In For a Pound

by Joselyn Vaughn

  She pulled every bit of strength from her body, tugging it out of the ends of her toes and wrapping it into her voice. Her tone grated like iron scraping concrete in her ears.

  “We are done. The wedding is off.”

  Colin jerked his head up and raised his eyebrows. “Honey, don’t say anything rash. Send the apology email. Everything will be fine tomorrow.” He held up his phone. “I gotta go. Big things are happening.” He sauntered to the door, barely sparing her a wave as he focused on his phone. “I’ll call you later.”

  She scurried after him, ready to shove him if his progress halted. “Don’t bother.”

  Twisting the deadbolt had never felt so good.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Joshua settled into the overstuffed chair next to his dad while the nurse put the poison into the IV. His dad had a rolled-up fishing magazine in his fist, but Joshua doubted he would read it. After watching fifteen minutes of the sportscast on the screen mounted across the room, he would drift to sleep. The nurse finished setting everything up, then patted his dad on the arm.

  “Let me know if you need anything,” she said. His dad nodded, and she left the room.

  His dad sighed as his gaze flicked to the bag dangling above his shoulder. “How many of these do I have left?”

  “Three.”

  His dad closed his eyes and pursed his lips. “Three, I can do three.” He gave Joshua a thumbs-up, then tilted his head against the side of the chair and drifted off to sleep.

  The muted pinks and greens were supposed to be soothing and the hushed tones calming, but they warred with the mission of the facility. Despite the elegant wood furnishings and overstuffed chairs, the lines strapped to his dad’s arm still dripped a chemical cocktail into his veins. If the cancer didn’t kill him, the drugs might.

  His dad’s skin was still pale. He hadn’t bounced back the way he had with the previous treatments. A couple rough days, then the rest of the week was okay. This last week had been a struggle every morning. The doctor’s instructions said this was how it would go. Completely expected outcomes. In order to kill the cancer cells, they had to destroy a lot of the healthy ones too. The cure was only slightly better than the disease. Joshua wondered how close they were to the tipping point.

  With the paler skin, the lines and age spots on his dad’s face jumped out. They didn’t match with the face that appeared in Joshua’s head when he pictured his dad. That picture was at least ten years old. No, it was fifteen. He saw his father as he had been when Joshua left for college. Strong, vibrant, seasoned. The man in front of him had aged in those fifteen years even without the toll of his illness. When had his dad become an elderly man rather than the robust picture of strength he’d been?

  The idea his dad might not be with him forever, even without the menacing disease or its toxic cure, stunned him. Joshua had never felt alone, despite his wandering nature, because his dad anchored him. If his dad were to die, what or who would keep him steady?

  Joshua heaved his laptop out of his bag, set it on the rolling table, and situated it in front of him. Nathan Barnes’ job offer popped into his head again. Maybe he should stop chasing disasters, settle down, and find a permanent place to live. It’d be possible. He’d still have to travel occasionally, but he’d be closer to his dad. It’d be good in the short term while his dad recovered and the long term because his grand-children would be closer to their grandfather.

  Grand-children? Joshua shook his head. Staying in Pine Bottom played tricks with his head. He’d never considered having children before, but he could picture a little boy kicking a soccer ball and a girl stitching clothes for her dolls. Joshua would have to find a girlfriend. First, he’d have to go on a date. Sidney’s tear-stained face appeared in his head. Now he knew his head was messed up. Sidney—no matter what he wished—was engaged to Colin and would be married to him soon. Completely off limits. What had happened to his vow to remain a bachelor?

  No matter how upset Sidney had been the other day and no matter what she’d said about it possibly being the end of her relationship with Colin—no matter how much he wanted everything to be different—she was too level-headed to throw Colin over without having a more rational conversation. Just because she had barfed on him didn’t make her relationship any of his business.

  Joshua stood and went over to the window. A short path circled though a courtyard of flowers. Birds chirped and flitted between the feeders hanging outside the windows. The tranquility irritated him. His view should match his restlessness. Busy streets, people shuffling along the sidewalks. He paced across the room to the coffee pot, but after grabbing an insulated cup, he returned it to the stack. Caffeine wouldn’t calm him. He needed a purpose, something to channel his energy.

