Love in Greener Pastures

by Bretz, Amanda

  Gabby shrugged to his back, as she twisted the knob on the radio. Yuck. A loud voice belonging to a talk-radio personality blasted out of the speakers. She quickly turned it down and switched the station. After scanning the channels, she left it on a station that was playing more static than music. Gabby’s eyes wandered to the large mirror that was attached to the passenger-side door. She could see Jake working swiftly to get her car on the back of the tow truck and attaching an apparatus to her car’s front bumper. She bit her lower lip as she watched his sinewy arms working the large cranking mechanism attached to the back of the truck.

  She quickly figured out that looking at Jake while he worked would only take her mind back down the paths she was trying to avoid. She turned her gaze to the meager traffic passing by on Main Street. After watching the cars for a few moments she noticed that several cars had honked and waved, to Jake presumably, as they passed by. Gabby realized as the town’s only mechanic, he was probably a popular and well-known man. For the millionth time that day, she couldn’t help but compare the differences between her small hometown and the city she’d been calling home for the past few years. Even though she’d been raised in Clear Lake, she always felt a bit of culture shock when she came home to visit from college.

  Gabby heard a clang followed by a noise that she was sure meant her car was being lifted onto the tow truck. Hopefully whatever was wrong with her car wouldn’t be that difficult to fix and she would be back behind the wheel within an hour. Jake opened the door of the truck, gave an inquisitive look at her music selection, and turned the radio dial to the off position with a flick of his wrist.

  “Do you have a spare set of car keys?”

  “No, why?”

  “Because your only set is still in the ignition of your car, and all four doors are locked,” Jake said matter-of-factly as he pulled the driver’s side door shut.

  Gabby suddenly wished she could disappear. In her haste to get out of her car and get to the shop she had locked her keys in her car. How brilliant! This day just couldn’t get any worse, could it?

  “Do you have any equipment to unlock my car?” Gabby asked hopefully.

  “Yeah, I do, but unfortunately I’ll have to charge you for that.”

  Gabby said nothing, and nodded her head slowly. She had some cash on her, but more than likely she would have to use her credit card. Again, Gabby thought about how much easier it would be if she could just call her dad and tell him what was happening. But she knew that was not possible. She wouldn’t disturb him.

  “So would you like me to take you back to the shop now, or is there somewhere else you’d like me to take you?”

  Something about what Jake said made her feel as though he were suggesting improper behavior. Gabby forced herself to once again pull her mind out of the gutter.

  “Would it be too much trouble of me to ask you to take me to my dad’s house? I can wait until after you’ve had your lunch if you want. I know your, um, Sam, brought lunch back for you both. I wouldn’t want it to get cold.”

  “Nah, it’s no trouble. Besides,” he said, giving her a disarming smile, “Sam went and picked us up egg salad sandwiches from Rita’s.”

  “Can’t say I’m too surprised you’re eating their egg salad. Rita’s is great. When I was in high school, my friends and I would walk up there just about every day for lunch,” she said with a laugh as she thought about the old, run down diner and the cracked, red vinyl booths.

  “So you lived in Clear Lake your entire childhood?”

  “Yes, are you surprised by that?”

  “You just seem,” he struggled for the right words. Uptight, citified, and snooty all came to mind, but he knew it wouldn’t be nice of him to say any of it. “Sophisticated, is all. But I guess that comes from going to college in a big city.”

  “Yeah, you’d be surprised how easily you acclimate to the faster-paced lifestyle. I already miss it,” she said wistfully.

  Sensing a lull in the conversation, and suddenly realizing that they were sitting in the church parking lot, with the engine running, Jake put the truck in gear.

  “So, where’s your dad’s place?”

  “Not far. Clarkson Street. About a mile from here.”

  “Clarkson,” Jake murmured as he eased onto Main Street.

  As the big truck ambled down Main, passerby once again waved and honked at Jake as though he were a celebrity, and he returned their greetings with a nod of his head and a big, friendly smile. She tried to remember the last time she had honked at someone in Chicago. Well, she corrected herself, when she had given someone a friendly honk. Gabby was drawing a blank. She knew friendly honks were an everyday occurrence in her small town.

  “So you’re a pretty popular guy, huh?”

  “Well, I’ve lived here just over a year and gained the kind of reputation that my grandfather had, good service, honesty and the prices for my work are fair.”

  He sounds like a boy scout, Gabby thought jokingly.

  “It’s the cedar-sided house right there on the corner,” Gabby said as she pointed out the truck window at her father’s house.

  “No way!” Jake turned his blue-eyed gaze on her. “You’re Steve’s daughter?”

  “Yeah. You know my dad? I guess that was a dumb question, you’ve probably worked on that hunk of metal he drives,” she said dismissively as she retrieved her purse from the truck’s floorboard.

  “‘Hunk of metal?’ I’ll have you know your dad drives a sweet, classic ’64 Chevy pick-up,” he said as he pulled into the driveway. “How’s he doing? I heard about his accident. It’s too bad.”

  “He’s doing better. He’s on a lot of painkillers, and he’s on bed rest. That’s why I’m home, even though he has a nurse to take care of him, I want to be here too, at least through the summer. Possibly longer,” she said as her hand reached for the door handle.

