My mouth dropped open as realization hit me. “Did you set me up with Mackenna on purpose?”
“Well, of course I did. You two need each other.”
“And did you break my car so I’d have to go to Hank’s, too?” I asked, wondering how far her devious plan went.
“No,” she scoffed. “Your car’s just a piece of shit.”
Flailing her arms, she tried to sit up but failed.
“Whoa,” I said, going back to concerned. “I’m not sure you should do that. Let’s wait for the paramedics. Can you tell me what happened?”
Her lips pressed together. “I fell and hit my head.”
I glanced around the kitchen, wondering what could have caused her to lose her balance. “Were you dizzy?”
“No.”
“Did you trip?”
She huffed. “No.”
“Well, what then?” I asked, confused.
Frowning, she looked away. “I slipped in bird shit.”
That time my laughter came out loud and long. The hilarity of the situation combined with relief made it easier to see the humor of the circumstances.
“I think it’s time to set some ground rules for Sweet Pea,” I told her. “Less playtime outside of the cage?”
With a sigh she nodded, and I heard the far-off squeal of the ambulance in the distance. I never thought I would be so thankful for approaching sirens, but it was music to my ears. Red lights flashed through the kitchen window as it got louder, and I sternly told Grandma not to move before meeting the paramedics at the door.
I stood back as they checked her over and asked her questions. Not more than a minute later, I heard two different panicked voices coming from the living room.
“Where’s Beverly? Let me through, damn it!” Ernie sounded frantic.
“Jimmy! What’s going on?” That was Mackenna.
Reluctantly, I left the kitchen. When I rounded the corner, my eyes landed on my girl first. There was a large smear of mustard down the front of her white T-shirt, letting me know she’d probably dropped dinner in her hurry to get here.
Ernie looked disheveled. The suspenders he always wore hung loosely at his sides, and his Army ballcap was absent. His thinning hair stuck up at odd angles, like he’d been running his hand through it.
“She’s okay,” I reassured them, and Mackenna engulfed me in a hug. Kissing the top of her head, I glanced up to find Ernie wringing his hands. I gave him a nod. “She fell in the kitchen and hit her head, but she’s just as spunky as ever. I’m guessing they’ll probably want her to go to the hospital, though.”
His face twisted up, causing the wrinkles around his eyes and mouth to deepen. “Good luck to them. Boy, she’s gonna give ’em hell.”
His prediction was spot-on because we were interrupted by Grandma’s angry voice carrying through the house. “Absolutely not! You’re not putting me in that paddy wagon of death.”
Ernie sighed. “I’ll handle this.”
The tiny kitchen was cramped with so many people in it, but Ernie hurried to Grandma’s side, dropping to his knees on the checkered floor. “Bev, if they want you to go, you should go.”
“I don’t want to,” she whined.
“Now, listen,” Ernie started. “You could have a concussion or a broken bone. If it was me on this floor, wouldn’t you want me to go? If it was Jimmy—” He pointed up at me. “—wouldn’t you want him to get checked out?”
Grandma looked from me to Ernie, then back to the EMTs waiting for her response. Heaving out a sigh, she nodded. “Okay. But only because you asked me to.”
“I’ll meet you there.” He gently patted the side of her face. “I love you, Bev. For the rest of my life, and then some.”
Grandma beamed as she placed a hand over his heart. “I love you, too.”
Feeling like an intruder on a sacred moment, I backed out of the kitchen to give them some privacy.
Mackenna didn’t ask any questions as they loaded Grandma into the ambulance. She just held onto me. Or maybe I was the one holding onto her. I was still shaken up from thinking I’d lost one of the people I loved the most.
With a wave of his hand out the window, Ernie sped off in his car, intent on getting to the hospital to be by Grandma’s side. Several concerned neighbors still loitered in their yards.
“It’s okay.” I projected my voice down the block so everyone could hear. “She just had a bad fall.”
Satisfied with the update, most murmured “thank you” and went back into their houses.
“Are you okay?” Mackenna asked softly as we trudged up her porch steps.
“Yeah,” I answered, a bit dazed from the events of the afternoon.
We both slumped down onto her couch. I was glad Mackenna already knew what happened because I didn’t want to rehash everything. Still, I couldn’t seem to shake off the lingering fear.
“When I first saw her… I thought—I thought—”
“Shh,” she soothed. Lying back, she pulled my head down to her chest. Her fingers idly stroked my scalp. “Everything’s okay.”
I wrapped my arms around her middle, sinking into her comfort.
I loved that she let me do this. Let me be vulnerable. I didn’t have to try to be tough around her. I could just be myself.
Exhaustion replaced the adrenaline rush, and suddenly I couldn’t keep my eyes open. With Mackenna running her hands through my hair and the sound of her heart beneath my ear, I drifted off.
When I woke up, it was almost dark outside. Mackenna and I were still in the same position but her eyes were closed, her breathing even.
“Mack.” My fingers danced along her collarbone and she blinked a few times. “I gotta go next door to feed Sweet Pea.”
