Crain's Landing

by Cayce Poponea

  “One in the same. Let me guess, he invited you to one of his family get-togethers?” I nodded my head, but remained silent. Ashley chortled darkly as she tipped her head back and then looked at me again. “Well, at least he’s still the same disgusting pig he’s always been. The ‘get-together’ he invited you to is a bonfire, which turns into naked couples scattered all over the place. Every time they have one of their ‘meetings,’ Dr. Crain has to order penicillin shots for everyone in attendance.”

  Once again, Ashley had confirmed my belief about all men. Didn’t matter if it was the big city or a little peaceful town, they were all cut from the same cloth.

  “Dwight is one of the many men in this town that’ll use you and toss you. He only married Emily because he had no other choice. His father and her father came to an agreement. Too bad no one told Dwight the definition of ‘forsaking all others.’” I instantly felt sorry for poor Emily. She seemed like such a lovely person on the phone, a bit talkative, but still a nice person. “I’m only telling you this because it would seem Dr. Crain has upped his game, so to speak.”

  My eyes followed her gaze as she looked out the window that faced the street. There, standing beside the flower planters, was my elderly neighbor. Harry and his wife had the most beautiful, well-kept lawn I had ever seen. His wife, Betty, had come over the other day and brought me a casserole, welcoming me to the neighborhood. I commented on how lovely her yard was and she boasted that the government had previously employed Harry. He had been responsible for keeping the White House lawn in pristine shape. His specialty was the rose garden the first lady was accredited with. He was currently removing trash and debris from the planters. His truck, parked along the street, contained bags and bags of various supplies piled up in the back.

  “Please tell me you’re not going to tell him to stop,” Ashley’s voice pulled me back into the room.

  “No,” my voice was barely above a whisper.

  I closed my eyes as I rose from my seat, rounded the desk, and headed for the front door. During the course of the morning a tent had been erected in the parking lot. Several men were busy applying stain to the already-completed bookcases. “Ms. Reid,” one of the workers tipped his hat at me as I walked by. He couldn’t have been more than twenty years old. I smiled and bid him a soft hello. I continued around to the front of the building where I found Harry whistling; he was in his element. He had several trash bags full of what, I assumed, were the contents of the planters. He was now mixing different bags and feeling the dirt in his fingers.

  “Mr. Greer!” I called as I continued to walk toward him, not wanting to startle him.

  He removed his large straw hat as I approached. “Ah, Ms. Reid, what a beautiful day God has given to us. ”

  I couldn’t help but return his smile. “Yes, Mr. Greer, I have to agree with you. The sun is a welcome sight today.”

  He removed a red bandana from his side pocket and wiped the dirt from his hands. “Dr. Crain came by the house this morning and asked me to take care of these old planters. He said a beautiful lady such as yourself should have flowers to look at every day. So here I am helping the young lad out.”

  Grant Crain held true to his word, he was persistent and by the measure he had shown today, he had no clear boundaries.

  “Oh, Ms. Reid, before I forget, he asked me to give this to you.” Mr. Greer handed me a white envelope, which I took without a word and bid him a good day as he began to work again. The whistling started before his shovel hit the dirt.

  Truly, I couldn’t complain about the flowers since everyone would be able to enjoy them. They would be an added benefit to the aesthetics of the building. I noticed the workers taking a water break and wondered if they had eaten today, because I hadn’t heard the saw stop since I’d gotten here this morning. I walked into my office and called the local pizza shop. I ordered enough pizza to feed all the workers outside, as well as the girls in my office. I gave Ashley enough money to cover the cost, plus a sizeable tip. I settled back into my seat and began my work again.

  Ashley opened the door to my office, a burst of pizza aroma following her in. The Cheshire cat grin on her face was of someone who had been proven right. The white box she held in her hand was wrapped with a large red bow. Her grin grew tenfold when she set it on my desk.

  “What’s this?”

  The laughter began as she took a seat. “This, my fair Natalie, is from Erickson bakery in Charleston. They’re closest gourmet bakery we have. They’re also famous for their brown butter carrot cake, which I believe is what’s nestled in that white box.”

