by Cee Bowerman
The jar of rocks sitting on one of her bookshelves had brought me to tears. Years ago when Greer had started training for her first marathon, I’d started to train with her. An injury kept me out of the race, but once I’d recovered I went back to running with my sister just for exercise. One day on our run, she’d stopped and knelt down. I’d worried she had a cramp or something and was surprised to find that a rock had caught her eye and she wanted to pick it up and take it home with her. On our run a week or so later, I’d seen one that looked like a spotted egg and had picked it up and handed it to her to add to her collection.
For years, she and I had picked up little rocks or things here and there and she’d added each one to the glass jar on her bookshelf. There were a few buttons, a couple of beat up Hot Wheels cars, and some old coins we’d found.
Looking at that jar brought tears to my eyes. I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to display it in my house, but I didn’t want it to disappear either. I’d put it away and when the loss wasn’t so fresh, maybe I’d be able to smile at the memories rather than cry.
I reached into my pocket and wrapped my fingers around the charm bracelet I’d put in there earlier. I’d bought Bellamy and Greer each a charm bracelet and added charms for birthdays and holidays through the years that commemorated something big that had happened to them or our family.
I had the bracelet from Bellamy’s house and now I had the one from Greer’s. I’d put them together in the jar with the rocks when I got home.
Oddly enough, out of a houseful of things my sister had collected, that jar and bracelet were the only things I wanted to keep for myself. I knew that my brothers all had something from each sister that they’d kept from their homes and we’d all have things we’d want from our parents home when we got to that one. But the jar of rocks and the bracelet that fit Greer’s slender wrist were the only things I needed to help me keep Greer’s memory alive in my mind.
I took one last glance around the living room before I walked out the front door, making sure it was locked behind me.
I flipped my phone open and dialed Reba’s number, hoping a conversation with her would lighten my mood
Lucky for me, I’d made the call just in time for ‘our bath’.
5.
“You’re a hemorrhoid.”
Angus
MACE
“Greer’s car is set and ready to go,” I told Angus as we walked together into the office. “How are things going at Bellamy’s house?”
“Slow and steady,” Angus grimaced. “Finn’s taking things okay, I think. Shit, you know this has to be hard for him.”
“Yeah,” I nodded. I leaned over a little bit and nudged my twin with my shoulder. “Can’t imagine going through life without my biggest pain in the ass.”
“You’re like a hangnail,” Angus grumbled.
“You’re a zit on my left ass cheek that just won’t go away,” I said as I held the door open for my brother.
“You’re a hemorrhoid.”
“Listen to the two of you saying such sweet things to each other,” Lena, Finn’s girlfriend, laughed from behind the reception desk in the front office. She was standing there with a baby on one hip as she leaned over to point at something on the screen in front of Lily, her assistant.
“Are the others still inside?” I asked Lena as I took Dylan from her arms.
At least a few times a week, we had a meeting at the office before we started our work day. My six brothers and I would get together over coffee and discuss upcoming projects and ongoing ones. We’d talk about what stage we were at with each job, where we were lacking in some places, and where we were excelling in others.
Most of the time the meetings went well and were productive. Other days, there was all out war.
“You two are the last of them,” Lena said as I walked past her. “Coffee is in there and Lily brought kolaches. Have fun and be good, you two.”
Angus and I greeted our brothers as we got our coffee and breakfast. By the time we were settled, Royal was up at the whiteboard drawing a diagram of an issue we were having at one of the job sites with Bellamy facing outward from his chest as she sat contentedly on his forearm.
I looked around the table at my brothers as I listened with half an ear. Chess kept glancing out the open doorway, probably hoping for a glimpse at Lily. Ronan checked his phone every few minutes and then glared down at it before he put it back in his pocket. Tavin wasn’t even pretending to pay attention as he scowled down at the table in front of him. Angus was his usual grumpy self, a frown on his face as he watched Royal explain what was going on at the job site. Finn yawned occasionally and rubbed his eyes.
“Why don’t the rest of you assholes just go on? Apparently, Angus and I are the only ones that give a shit here,” Royal growled as he tossed the marker he’d been using onto the conference table.
“Fuck, man,” Finn shook his head and rubbed his eyes again. “I’m sorry. The kids kept us up all fucking night again. How is it that they’re so bright-eyed and I’m dragging ass? They got the same amount of sleep I did.”
I glanced down at Dylan who was content in my arms. I smiled down at him and got a smile in return.
“I’ll take them for you tonight,” I told Finn. “We’ll put them down at my house and you and Lena go home and go to bed.”
“I’ll come help,” Tavin told me.
“You guys are fucking awesome,” Finn said as he let his head drop down to the conference table. “Lena’s still having muscle cramps, the kids have decided they’re nocturnal, and I’m so fucking tired I could sleep right here.”
“Go home. Take Lena with you,” Royal told Finn with a little more understanding. “I’m going to be in the office most of the day, so I can keep them here and help Lily out. Ronan, can you come back this afternoon?”
“Can’t do it today,” Ronan shook his head. “Inspector is coming between 1:00 and 3:00.”
