Snapdragon Way (Firefly Hollow Book 8)

by T. L. Haddix

  He laughed. “No, she isn’t. How is Haley? Neesa said Fred’s sick?”

  Jeanne nodded as she glanced at his file. “He’s got pneumonia. Been in the hospital since Friday. He’s getting better, and they’re hoping he’ll be able to go home soon. Haley’s barely left his side. You know how it is in hospitals.”

  “I do.” He let her direct him through the exercises. “Which hospital is he in?” he asked after a few minutes.

  “Here at Hazard. You ought to go see them. It’d perk them both up.”

  His jaw tightened. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea or not. It might come across wrong. I don’t want to get her in trouble.”

  “You mean like what Denise warned you about a couple of weeks ago?” she surprised him by asking. When he stared at her, she smiled. “Honey, she talked to me about you and Haley first.”

  “Oh.” He didn’t know what to make of that. “What did you tell her?”

  “That you’re sweet on our girl. That she won’t let her feelings get in the way of being professional. That you’re one of the good guys,” she told him.

  Eli rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t want to get Haley in trouble. If I go and I’m seen there, people might talk.”

  “Hmmm, yes. They probably would. People love to talk. But I know Haley’s worn ragged, and it’d do the girl good to see you. Shoot, it’d probably do Fred good to see you, too. From what she said, he took a shine to you and your brother.”

  “He seems like a character.”

  “He is. One that, I’m very much afraid, won’t be long for this world. Once he’s gone… I don’t know what Haley will do with herself,” she said softly, her concern sincere and obvious. “They’re talking about putting him on Hospice care when he goes home.”

  Eli sucked in a breath. That was end-of-life care. “He’s that bad?”

  Jeanne nodded. “I’m afraid so. Haley didn’t think he was going to make it this time. Go see her. Hang the rules. Oh, I don’t mean for you to get on your knees to the girl today. But she could use a friend.”

  “Okay.” He grunted against the stretch of the exercise she had him do. “What about her uncles? Have they been helping at all?”

  “Sure they have. Why, they’ve been doing whatever they could,” Jeanne told him dryly. She sent him a look over her glasses. “Digging ditches would be too good of work for the likes of those lazy sots. You didn’t hear that from me.”

  “No, ma’am.”

  As he finished his exercises, he thought about how to go about the hospital visit so that all the proprieties would be observed. He thought he had just the answer, and no one could accuse him of behaving inappropriately with Haley if he pulled it off.

  Chapter Thirty

  Haley glanced at her watch. One thirty. Fred had finally dropped into the fitful sleep of a nap a few minutes earlier, and she was contemplating whether or not she felt comfortable taking a walk while he was out. Having been cooped up in the hospital with him for three full days now, she was utterly exhausted.

  She stood at the end of his bed and bent at the waist, reaching her hands down toward the floor and then behind her legs to grasp her ankles. The burn of the stretching muscles felt good, and she gave a quiet sigh as tension flowed out of her body. She’d just straightened up when a soft knock sounded at the door.

  Not wanting to wake Fred, she hurried to answer it, holding a finger to her lips as she pulled it open.

  A pretty woman with curly brown hair, bright hazel eyes, and a warm smile was standing on the other side. And beside her…

  “Eli! Hi,” Haley said in a hushed voice. She stepped out into the hall, pulling the door mostly closed behind her. “Gramps is asleep. What in the world are you doing here?” Any sting her words might have held was lost, she figured, thanks to the ridiculously pleased smile she was wearing.

  He gave a sheepish shrug. “Jeanne told me you were here. I wanted to come see how things were going, see if you need anything. Haley Buchanan, this is my mom, Zanny Campbell. Mom, this is Haley.”

  He’d brought his mother to her? The gesture was old-fashioned and unexpected. Haley blinked, even as she held her hand out. “How do you do?”

  “I’m thrilled to finally be able to put a face to the name,” Zanny told her softly. She cast a concerned glance over Haley. “How’s your grandfather?”

  “Better. The first couple of days were rough, but they switched his medicine around last night, and it was like flipping a switch. If he keeps improving, he might be able to go home Wednesday or thereabouts.” She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back against the wall. “He’s starting to protest his treatment, the food, the hospital, and my company. I know he’s feeling better.”

  Zanny nodded. “Typical man. That’s a good sign.”

  Haley laughed softly as Eli shook his head. “Very good.”

  “What about you?” Zanny asked. “Do you need anything? When’s the last time you ate? Slept?”

  Her tone was warm, sincere, and so maternal, Haley felt a pang of longing. “I eat when he does. And sleep… I’m okay. Nights are pretty quiet. I get enough rest then. I was actually thinking about taking a walk while he’s asleep. Somehow, sitting in a hospital room is more taxing than working a full day. How’s that even possible?”

  Zanny touched her arm. “It is, isn’t it? I think maybe the emotions of stress combine with being stuck in a tiny space with too much time to think. Tell you what—why don’t I sit with him, and you two go stretch your legs? Get some air? That way you don’t have to worry about him being alone when he wakes up. I can call Eli if I need you back here in a hurry.”