“Do you want me to do it?” She yawned, then pursed her lips. “You’re not planning to kill him, are you?”
I chuckled. “No. Pretty sure Grandma might kill me if I did. I left my phone over there anyway. I should call my parents and let them know what’s going on.”
“Okay.” Mackenna nodded before running her thumb over my lower lip. “Dinner’s still in the Crockpot. I’ll fix you a plate for when you get back.”
My stomach growled at the mention of food. With all the excitement, I’d forgotten to eat.
When I got to Grandma’s, I passed by Sweat Pea’s cage. He was still in there, looking ashamed of himself.
Good.
My phone was on the kitchen floor where I’d dropped it. I frowned when I saw the three missed calls and the texts from my parents.
Dad: Ernie called us. What happened? Call asap
Mom: Jimmy? Where are you? We’re worried
Dad: Do we need to come to IL?
Dad: That’s it. We’re packing
Shit. Now I wished I hadn’t taken that nap. I pressed the call button on Dad’s number. He answered on the first ring.
“Jimmy? Is Mom okay?”
He rarely called my grandma ‘Mom’. Our whole family was in the habit of calling her ‘Grandma’, regardless of their relation to her. It reminded me that she was his mother—the woman who gave him life, raised him, and loved him unconditionally. Of course he was going out of his mind.
“Sorry I didn’t call earlier, Dad,” I said, feeling guilty for letting him worry for so long. “I was totally wiped out after everything.”
“We just want to hear the story from you. Ernie told us what he could, but he wasn’t there for all of it.”
“What happened?” My mom’s voice came through the phone, and I figured they probably had me on speaker.
Taking a deep breath, I explained how I came home from work, found Grandma on the floor, and called 911. I left out the part about how I cried like a baby because I thought she was gone.
Dad sighed. “I’ll bet that was pretty scary for you.”
“It was,” I confirmed as I tinkered with the latest note tacked to the fridge with a butterfly magnet. This one simply said ‘Get more Twinkies’.
“We’re so glad you were there with her.” Mom sounded like she was crying.
“Me too,” I said, sitting down at the kitchen table.
“Yeah,” Dad agreed, a little choked up. “If you hadn’t been there…”
“That spitfire would’ve woken up and gone about her day as usual,” I filled in with a light-hearted chuckle.
“You sure are right about that.” He laughed. “But if it had been something serious… You being there could’ve saved her life.”
I had wondered how to broach the subject my sudden change of plans. While today sucked, it led to the perfect opportunity to bring it up.
“Speaking of that… I have something I want to talk to you guys about. How would you guys feel about me staying in Tolson?” When I was met with stunned silence, I clarified, “Permanently.”
Dad spoke up first. “Jimmy… Is that really what you want? Your classes…” he sputtered, sounding shocked. “Don’t change your whole future just because of what happened today. If we need to hire someone to care for Grandma, we’ll do it—”
“Dad,” I stopped him. “Actually, I had already decided to stay. I even talked to Hank about it this afternoon. I’ve got a job for as long as I want it. If I cancel my classes now, you should get a full refund for this semester.”
“And do you want that? To be a mechanic?” Mom asked.
“Mom, for the first time in my life I feel like I really know what I want. I’m going to cancel my classes at Ohio State. There’s a community college in Champaign that offers a mechanic certification program, and I want to apply.”
Dad cleared his throat. “Now, does this have anything to do with a certain young lady?”
“Yes.” There was no reason to deny it. “It’s a combination of things, but Mackenna is a big part of that.”
“And how does she feel?” Mom piped up, ever the concerned parent. “Does she want you to stay in Tolson?”
“I haven’t talked to her about it yet, but I think so. I didn’t want to say anything to her unless I had talked to you guys first.”
“Jimmy,” Dad started, “I think I speak for both of us when I say… We’re so proud of you.”
There it was. The approval and praise I’d been wanting for so long. Hearing it was just as good as I’d imagined. “You have no idea how much it means to me to hear you say that.”
“I think we do,” he said. “You’ve turned into a fine young man. You apply for that program and we’ll pay for it.”
“Thank you for supporting me in this,” I told them. “It might not be the life you envisioned for me, but I really want it.”
“We love you and we just want you to be happy,” Mom said softly, then added, “And preferably not in jail.”
I laughed. “Love you guys, too.”
We discussed the plans for a few more minutes, and after we hung up I couldn’t keep the smile off my face.
It was time to tell Mackenna the news.
CHAPTER 43
MACKENNA
The thing about lying to yourself is that it only works for so long. Sooner or later, the truth comes to the surface whether you like it or not.
I tried not to fall for Jimmy. I tried even harder to deny that it had happened.
And after I had to face the fact that I was in love with him, I tried to convince myself I would be able to let him go when the time came.
But it was a lie.
When he came back from Beverly’s, he scarfed down his dinner, then grabbed my hand and dragged me to the car. He seemed excited and happy—more so than usual. I asked him what we were doing, but he told me it was a surprise.
My heart beat a little faster when he took the back road out of Tolson, because I knew where we were headed.