“I’ll be free this afternoon,” I told the two of them. “We’re well ahead of schedule on the electrical and I’m going to have to parcel out some of my laborers to the other departments just to get their 40 hours this week anyway.”
“I can use them this afternoon,” Royal told me. “Meet me here at lunch for the baby trade-off?”
“Will do,” I nodded.
“I’ll come get them from you for the evening. Let’s say from 5:00 to 8:00?” Ronan suggested.
“I’ll come help with baths and the last bottle at 8:00 then,” Chess told me.
“I’ll stay in your spare room and we can tag team through the night. I’ll be there about 10:00.” Tavin glanced over at Finn when we heard him snore. The poor man had fallen asleep with his head down on the conference table. “I can stay here this morning and help Royal. I’ve got some blueprints I need to make notes on and some bids to finalize.”
“Let’s plan for this somehow at least twice a week,” Angus suggested. “We’ve fucked up and gotten slack with our turns since Lena got out of the hospital. They can stay at our house next. Violet and I will take care of them. Let’s say Monday night?”
And with that, Royal picked up another marker and the six of us discussed a schedule to help out our oldest brother and his girl as we listened to him snore.
◆◆◆
REBA
“I’m a mother myself and I understand you hate to see your baby hurting, Mrs. Martinez, but he has to do the work to get better,” I told the concerned mom hovering in the doorway. “We all have to work as a team.”
I looked down at Mrs. Martinez’s son, Michael, and saw his frustration. He had suffered a knee injury during tennis practice and wanted to get better. Michael understood that there was a certain level of discomfort that would come with his rehabilitation, but his mom didn’t. She wanted him miraculously better and she wanted it to happen immediately.
“I’ll go to your supervisor,” Mrs. Martinez threatened. Again.
“The rule stands, Mrs. Martinez, whether he works with
me or another therapist. You need to stay in the waiting room or in your car until he is finished.”
“He’s a minor,” she pointed out unnecessarily. “I don’t have to leave him.”
“Mom!” Michael snapped. “Stop! Just leave me alone for a minute, please!”
Mrs. Martinez huffed away and I could hear her muttering in Spanish as she stomped down the hall toward the waiting room.
“I’m sorry,” Michael and I both said at the same time causing us to laugh.
“Your mom means well, Michael. It hurts us when our children are having trouble, so cut her a little slack, okay?”
“She’s making me crazy!” Michael growled. “She tried to come into the bathroom to help me shower!”
“You have brothers and sisters, right?” I asked him. When he nodded I asked, “And you’re the youngest?”
“I’m the only one still at home. My brother’s in college down south, my other brother is in the army, and my sister lives across town with her husband.”
“You’re her baby boy and the only one she has left in her nest.”
“Yeah,” Michael blew out a breath. “I am.”
“Talk to her, Michael,” I implored him. “Tell her how much you want to get better and that you want to work through some of the pain to get there. Let her help you, even if you really want your independence. Moms hate it when something is happening to their baby and there’s nothing they can do. Let her help you with the exercises you do at home. Give her a little bit, okay?”
“Okay,” he whispered. “I didn’t think of it like that.”
“Because you’re not a mom,” I laughed. “Now let’s get back to work, young man. Enough slacking!”
Michael laughed and leaned back on the table so we could start again on his stretches.
I loved my job. When Travis had his shoulder injury, I’d helped him with his therapy. That’s when I was sure I’d found my calling. Helping people get better was what I loved to do and sometimes dosing out a little family therapy was part of the physical therapy I had a degree in.
I worked with Michael and then walked down the hall with him so I could hand him off to his Mom. She was calmer now and when Michael put his arms around her for a hug, I saw tears in her eyes. She was just a mom with an injured baby boy and she was frustrated that she couldn’t do more to fix things. I smiled as I watched the two of them walk outside to their car, happy to know that I had helped in some small way.
I walked back down the hall to clean the equipment Michael had used so I could prepare for my next client. Mace’s sister-in-law Lena would be here in just a few minutes and I was excited to see her again even though I knew she would end up cussing me through most of our appointment.
I’d been on Lena’s care team since she was in the hospital. She and I had developed a solid friendship. She was a funny woman who had kept her sense of humor through more pain than most people experienced in a lifetime. I enjoyed pushing her to get better almost as much as she enjoyed giving me lip.
It was a friendship made in heaven and I knew it would last even after she didn’t need my therapy services anymore.
As I worked, my thoughts drifted from Lena to Mace. He and I talked on the phone every evening now and tomorrow afternoon would be our first date. We hadn’t talked on the phone much last night since he was taking care of his niece and nephew, but the conversation we had was fun and relaxing.
Everything about my new friendship with Mace Conner was like that: fun and relaxing. I still got butterflies when I saw his name flash across the screen on my phone and I couldn’t wait to spend time with him tomorrow. I knew that right now he was probably exhausted after taking care of the babies last night, but I hoped he’d be able to stay awake long enough for our nightly chat.