  Haley bit her lip. “Are you sure? I don’t want to impose.”

  “It’s not an imposition. I brought my e-reader along just in case.”

  “She means it or she wouldn’t make the offer,” Eli said softly. “Come on.”

  “Okay. Let me get my purse. I have a bag I need to take out to the car.” Haley led them inside, making sure Zanny didn’t need anything before they left. Fred was sound asleep, even producing a bit of a snore, and she tugged the sheets up around him more snugly.

  “We won’t be long,” she promised in a low voice.

  “Take your time. We’ll be fine.” Zanny made a shooing motion with her hands.

  With no other option, she went. Eli followed close behind.

  “Where do you want to go?” he asked.

  “The car first,” she said, observing his gait. “You know, I can barely tell you were injured by your walk. You’re doing so well… I’m sorry I wasn’t there today.”

  The look he sent her was hard to interpret. “I survived, thanks to Jeanne. Well, we muddled through. No harm done. She didn’t make me cry like a girl through the exercises, though. I did miss that.”

  When he winked at her, she snorted. “Smart-aleck.” They arrived at the elevator just as it was opening to let someone out. Once the way was clear, they stepped inside. As the doors slid shut, she closed her eyes. “What a weekend.”

  Eli’s shoulder brushed hers as the car descended. “You look worn out. Do I need to go kick your uncles’ asses?”

  For just a moment, the handful of seconds it took to go from the third floor to the first, she let herself lean against him. “No. As hard as it is doing this alone, it’d be worse if they were here under my feet constantly. And it doesn’t help Gramps get any better. He’ll tell you himself that he prefers to keep their visits to a minimum.”

  “I’m sorry about that,” he told her as they headed for the front lobby and the parking lot beyond. “Is there anything I can do? Anything at all?”

  Haley was so tired, she couldn’t even think of how to answer him. “This visit is nice. How’d you end up bringing your mom, though? She seems like a sweetheart, by the way. You
and Noah both have her smile.”

  That smile made an appearance now as he rubbed his neck. “We all three do, and we’re not above using it to melt Dad’s heart if need be. As to why I brought her, I wanted to make sure that no one could question the propriety of the visit. I don’t want to get you in trouble.”

  There was something in his voice, but Haley was too weary to question what it might be.

  “Well, I appreciate the visit from both of you more than I can say. Thank you.”

  They didn’t talk much as they walked to her car. Once there, she stashed the bag she’d carried out in the back, locking it safely away inside. The wind was brisk today, whipping the warm September air around the hilltop where the hospital sat.

  With relief so strong it almost brought her to tears, Haley closed her eyes and tipped her face up toward the sun. She inhaled deeply once, twice, her breath shuddering out as she fought for control.

  “Hey, it’s okay. Haley, it’s okay,” Eli said softly. His hand came to rest on her arm, squeezing gently.

  Haley turned into him a bit, not meeting his eyes. “I know. And I’m so sorry to fall apart like this. I’m just tired.”

  He glanced around. “Give me your keys. We need to go someplace a little more private.”

  “We can’t leave.”

  “I know. We won’t go far, I promise. We can be back here in three minutes, four tops.”

  After a moment’s hesitation, Haley gave him the keys. She didn’t ask where they were going as she got in, trusting him to keep his word.

  “How about something to drink?” He named the fast food place at the foot of the hill. “We can hit the drive-thru.”

  “That sounds wonderful.”

  She sat back as he drove the short distance, content to rest and let someone else think for her for a few minutes. He’d just paid for their drinks when his phone chimed. Pulling it off his belt, he smiled as he read the message.

  “Mom says to tell you Fred’s still asleep, and to take our time. She’s reading, and she’ll check back in a few minutes so you won’t worry.”

  The kindness and thoughtfulness brought tears to Haley’s eyes. “She sounds like such a good person.”

  Eli’s smile was soft. “She is. She’s the best.”

  He pulled out of the drive-thru and went back up to the top of the hill. Instead of stopping at the hospital, though, he continued on a short distance, then took a left-hand turn onto a road that led back to the town’s small industrial park. From there, he turned onto a residential street and went to the end, where an empty, undeveloped cul-de-sac waited.

  “I saw this spot when Noah and I were up here the day he finished the kitchen install for the bored housewife. It’s quiet and peaceful and perfect for taking a few minutes to rest. If anyone comes along and asks what we’re doing here, we can tell them we’re thinking of building our dream house.” Realtors’ signs were in the grass of several of the lots.

  Haley laughed. “In that case, we’d better get out and walk around.”

  They didn’t say anything else as they slowly walked the property in front of where he’d parked the car. When they reached the edge of the lot, marked by a simple wire fence, Haley let her breath out with a harsh sound.

  “I thought—when the medicines didn’t work and he didn’t respond the way he usually does—I thought this was it. He almost didn’t make it this time, Eli. I almost lost him.”

  The idea was too much, and she broke. Tears poured down her cheeks as he tucked her in his arms, holding her tight. For long minutes, she cried against his shoulder there in the bright afternoon sunlight of the vacant lot. When her grief and worry was spent, she gave a little hiccupping sigh.