  His dad still dozed comfortably, so Joshua settled at his laptop and focused on his email. He skimmed through the work-related ones, mostly newsletters from affiliates regarding resources, but nothing caught his attention. Several of the messages usually would have, but the path of his thoughts wouldn’t allow him to concentrate.

  Now that he’d thought about relocating, it was all he could focus on. It wouldn’t take much. All of his mail went through Disaster Rebound anyway. He wouldn’t even need to send anyone a forwarding address.

  He’d have to find a place to live. Not with Dad. His dad didn’t need, nor want, constant supervision, and as long as he came through his treatments all right, he wouldn’t for quite some time.

  Look at real estate listings. He could distract himself for the duration of the treatment. See if there were any houses he’d be interested in buying. He might not be completely serious about a purchase, but the search appealed more than watching his dad snore or sifting through work stuff. If he couldn’t find a house, he could check out some acreage to park his travel trailer on.

  He closed his email and navigated to a real estate listing website. He entered the zip code, leaving the rest of the criteria open to see what was on the market.

  A couple pages of results popped up, and he scrolled through the first page without even pausing. Commercial properties populated the top of the list.

  The second page listed residential properties, well out of his price range. In fact, he hadn’t imagined properties in that price range in Pine Bottom. He clicked on one of the million-dollar listings for kicks. The house didn’t look like much until he read the description and realized the picture was the guest house. The write up listed the main house with eight bedrooms and ten bathrooms, not including the guest house, several out buildings, a large barn, and two hundred acres. A little more house than he needed.

  He returned to his original list and scrolled down to the listings with a few less zeroes. There were a couple possibilities. He made note of the addresses for later. A craftsman bungalow toward the end of the listings piqued his interest the most.

  The agitation from earlier had subsided, which surprised him. Other times when he’d contemplated a permanent home, the claustrophobia had threatened to send him to the cab of his truck and the open road. This time he noted the real estate agent’s number in his phone to call later. Was his dad’s health scare the wake up call to settle down?

  His dad still slept, but his color was better, more pink as Joshua clicked to the next page. Joshua rubbed his eyes. The quiet hum of the cancer clinic lulled him to sleep, too. He pushed the computer away and stood, stretching his back with several satisfying cracks. He needed a jolt of caffeine. A chance to stretch his legs would be welcome also. A stop at the nurse’s station to let them know he was going for coffee, then he headed down the hallway to the lobby and the coffee bar. He followed the awakening scent to the carafes and accoutrements set up inside the lobby. He selected Colombian and filled the insulated cup.

  “Excuse me,” a man said as he reached past Joshua for a packet of sugar.

  “Sure.” Joshua stepped back, taking a sip of his coffee before selecting the plastic lid for the cup. The man looked familiar. When he grabbed a han
dful of sugar packets and dropped them in his pocket, it clicked. “It’s Colin, right?”

  “Yeah.” Colin gave him the finger gun and clicked. “We met at the grocery store, right?”

  He had to be Sidney’s fiancé. How many Colins could there be in Pine Bottom? Remembering his last impression of Colin from Sidney’s outburst, he lingered at the coffee station, assessing the man before him. Nondescript black pants, white short-sleeved shirt, and outdated tie. For all the canoeing he supposedly did with Sidney, his skin was only a shade off from his shirt. Colin must be diligent with his sunscreen. Experience told him Colin would be the first in line at the relief station even if the tornado had hit the other side of town.

  Joshua nodded. “Was your girlfriend happy with the pizza?” A woman with Sidney’s culinary skills wouldn’t enjoy eating cheese-dotted cardboard.

  “Of course.” Colin sipped his coffee. “Hey, you have a minute?”