“Ms. Conner is here,” I heard the receptionist say from the doorway. I turned around and saw Lena standing there with her.
“Mwahaha.” I steepled my fingers together and tried to look menacing. “My next victim has arrived.”
The receptionist just shook her head and smiled as she walked away, but Lena started out our session flipping me the bird.
“I’m ready for you today, woman,” she growled. “I got a full 10 hours of sleep last night and I’m on top of my game.”
“How is Mace doing?”
“He’s like the walking dead.” Lena snickered. “He came into the office this morning to bring me the babies and in the five minutes he was there, he yawned four times.”
“Is he at least going to get a nap?”
“Yeah,” Lena laughed. “He went straight back home to sleep. He doesn’t have any appointments until this afternoon, so he and Tavin will both be able to sleep for a while.”
“Good.” I related, “Mine weren’t twins, but they were a handful. I had an 11-month-old and a newborn at the same time. Lucky for me, Cyrus was an easy baby and toddler. Vada made up for that with everything, including her milestones. I worried about Cyrus taking too long at things, then Vada came along and did everything early, from birth on.”
“Speaking of milestones, Bellamy rolled over for the first time this morning!” Lena said excitedly.
“Awww,” I smiled at Lena’s happiness remembering those first few months of parenthood when even the smallest things were a huge event.
“We were in the office and she and Dill were laying on the floor chattering at each other. I went off and did something and when I came back, she was on her back. I was so excited, but sad I missed it.”
“Even taking them with you to work, you’ll miss things,” I told Lena as I massaged her thigh to help loosen the muscles before we began her stretches. “But you’re lucky you get to be with them all the time.”
“We’re all so lucky to have them,” Lena stopped talking when I hit a tender area and I let her be so she could focus on her breathing.
We didn’t speak much for the rest of her session. Well, I gave directions and Lena cussed me under her breath, but we didn’t discuss the kids anymore.
Once I had Lena on the stationary bike, I cleaned the table and prepped it for the next client. Lena and I made small talk and planned our next visit and then I mentioned my upcoming date with Mace.
“Are you two going to dinner?”
“I’m not sure,” I shrugged. “He won’t tell me. He just said to keep my afternoon clear. I’m not sure how this is all going to work out with my biker protection detail.”
“Say again?” Lena kept pedaling, but now she was really concentrating on our conversation.
“Oh, I didn’t tell you!” I got closer to her bike and reached out to adjust the tension since she was having such an easy time at the current setting. She grunted but kept pushing herself. “I have a constant biker bodyguard now.”
“What? Why?”
“Well, I told you that Ellen was in my driveway that afternoon, right?”
“Yeah.”
“My aunt ran her off but has a feeling she’s coming back. My cousin has some of his biker friends watching the house when we’re home. Basically they follow me to drop the kids off and then come to work. When I get off, they follow me to get the kids and head home.”
“Are they going to follow you on your date with Mace?” Lena asked me.
“I’m going to talk to whoever is with me tonight and settle that. I’ll just make sure they know I’m going to be safe with him and that I’ll text them when we’re done.”
“Make sure to let Mace know what’s going on too.”
“I am not telling him I have biker bodyguards!” I shook my head. “That’s one hell of a first date turn off right there. Yeah, I like being around you and all, but welcome to my crazy. I don’t want to run him off, Lena. I kind of like him already.”
“Still, it would be better if he knew just in case something happens while you are together.”
“If it comes up, I’ll tell him then.”
“Okay.” Lena didn’t look convinced, but I knew she’d keep my secret.
“If he tells you what we’re doing for our date, you’ll call me, right?”
“Nope,” Lena shook her head. “If I have to keep your secret, I’ll keep his too.”
“Well, then.” I pretended to be offended and Lena just laughed at me.
“You gonna get you a little somethin’ somethin’ after your date?” Lena smiled deviously.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Travis was my first boyfriend and I’ve only dated two other guys since him.”
“How long has it been for you?”
“Since I went on a date? Over a year, at least.”
“It’s been a year since you had sex?” Lena whispered. “I can’t say much. I didn’t really get it on the regular either until I met Finn.”
“I haven’t had sex since I was with Travis,” I admitted. “I’m not sure I’d even know what goes where anymore. When I look at Mace, I get a pretty clear image.”
“Oh, I bet Mace can show you,” Lena giggled as I helped her step down off the stationary bike. “I bet he would love to show you.”
“Let’s get past the first kiss at least before we start worrying about all that.”
◆◆◆
“Did you feel better after your nap this morning?”
“Almost human,” Mace’s booming laugh came through the phone and I had to smile, imagining his handsome face. “I’m still gonna sleep like a baby tonight.”
“A baby?”
“Well, not one of those babies,” Mace chuckled. “I don’t think they know what sleep is.”
“It’s nice that you and your brothers take care of them sometimes. It’s good that Finn and Lena have a support system like that.”
“You didn’t have that, did you?”
“Not really,” I said quietly. “Travis helped, but he wasn’t dependable. Especially at the end of our marriage. He’s very, um, I guess the word for it is erratic.”