  I stared at the box as if it would open itself.

  “Oh, and by the way, here’s your money back. Evidently, our good Dr. Crain has the entire town working for him in his pursuit of you. The pizza was already paid for.” She slowly got up and left, closing my office door behind her, grinning the whole time. This simply could not be real.

  By the end of the day, several bookshelves had been completed and I had hired a contractor to come and install new flooring. There had even been enough money left over to purchase new couches, benches, and chairs. If things kept up, it looked as if we would open on schedule. My last email of the day informed me to expect the computers to arrive next week and we would have online services shortly thereafter. Thank God my day had ended with something positive.

  I didn’t take the time to open the bakery box; Ashley had been right most of the day so I didn’t even question its contents. I walked across the parking lot to get my baby and head home. I wanted nothing more than to cuddle up with her and forget everything that had happened today. As I entered my security code into the pad, I shifted the box to my other hand. It was then the door flew open and I was face to face with both Lily and Autumn.

  “Oh, my God, he truly is smitten.” Autumn gasped, eyeing the box.

  “I can’t believe he called Mr. Greer, though. I mean that guy is retired. Why would he want to take on such a big job?” Lily shook her head.

  “Oh, Lily, stop, it’s romantic. Mr. Greer was once romantic; they did have five children after all.”

  “But, can you imagine what’ll happen if she continues to play hard to get?”

  The back and forth banter between the two, as if I wasn’t even here, was getting on my last nerve. “Here,” I spoke to no one in particular and I shoved the box into Autumn’s hands. “Ladies, I’d love nothing more than to sit and listen to this, but I’ve had a long day and I just want to get Peyton, go home and crawl into bed with her.”

  I didn’t stand there long enough to get a reaction. I walked as fast as I could back to the room where Peyton would be. As I entered, I noticed there was this huge stuffed teddy bear sitting in the corner by my daughter’s cubby. Peyton was perched on its oversized lap as she pretended to read a book. The closer I got, I noticed the book was actually telling the story. I had heard about these particular books, but had not seen one in person yet.

  “Hi, sweetheart.” I knelt down to pick her up.

  “Ahhhh!” she screamed and twisted in my arms. I immediately placed her back on the teddy bear’s legs, frightened I had hurt her.

  “Sorry, Natalie, I should’ve warned you. She’s been sitting there since the bear was delivered this afternoon. All the children got one, but most were afraid of the oversized things.”

  Autumn skipped her way over to where the other bears were sitting along the wall. She purposely turned and threw herself into their collective laps. She had the white box open and a fork in her hand. I watched as she took her fork, swiped it in the box, and then raised it to her mouth, her eyes closing and a low moan coming from inside her chest. Lily joined her and didn’t wait for the use of the fork as she stuck her finger into the carrot cake and then directly into her waiting mouth.

  “When you don’t have sex, there’s Erickson carrot cake.” Lily moaned as she let her eyes close. They continued to take bite after bite, enjoying each one more than the last. Autumn handed the box and f
ork over to Lily, who stood and walked away.

  Autumn must have realized she was sitting in the middle of several large teddy bears. “Oh, God, they’re so soft.”

  I reached down to feel the bear; it wasn’t hard as you would have imagined. It was more like an overstuffed couch. “Where did they come from?”

  The look Autumn gave me had me holding my breath as I waited to be told this was another gift from Grant. This would truly send me over the edge. I would have no issue giving him a huge piece of my mind. To play with me and try to drive me crazy was one thing, but to mess with my daughter quite was another.

  “My mom found them in a catalog and she just couldn’t resist. She made certain everyone got one; she wanted to have all of her grandbabies spoiled,” Autumn spoke.

  “Grandbabies?” I asked, surprised and startled. Autumn exchanged a quick glance with Lily, as the other woman fell into the teddy bear pile with her. This caused Peyton to start laughing as she tossed her book and jumped into my lap.