  “A quick one. I shouldn’t leave my dad alone for too long.” He glanced at the hallway, wondering if he gave the wrong answer. Did Colin know Joshua had found Sidney at the park? Would he have something to say about Joshua taking her home? About what had happened to his shirt? What man wouldn’t be concerned about reports of his fiancé and a half-naked guy?

  “Right. Sure.” Colin set his coffee down and grabbed a brochure from the pile next to the coffee carafe. “I’m dropping these off on my lunch break, but this is so great. I can’t let anyone pass it up.” He shoved the shiny pamphlet at Joshua.

  Not a word about Sidney. Joshua wasn’t sure if he was relieved Colin hadn’t put him in his place regarding his interactions with Sidney or angered she hadn’t crossed her fiancé’s mind.

  Joshua took it and studied the iridescent diamond on the front. This didn’t look like anything he wanted to be a part of. His impression of Colin strengthened. Was this what he had blown Sidney’s savings on? Anger flared inside him. Get rich schemes. The vultures and scam artists always crept in when people were at their weakest and most vulnerable. Joshua had to chase them away from every disaster site he’d worked on. And Colin left brochures in the cancer ward. It was all he could do to not grab the brochures and stuff them down Colin’s shirt and stuff Colin in the garbage can in the parking lot.

  “I should get back to my dad.” He hoped to cut off any sales pitches before Colin got rolling. He wasn’t interested. He finished emptying the sugar into his cup and tossed the packet into the waste basket.

  “It’s a great investment, and you’ll easily double your money in a few months,” Colin spewed eagerly, following him as he edged away from the coffee station.

  “I’ll look it over.” With the intention of warning Sidney about her fiancé. It may not be his place, but he had to make sure she knew what Colin was involved with. She didn’t deserve this. He folded the brochure and stuffed it in his pocket. “Thanks.”

  Colin rambled about something, but Joshua debated the words he would use to break the news to Sidney. If he wasn’t tactful, she could shoot the messenger. Messing up that message would destroy his father’s chance for grand-children.

  Aargh! What was with his mind and grand-children today?

  A nurse picked up the ringing phone at the reception desk beside them. “Are you Joshua?” she asked, pressing the receiver to her shoulder.

  “What’s wrong with Dad?” Joshua rushed toward her, completely forgetting Colin, his pitch, and his own brain’s tendency to dwell on imaginary progeny.

  “His temperature is elevated. We’ll need to admit him into the hospital for observation,” the nurse said, directing him back toward the cancer clinic. “At least for overnight. We want to monitor him and watch for infection. We’d like you to help us with the paperwork.”

  Joshua’s thoughts stuck on the word infection and what that could mean as the chemotherapy drugs destroyed his dad’s immune system. He followed the nurse numbly.

  “Okay, then. We’ll talk later. My number’s on the brochure.” Colin started after them, but Joshua barely registered it when the nurse closed the door of the clinic in his face. Joshua’s only concern was his dad’s health.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Sidney placed the steam iron back on its stand and carefully lifted the tuxedo jacket from the ironing board, enjoying a quiet Wednesday morning at her shop. She brushed a bit of lint from the sleeve and returned the jacket to its hanger on the completed rack, only to find Missy arching over the counter, trying to read whatever she could find upside down. Sidney smirked. The paper Missy studied so intently held some scratchings she’d made while measuring a customer. Nothing of significance, but Missy was welcome to strain her neck for its secrets.

  Sidney cleared her throat, and Missy jumped away from the counter, smoothing the front of her business suit. Although Sidney’s capris and flowered blouse were entirely appropriate for her job, she still felt frumpy next to Missy’s salon-straightened hair and three inch heels.

  “Good afternoon. How can I help you today?” Missy’s purpose wasn’t evident. She carried no garment or bag, so she didn’t pretend to need a clothing repair. Not that Missy would bring anything here. She preferred the upscale shops in Spring Arbor. Knowing Missy, she hoped to rake together some dirt on the breakup with Colin. Sidney hadn’t broken the news beyond her family, not even to Penny—but only because she hadn’t seen her yesterday—but that didn’t mean half of Pine Bottom wasn’t already speculating.

