that day. Getting up at four wasn't her favorite thing. Thinking about lost loved ones and accepting job offers when she was beyond tired probably wasn't the greatest idea.

  Besides, she didn't know anything about old people. She was raised by someone who was barely fourteen years older than her. Libby had spent her growing up years in school and sports with kids her own age.

  Overall, Libby's experience with older generations was extremely limited.

  She needed something to do over the summer, but she was the least qualified person for the job. Evan's grandma was probably a nice lady. The way Evan worried about her was sweet, and Libby knew that he called her regularly. But Evan's grandma would be better off with someone qualified to care for her, and Libby could look around for a different summer job.

  "What happens if I say yes? If she needs a caretaker, does that mean she's – you know — lost it?" Libby had to ask. She didn't have any leads for apartments in Portland yet. Staying with Evan's grandma would keep her from being homeless over the summer at the very least. It would be perfect for apartment shopping.

  "Umm no, definitely not. Wait until you meet her. She's the best. So capable. She's just getting frail and forgetful."

  "I've never thought that capable, frail, and forgetful went together very well."

  "She's fantastic. Forget everything you think you know about old people. It's a lie. Trust me, that woman was and is capable. Growing up, I swear she knew what I was up to even before I did. I couldn't get into any trouble without her knowing about it."

  "Sounds boring if you couldn't get away with anything."

  Evan smiled at her. "You don't ever have to worry about being bored when my grandma is involved."

  Libby looked at him with alarm. She wasn't sure she liked the sound of that.

  "My mom would pay you eight hundred a week. Plus, you can stay at Grandma's rent-free. And really, all you'll be doing is checking in on her to see if she needs you for anything. It's not like you'll be working. We'll be paying you to give us peace of mind."

  "When you put it that way, I can't say no."

  "Giving us peace of mind?"

  "No, paying me to do nothing." Libby grinned.

  Evan smiled back as he reached over the couch cushion, grabbed Libby's limp hand, and shook it. "Perfect. It's a deal."

  CHAPTER TWO

  LIBBY WOKE THE NEXT morning with drool running down her chin. She lay curled up on the center of the couch, and the floor still looked like it needed to be vacuumed. She glanced around and realized Evan must have left sometime in the night. She didn't remember much after promising to look after his grandma. They'd turned on the TV, and Libby had immediately fallen asleep. She was still snuggled up with Evan's sweatshirt. He was good at looking after her like that.

  Libby stood slowly as her bones popped and cracked. Sleeping on the world's most uncomfortable couch didn't do wonders for her spine.

  Vivian must have come home sometime in the night, because she came barreling down the stairs wearing a romper with her hair and makeup already done. Libby stared at her. Vivian's blonde, curly hair was in contrast to Libby's own brown, straight hair. Vivian's curvy build also contrasted Libby's petite gymnast body. They were opposites in a lot of ways, which was probably what made their friendship work so well.
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  "Good morning!" Vivian sang.

  "No. No, it's not a good morning. Why are you up so early?" Libby grumbled as she shuffled toward the kitchen. "Where were you? The house was disgusting when I got home."

  "Oh yeah, sorry about that. Some friends decided to celebrate graduation, but I shut the party down early. Guess what happened last night?"

  "I want coffee. I want my bed. I want a masseuse. I don't want to guess."

  "Brice and I broke up." Vivian snagged a bagel out of the cupboard.

  That explained why she was up so early. She'd probably been too upset to sleep. Meanwhile, Libby had probably sounded like a grizzly bear snoring on the couch.

  "Really? You don't seem too troubled by that," Libby said as she ground the coffee beans. She glanced at the clock on the stove. It was seven o'clock, and she didn't have to go to work today. It felt delightful.

  "Meh, it wasn't meant to be," Vivian said as she set her phone on the counter.

  "I never liked the guy, so good riddance." Libby didn't have a high tolerance for a guy that had trouble staying monogamous. He hit on Libby even though he was dating Vivian. Libby told her to lose the jerk and find someone better, but Vivian just laughed it off.

  "Max is going to help me pack up some of this furniture and move it to my new apartment. Have you decided if you want to stay with me until you move up to Portland?"

  Max was Vivian's go-to guy for any heavy lifting. He probably wished he'd never laid eyes on the Green Trees Townhouse complex. The amount of projects Vivian made him do could rival the most experienced honey-do list makers.

  "I appreciate the offer, but I think I have something lined up for the summer. You planning on walking at graduation?"

  "Why bother? No one I know is going to be there." Vivian tried to keep her tone light, but Libby could see the sadness in her eyes.

  "That's okay; you should come with Leanne and me on our post-college trip this year. It's going to be epic." Libby and her aunt had been planning on a post-college trip for four years now. They were tentatively planning on Belize. It would be the first legitimate vacation they had ever taken together.

  Vivian smiled as she began opening and closing drawers in the kitchen. "It's a deal. We have so much stuff in these drawers. It's going to take us a couple days just to empty the kitchen. Evan won't even be around to help Max move furniture. He already grabbed his stuff and left."

  Libby drank an entire water bottle. "Wait. Did you say Evan already took off? What do you mean?"

  He hadn't even said goodbye.

  "He loaded up his car and took off this morning. He was still asleep on the couch with you when I got back from getting coffee at five-thirty. We talked for a few minutes before he left. I think our theory that he's a spy is brilliant. He probably had some small country to save early this morning."

  "First of all, why were you up at five-thirty? Did you stay up all night again? Never mind, I don't want to know. I should have known that guy would sneak off — most likely worried I'll change my mind."

  "I thought he stayed and helped you last night? He said that's why you guys fell asleep on the couch."

  "He did help me. I will never forgive him for it," Libby said as she slammed the lid down on the coffee pot and punched the start button.