This gravel lane had become our spot. The fireflies were our candlelight. The crickets and cicadas, our music. Who would’ve thought being in the back of a car could be so romantic?
But the haybales were gone now, reminding me that summer was fading and fall was looming. Soon, the fireflies would disappear and the leaves would change.
And I would go back to the isolated existence I had before Jimmy came into my life.
Our time was almost up.
I wondered if I would still come back here after Jimmy was gone. If I would park my Buick next to this field and remember our time together. If I would always feel the pain I was experiencing now.
Reaching over the middle console, Jimmy switched on the radio and pulled a plastic bag into the back seat with us.
I forced a smile. “What surprises do you have for me tonight?”
Shrugging, he smirked. “Another cheap date.”
As he poured a bottle of Boon’s Farm into a Solo cup for me, the song ‘Strawberry Wine’ came on the radio. I inwardly cursed the bad timing. This song had a history of making me teary-eyed, and that was without any relatable circumstances.
I really, really didn’t want to cry.
Shit. I was totally going to cry.
As Deanna Carter sang about the loss of innocence, I took an unsatisfying sip of my wine. Then I set the drink into the cup holder and turned toward Jimmy.
“Two months ago, I never would’ve believed you if you’d told me I was going to get busy with you in the back of the saggin’ wagon,” I joked, trying to lighten the heaviness in my chest.
Jimmy didn’t laugh like I thought he would. Didn’t even crack a smile. A few seconds of silence passed.
“Mackenna.” His face was serious. “This has been the best summer of my life. And—”
I stopped him by putting my fingers over his lips. I couldn’t bear to hear him tell me it was over. Not without telling him I’d changed my mind about staying together.
I was about to become a weepy mess, but I pushed on anyway.
“I think—” I hiccupped. “I think I want to try long-distance. That is, if you still want to. I tried not to get emotionally attached to you. I really did. But I don’t—” Holding back a sob, I struggled to keep myself together. The next words came out in a shaky whisper. “I don’t want to say goodbye.”
A huge grin broke out on Jimmy’s face.
The tears I tried to blink away spilled down my cheeks. “Why are you smiling at me like that? I’m being serious here.”
“Baby.” He cupped my face. “You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say that. But I don’t want to do long-distance.”
My heart plummeted. “You don’t?”
He shook his head, still grinning. “Because I want to stay.”
“What?” I asked dumbly, unable to comprehend what he was saying.
“I want to move here. For good.”
I took three deep breaths as I processed his words. “But what about college?”
“I can still go to school here, but it won’t be a university. I love my job,” he said, sounding excited. “I could apply to the mechanic program at the community college in Champaign. And I can get my CDL so I can start truck driving.”
“You’ve thought about this,” I surmised.
He nodded. “I’ve thought about it a lot.”
Hope and happiness made my stomach flip, and I couldn’t stop the huge smile stretching my face. “You’re really moving here?”
“My parents want me to sleep on it,” he told me. “But they’re supportive of whatever I want to do.”
With a laugh, I connected my lips with his.
Wine forgotten, clothes were shed and our limbs tangled together as giggles turned into gasps, and gasps turned into moans.
Sex with Jimmy was always mind-blowing, but this time it didn’t feel like a goodbye.
It felt like a promise for the future.
CHAPTER 44
MACKENNA
The squirrels got into my garbage again this morning. As cleaned up the wreckage of water bottles and leftovers on my lawn, I remembered the day they spread tampons all over my yard and how embarrassing that was.
And how long ago that was.
I hadn’t had a period since then, which meant I was late. Really late. It wasn’t unusual for my cycles to be irregular, but I’d never completely skipped a period before.
After Jimmy left for work, I hightailed it to Walmart to get some pregnancy tests. And now here I was, staring at my future.
Two pink lines.
At some point, every sexually active girl thought about what it would be like to see those lines. Depending on the situation, some would imagine themselves being elated. Some devastated. Some shocked.
Once I got over the shock part, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself in the first category as I stared down at the stick on the bathroom counter.
I didn’t feel anything other than happy. So unbelievably happy.
I tore open another box of digital tests I’d gotten because I didn’t trust one result. After dipping two more sticks into the cup I’d peed into, I set them down and waited. Less than two minutes later, both showed the same word.
Pregnant.
And that was when the full impact the situation hit me. Seeing it spelled out like that had me sinking to the floor while I stared blankly at some spot on the wall.
In the blink of an eye, the vision of a dark-haired, chubby-cheeked baby popped into my mind. It’d been a long time since I’d held an infant. Not since Krista was born. I was young then, but I still remembered the smell of her skin and the way it felt to have her smile at me for the first time.
Having kids of my own had been the furthest thing from my mind, but now I wanted it.
I wanted it more than I’d ever wanted anything.
This definitely hadn’t been part of the plan. I knew Jimmy and I took our chances when he didn’t use a condom, but we’d only done that a handful of times. We just got so caught up in the moment that I didn’t consider the consequences.
No. Not consequences. I refused to think of it that way.
Dropout (The Good Guys Book 3) Page 25