  “Sorry, Natalie, all of the children in this room with Peyton are Crains. Savannah and Andrew are Autumn and Wyatt’s two children. And Addison, Aiden, and April are mine and Morgan’s,” Lily explained.

  “Wow, all starting with the letter ‘A.’ Is this a Southern thing?” I picked up a still-laughing Peyton and began to leave the room, not really expecting an answer.

  “Oh, before I forget, Morgan wants to talk with you about the volunteer program at the high school. He has some free time after the game on Friday. Umm...Mom already has a ticket for you and Peyton to sit with the family, so you can forget about turning her down.”

  I contemplated saying “no thank you” for half a second, but I needed to talk with Coach Crain about the volunteer program. We would need to have several people lined up for the reading program. With a huge sigh on my part, I agreed as I turned and left the room.

  Driving home, I noticed nearly everyone waved as they passed. It was nice to feel so welcomed and I felt warm inside.

  I wanted to have my dad and Peggy over for dinner soon, since I hadn’t seen near enough of them since I had unpacked. I pulled into my garage and shut off my engine. Peyton was still singing to her video that was playing on our ride home. I carefully opened the door when I noticed something sticking up on my passenger side door. I rounded the car, only to find a poster board sign suction-cupped to the side. In big red letters was a clear message...

  Wave at Ms. Reid if you agree she should have dinner with Dr. Grant.

  I was going to castrate him.

  I WAS SEEING RED AS I tossed the poster board into the trash. The townspeople weren’t welcoming me, they were mocking me; telling me they agreed with Grant, that I should feel overjoyed a man such as Dr. Grant Crain would want to date a girl in my situation. Well, they had another thing coming if they thought I would fall for tricks such as these.

  Peyton pulled me from my inner battle by slapping her tiny hands against the car window. I opened the car door and removed her from her car seat, closed the door, and headed toward the street to check my mailbox.

  The neighborhood was peaceful, exactly what I needed. I noticed Janice’s car wasn’t in her driveway, yet the neighborhood men were once again waiting on their porches. No matter the age of the man, the mindset was the same. I reached into the mailbox and pulled out a stack of nondescript envelopes, as well as a small package. I checked to see if the address was correct, as I had not ordered anything recently.

  The blaring of a car horn caused me to look down the street to find Janice’s Mercedes coming toward me. She had the convertible top down and her oversized sunglasses covering most of her face. She pulled alongside of me and then slowly lowered her sunglasses.

  “Well played, Natalie, well played.”

  I didn’t have a clue what she meant by it and I refused to stick around to find out. I entered my front door and locked it behind me, closing off the world outside.

  With dinner over and Peyton bathed and sound asleep beside me, I decided to indulge in one glass of wine. I hadn’t had many since the birth of my daughter. I felt it important that I was fully focused in case there was an emergency. I closed my eyes as I let the crimson liquid flow down my throat. After several drinks, I turned and set the glass on my nightstand.

  Peyton lay on her back, her curls framing her face. “Oh, how I wish I could trade places with you, sweet girl.”

  When I was little, I couldn’t wait to grow up and be on my own. At the time, I thought it was all about doing whatever you wanted and staying up as late as possible. I had no idea the truth of being a grown-up, the responsibilities or how you had even more rules to follow. I also learned, the hard way, people you came in contact with weren’t always the best people to befriend.

  I still had all of the cards from the flowers that had been delivered. They sat at the end of my bed, taunting me. A part of me wanted to toss them into the fireplace, leaving his words unknown, but I knew I couldn’t do that. So, I chose to enjoy the rest of my wine before I opened the envelopes. Finally, with a deep sigh and a small prayer, I opened the first envelope.

  My favorite color is red, however, the hazel of your eyes is changing my mind.

  Oh, good God, could he be anymore clichéd? How typical could a man be? What next, his favorite bar pick-up line? I opened the second card and tried so hard to hold the smile.

  I was eleven years old before I could sleep without a nightlight.

  The third card fell from my hands twice before I became frustrated and ripped it open.

  When I was young, my parents were positive I would be a veterinarian as I was always rescuing strays.