  "I will never understand your strange little mind. Evan helped clean our apartment, and you'll never forgive him for it?" Vivian shook her head. "Oh, I nearly forgot. Evan told me to tell you to check your texts. Something about job information."

  Libby grunted a response and added some creamer to her coffee mug.

  Vivian began emptying the junk drawer. Scissors, papers, tape, and matches made a pile on the counter. "Do you want the rubber band ball or paper clips? And what did Evan mean about a job?"

  "Well, our very own sweet, thoughtful Evan has lined me up with a summer job. Yes, I want the rubber bands."

  "I told you he was the sweetest man alive. Where is Colter, Oregon? Evan told me that’s where you’re going."

  Libby dashed into the living room and searched the couch cushions for her missing phone. She finally found it underneath the couch.

  She had three missed texts from Evan. One was thanking her for taking care of his grandma. One was telling her that he was sure she would love it. And one had the address of the home.

  Marcie Garber. 425 Maple St. Colter, Oregon.

  "Colter, Oregon. That's not Portland. I wonder if it's a suburb of Portland."

  Libby did a quick search on her phone of Colter, Oregon. She had assumed that Evan's grandma lived close to Charlene. The page loaded, and she began scrolling through the information.

  Her heart stopped beating for a full minute.

  Colter, Oregon was located on the outskirts of the Willamette Valley and held a total of 1,846 people. The internet search brought up a picture of a diner and a post office. At least if she lived there, she knew she would be fed and could use snail mail.

  There was no other information about the town except a Facebook page that was called The Garden Show, Colter, Oregon. That was probably the only thing those people did all year.

  She quickly looked up a map of the area.

  Civilization was a good hour away.

  She couldn't do it. Libby was a city girl, and she wasn't afraid to admit it. She liked having a coffee shop around every corner and any store or restaurant she wanted. Being stranded in a small town in Oregon with granola munchers was not her idea of a good time.

  It was bad enough that she was going to have to learn how to survive the dreary Oregon rain when she moved to Portland, but at least she looked forward to living in the quirky city. There had been a time when Vivian and Libby wasted hours of their life watching Portlandia. It was time that they would never recover, but they had decided it would be fun to visit Portland someday.

  Unfortunately, Colter was not Portland. Not even close.

  Vivian set the fondue maker on the counter. "Evan said his grandma is super excited to have you. I guess he called her this morning, and she's already making plans. I hadn't realized you knew Evan's family."

  "I don't. That's the job he's talking about. I told him I'd live with his grandma for the summer and take care of her. Good grief, he must have called her really, really early this morning. She must be a morning person, too."

  Vivian bumped the fondue pot, and it teetered on the edge of the counter before she caught it. "You're crazy, you know that, right? What do you know about taking care of old people?"

  "Nothing. I told Evan that, but I guess she's really forgetful, so I'll be like a walking Alexa. I'll be there to remind her about doctor’s appointments and things like that. Keep the fondue pot, I don't want it." Libby waved at the monstrosity.

  "You know, you can always call me if this doesn't work and come stay with me until you find an apartment in Portland."

  "Thanks, Viv, but right now I need to call Evan and chew him out."

  "Call him?" she asked with a skeptical look. Libby never called people. She didn't like talking on the phone.

  "Yes. It's that serious."

  THE SHRILL RING OF Evan's new phone startled him as he drove up the interstate. It was his third phone in two months. The other two had met watery graves. One went through the washer, and the second fell into a public toilet. No amount of rice could fix that. He was hoping his current phone would last long enough to save all his new contact information. Right now, he was stuck trying to recognize people’s numbers when they texted.

  Looking at the still-ringing phone, he immediately recognized the number. He hit the speaker button.

  "You all packed?" He coughed, trying to hide the laughter in his voice.

  A long, exasperated, and furious stream of words flew into his ear. Evan was pretty sure they were insults at him, but he'd been expecting that from Libby.

  Was it a bit mean and heartless to mislead Libby into agreeing to take care of his grandma?

  Yes, yes it was.

  But he wanted h
er to have a place to stay for the summer, and Colter wasn't too far from Portland. It would make Libby's apartment search easier, and she would have a safe place to stay for the summer.

  "You know, I thought you didn't like to talk to people on the phone and that you preferred to text," he said.

  "I do. But I couldn't find a way to text you in my angry voice, so I decided to break my own rule just for you," she ground out.

  "I'm glad to know I'm the exception to the rule," he replied cheerily.

  "I'm going to strangle you next time I see you."

  "I know. Why do you think I left so early this morning? Now, did you get the directions I texted you?"

  "Oh no, we're not just brushing past the part where you didn't tell me she lives in the wilderness!"

  Evan shifted in his seat. "It's not that bad. You never asked where she lived. Besides, I told you she was in Oregon."

  "The deal's off."

  "The deal can't be off; I called my grandma this morning. You and I shook on it."

  "Nope. Not happening. I was hired under false pretenses. I'm claiming negligence. Besides, we're not in some old western where shaking hands means it's law."

  "You'll love the small town life. I promise. And I never knew you had a thing for old westerns."

  "I don't have a thing for old westerns — that's all Vivian. Small town? Don't you mean nonexistent town? I looked up the population of Colter, Oregon. It has less than two thousand people. That's not a town; it's a small neighborhood. Maybe an apartment complex."

  "It will be good for your soul. Besides, you'll be stuck in Portland for the next thirty years doing boring accounting stuff. You may as well do something completely out of the ordinary before you settle down to such a dreary life."

  "My life will not be dreary, thank you very much."

  "So dull you'll be the inspiration for a top hit country song."

  "You know I hate country songs."

  "It'll be about the woman who never had a dog or a boyfriend to lose."