  More questions would come when she canceled arrangements. A project she had put off until this afternoon when she closed the shop. The list of plans to cancel and people to notify kept inching longer. How had she let Colin talk her into so many extras? She waited, needing more time to decompress, but the phone calls couldn’t be delayed any longer.

  People would start calling soon, or bringing in garments from the backs of their closets as an excuse to chat with her. Although it was strange no one had been in to offer support, they didn’t seem to be avoiding her either. Her business had been normal all week. She’d expected a rush when the news got out. Perhaps they were giving her space. Highly unusual but welcome just the same. Rote motions to perform as a distraction were a relief compared to rehashing the event with every resident of Pine Bottom.

  Missy brushed her hair over her shoulder and gave it a shampoo-commercial-worthy shake. “I just stopped by to see how things were going.”

  She fished for something, but what? Sidney knew better than to volunteer any information. “Same as usual.”

  “Hmm. Looks like you’re getting pretty friendly with that guy Penny threw in your canoe.”

  She hadn’t seen Joshua since Saturday. Saturday. When he drove her home from the park. When she’d puked on his shirt. When he’d taken it off.

  Oh goodness. Somehow Missy had seen them. Hopefully not on the side of the road while she had been hacking her guts out.

  “He’s Penny’s nephew, Joshua. He’s kind of in the neighborhood.”

  “I’ll say. With those abs, I’d definitely keep him in my neighborhood.” Missy made a show of fanning herself.

  Sidney tried to fill her head with cold thoughts, so the blush didn’t rise to her cheeks. His abs were swoon-worthy indeed, but if Missy had seen them, she had also probably seen Joshua at her house.

  Would she spread rumors that Sidney had tossed Colin for Joshua? With Missy’s penchant for gossip, Sidney and Joshua could have a bun in the oven by the end of the week.

  She kept her mouth shut. Best not to offer any details that could be brewed into gossip over coffee later. Missy liked to play cat and mouse games. Sidney never knew where the trap would be or when the next paw would swoop out of her blindside.

  “Colin must be feeling pretty lonely if you’re hanging out with this guy all the time.” Her eyes narrowed. “You aren’t going to throw Colin over for him, are you? He’ll be devastated.”

  A laugh almost escaped, but she bit the inside of her lips until she tasted blood. His devastation—if there was any—would
come from the loss of her contacts in the community for spreading his sales pitch.

  The proverbial light flashed in Sidney’s head. With Colin out of the picture… would Joshua fit in? As much as she liked the idea, she flicked off the mental light. She shouldn’t be contemplating another man before she canceled the wedding plans.

  Sidney straightened a few things on the counter. Missy hadn’t heard she had broken up with Colin? That wasn’t possible. If Missy knew that Joshua had been in the vicinity of her house without his shirt, how could she not know the wedding was off? Especially when she mentored Colin every day.

  “You keep yourself and your bags of dog crap away from him and his father.”

  Missy inched back, throwing her hand over her chest in feigning innocence.

  Sidney huffed. “We know Zach does your bidding.”

  Missy rolled her shoulders and crossed her arms over her chest, creasing the fine linen of her suit. “You don’t have to be snippy.” Her mouth worked as if she debated her choice of words and discarded them before they came out. She sighed, keeping her gaze on the counter. She straightened a stack of business cards before speaking. The words came out slowly as if they tasted of lima beans. “Colin said you’ve been pretty upset about him working with Rough Diamond and me. Everything will be legal, and Colin has so much potential. He’s really diving in and growing his connections much faster than any other new recruit.”

  Though the words sounded rehearsed, Missy’s face softened. The cattiness disappeared leaving behind at least the facade of a sincere young woman. But Sidney also noticed something else. Each time Missy complimented Colin, her cheeks flushed a little brighter.

  As Missy extolled Colin’s virtues, Sidney recognized the same tone she used when she mused about Joshua. Except Missy sounded like she was half-in-love with the man she described. While Sidney respected Joshua, she couldn’t be in love with him, could she?