  The final card was a little thicker, with half of the message written on the back.

  I did my residency at a South Side Detroit hospital. I loved working in the ER. Even with all the blood and gore it involved, to this day, I can’t watch my own blood being drawn.

  The notes confused me at first. Why was he telling me all of these things? When I had read the last one, it hit me; this was his way of telling me little things about himself. He was establishing an even playing field. He clearly knew many things about me, yet until now, I had only known a handful of things about him. The larger envelope was still waiting to be opened. Slowly, carefully, I slid my finger down the flap.

  Natalie,

  If you’re reading this then one of two things have happened. Either you’ve completely ignored my attempts to get to know you or you’ve sent Sheriff Dale to arrest me. I’m praying that the latter isn’t true, because that man needs therapy.

  I want to apologize to you for not beating my mother to the punch when she suggested I take you to dinner. I was, at the time and truly still am, in a mesmerized state.

  When I told you I was a patient and persistent man, I wasn’t kidding. When I was in med school, I found out the organic chemistry class I needed was full. I made an appointment with the professor and he advised if I wanted in the class, I had to convince the Dean of students. I made my way to his office and tried to plead my case. He brushed me off and told me to try next semester. I refused and sat down on the floor outside his office. I remained there for two days until he got sick of seeing me there and let me into the class.

  During my residency, I was in the running for chief resident. I stayed at the ER for three weeks straight to show the Board I had the dedication needed for the job.

  When I first moved back, my mother was helping remodel my home. She showed me a particular showerhead I liked and wanted. However, the store in Charleston was out of them and didn’t want to stock them anymore. I jumped into my car and drove to Dallas, Texas to purchase one from the manufacturer.

  So you see, Natalie; you can ignore me, tell me you have plans, or any number of things. It won’t matter. I want very badly to take you to a nice dinner and get to know you better.

  The persistence is a Crain trait. Ask Lily, she’ll tell you how strong it really is.

  Grant.

  “Oh,
but Grant, you have no idea how strong my convictions can be.” I tossed the letters to the side. The small package was next to be opened.

  Nestled among the mailing peanuts was a deep mahogany box. I removed the wooden box and turned it around in my hands. The gloss was so polished you could see your reflection. I found the tiny brass latch and gently lifted the lid with my fingernail. Once the box was open, it started to play Dawn. I closed my eyes as the sounds of piano filled my bedroom. I had loved this song ever since I was a little girl. I was about to shut the lid when I noticed a sliver of paper in the box. I carefully removed it and then placed the box on my nightstand. I unfolded the paper and found the words that made this all too real.

  When my father was courting my mother, he gave her a music box very similar to this one. She told us that of all the gifts she had been given by my father, the music box was her most treasured. I spoke with your father this morning and obtained his permission to pursue you. That, my fair Natalie, is exactly what I intend to do.

  Grant.

  I placed the music box back into the packaging, gathered the notes, and placed them inside the cardboard box as well. If the good Dr. Crain thought for even one second I was simply going to jump into his arms, he was sadly mistaken. It would take more than a few dime store words and a wooden box to get my attention. It would take a miracle.

  I glanced over at a sleeping Peyton. One of the biggest things I loved about having Lily watch her was the fact she played so hard all day she slept completely through the night, thus I slept all night.

  The next morning, I tried to call my father. I had a few choice words reserved for him. Peggy informed me there had been an emergency city council meeting and he had been in his office since the crack of dawn. I decided a trip to Dr. Crain’s office would be a necessity. He had chosen to publicly embarrass me with his banner trick. I would never stoop that low, but I would get my point across. This needed to stop, today.

  As I pulled into the parking lot, I noticed there were already several cars there. I pulled Peyton out of her car seat, grabbed the box and Peyton’s hand as we made our way into the office, where I found several parents sitting in chairs while their children played with the toys. I approached the front desk and found a dark-haired young woman talking on the phone. It was clear she was making an appointment for a patient, so I took a step back to give her the needed privacy. As soon as she placed the phone on the cradle, she addressed me.