  “Better now?” he asked softly as he pulled back, cupping her face to look at her. He handed her a couple of tissues. “I thought these might come in handy.”

  She nodded as she mopped her face. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Don’t apologize for being human. Someone very wise told me that not too long ago.” His face was close to hers, and for a few seconds, Haley thought he was going to kiss her.

  But his phone chimed, interrupting the moment, and he stepped back. He cleared his throat as he looked at it. “Mom again. He’s awake, and he’s okay, but he’s asking for you.”

  “We’d better go, then.”

  He texted Zanny, reading aloud as he typed. “On our way. Five minutes tops.”

  Once they were back on the hospital grounds and parked, Haley touched the back of his hand. “Thank you for coming today. I didn’t realize how badly I needed to get out of that room.”

  Eli turned his hand over and caught hers, sliding their fingers together in a caress that was as intimate as a kiss. “Anytime you need me, all you have to do is call. Day or night.”

  Their eyes locked, and in the silent cab of the car, the moment seemed to stretch forever. Finally, Haley ducked her head shyly and nodded. “Let’s get inside.”

  As they went back into the hospital, they kept a careful distance between them. There was no hint at any sort of relationship beyond friendship, nothing for a casual observer to pick up on. But Haley felt like her entire world had shifted on its axis as it pertained to Eli Campbell.

  She couldn’t really get her head around that, and she knew better than to try at the moment. She could be fatigued and reading entirely too much into what had happened. But as she curled the fingers of the hand he’d touched into a fist, she didn’t think so.

  No, she really didn’t think so.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  The idea that the simple touch of two hands, the fingers sliding together gently for a few seconds before they parted, could evoke enough emotional turmoil to keep a grown man awake most of the night was laughable. At least, Eli would have said it was laughable.

  Until it happened.

  To him.

  When he dragged himself out of bed before six o’clock Tuesday morning, finally having given up on getting any significant sleep, he wasn’t laughing. Instead, his fitful night had left him in a restless and surly mood. He hit the shower as quietly as he could, trying to shake off the last vestiges of sleep and the turmoil the night had wrought.

  For the first time since he’d moved into Noah’s, he was awake and in the kitchen before his brother came downstairs. The surprise on Noah’s face was telling, and he stopped at the foot of the steps for a moment.

  “Rough night?” he asked as he crossed to the kitchen.

  “Something like that.”

  Noah laid a hand on his shoulder briefly, then went to the coffeepot.

  Eli, his own mug in hand, walked to the sliding door to peer out into the garden that was still shrouded in fog. After a minute, he sighed. “What are you doing today?”

  “Three appointments. Two quotes, one final measuring on a new job before I start building. You?”

  “Abso-fucking-lutely nothing. Want some company?”

  Since he’d come to live at Noah’s, he’d been careful not to overstep, to stay out of his brother’s way. It wasn’t that he wasn’t curious about Noah’s work, but he didn’t want to make it feel like he was reaching too far, too fast, into Noah’s life.

  But he needed a distraction today.

  Noah joined him at the doors. “You’ll probably find it boring.”

  “More boring than staying here by myself, watching TV and surfing the ‘net?” Eli asked, then sipped his coffee.

  “Maybe not that boring.” Noah grinned at him. “I’d be happy to have the company if you really want to do it.”

  “What time are we leaving?” If he didn’t keep himself occupied, he’d end up going to Haley at the hospital again. And that would not be a good thing after the night he’d had. There was no way he’d be able to keep things impersonal between the
m. Not today.

  By noon, Eli was feeling some better. He also had to admit his curiosity was piqued. He’d never really had an interest in woodworking, but watching Noah work through the first two appointments—a quote and the measuring—he’d been surprised to find himself intrigued by the process. As a result, as they drove to lunch, he was full of questions.

  “So you take the measurements and you lay it out how? On paper?”

  “I sketch it on paper, but I finalize it in CAD,” he said, referring to computer-aided drafting, the system professional architects, engineers, and designers used. “That’s what the customer signs off on.”

  “And how do you know what materials you’re going to need?”

  Noah sent him a sidelong glance, accompanied by a bemused smile. “I do a take-off list based on how the cabinets are going to be constructed.”

  Eli eyed him. “Is that something I could help with?”

  “If you want to try it, sure. Personally, I hate that aspect of the job. That, the numbers, the phone calls. Not so much dealing with the customers as long as they’re not like Missy. But I prefer to spend my time working the wood.”

  When Eli snorted, Noah rolled his eyes.

  “What? It sounds perverted. But I know what you mean.”

  “Just for that, you’re buying lunch.”

  “Fine.” They reached the red light at the foot of the hill going up to the hospital, the hill where the Chinese restaurant they were planning on visiting was located. “Isn’t that Dad’s car up ahead of us?”

  “Sure is. Wonder where he’s going,” Noah mused as the light turned and the traffic started moving.

  John was a couple of cars ahead of them, and the vehicles in between ended up turning two different directions, slowing Noah and Eli down. By the time they caught up to John, he was already turning left toward the area where a motel and some small businesses were located.