  “I’ll let you know how much it’ll be to fix your car, just as soon as I can get in it and figure out what the problem is,” he said with a wry smile.

  Rub in my bone-headed move, why don’t you?, she thought.

  “Great. I appreciate it. I’ll be up later to get my things out of my car.”

  “You don’t have to come up. I pass by here on my way home every night. I could bring your stuff to you.”

  “Oh no, I can come get it.”

  “Really it’s no trouble, Gabby,” he paused after saying her preferred name, liking the way it felt upon his lips. “You should stay here in case your dad needs you.”

  Realizing it was futile to disagree with him, Gabby merely nodded in agreement. “Thanks for the ride. I’ll let my dad know you asked about him.” Gabby climbed to the ground. “Thanks again,” she said softly as she looked into his eyes and closed the door. Feeling Jake’s gaze on her, she made her way up the cobblestone path to the front door.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Gabby let out a small expectant sigh as she reached the door of her father’s house. As she twisted the doorknob, she turned and looked over her shoulder, giving Jake what she hoped was a cheerful wave. As much as part of her wanted to see him again, the man was gorgeous after all, she wished he wasn’t so insistent on stopping by her father’s house tonight. Only after she opened the door and let herself inside, did she see Jake begin backing out of the driveway.

  “Gabby, is that you?”

  “The one and only,” she called playfully from the entryway. She made her way down the hallway that led to the bedroom her father used to share with her mom. Gabby was pleasantly surprised when she saw her dad looking at her with a smile on his face. He looked as happy as he always did. She had expected him to look much, much worse.

  “Daddy,” she said as she spread her arms and leaned down onto his bed to give him a soft hug.

  “I’ve missed you, Boogs.”

  Gabby smiled and her heart wrenched at the childhood name both her parents had called her while growing up.

  “I missed you, too. Where’s your nurse?”
Gabby asked as she sat down gingerly on a corner of the bed.

  “I sent her out for lunch. I was tired of her being here fussing over me,” he said irritably.

  “Daddy! You’re bed-ridden, you need to face the facts,” she paused to lean in close to his face, as though he might miss what she was saying. “You need to be taken care of. It’s not fussing; it’s helping you, because right now you can’t help yourself,” Gabby splayed her palms over her father’s confined form for emphasis. Gabby braced herself for a rebuttal from her stubborn father. With the exception of a slight hrumph, he gave her no argument.

  “Are you hungry?”

  “No, thanks. I stopped and got something in Oak Valley on my way into town.”

  “How was the trip? Did you make good time?”

  “Not exactly. My car broke down as soon as I got into town. I had to walk to old man Harrison’s shop. But it isn’t exactly old man Harrison anymore.”

  Her father’s eyes lit up. “Did you meet Jake? His grandson? He’s the new owner of the shop, you know.”

  “Yeah, I met him and he told me,” she mumbled.

  “He’s only lived in Clear Lake for a short while. All the ladies are buzzing about him, they say he’s a real catch,” her father said with twinkling eyes.

  Gabby’s laughter erupted in a loud snort. Her father sounded like a gossipy old biddy. “Since when did you become so knowledgeable about town gossip?”

  “Oh, I hear things at church, the supermarket, Wednesday night bingo at St. Mary’s. You know it’s not exactly a secret when someone new comes to town. He’s single, never been married, no children and he has his own house, so that’s a plus.”

  “For who, you or me? Honestly.”

  “You of course. Jake’s a good man, and you know how much it would mean to your dear old dad if you stayed here in Clear Lake now that you’ve gone off to your fancy school and got your degree. You’ve already landed a job here,” he said in a lilting tone.

  Gabby was already tired of hearing about Jake, her job at that pitiful excuse for a newspaper and the mention of never leaving Clear Lake. She stood to her feet abruptly and decided she needed to distract her father from his current train of thought.

  “Got anything cool to drink?”

  “I don’t know what’s in there, honey. Probably just the basics,” her father called as she race-walked to the kitchen.

  A quick glance in the fridge told her she’d have to make a trip to the store to pick up her favorites. There wasn’t a drop of bottled water or diet soda to be found in the whole kitchen. There wasn’t much food either, beyond chips, sardines and canned soup. That’s bachelor pad food all right, she thought.

  A sound at the front door caused her to peek her head around the cabinet and look at the entryway.

  “I’m back, Steven,” the nurse called down the hallway.

  “Hi, I’m-”

  “Gabby,” the woman finished for her as she walked forward, right hand extended. “It’s so nice to meet you, I’m Louise. Your dad has talked nearly non-stop about you since I’ve been here.”

  Gabby smiled and said, “Nice to meet you. I’m glad he’s going to walk again. I’ve been telling him to change jobs for years. He doesn’t listen to me though.”

  “Yes, I’ve noticed that he can be rather stubborn.”

  “Is he taking all his medicine, doing all that you and his doctor ask of him? I’ll make sure he does while I’m here,” Gabby said sternly.

  “It depends on what day you ask, but so far he’s been pretty cooperative. So, I’ve heard you’re starting with the Lake Breeze? That must be exciting, to be young and starting my career again, oh what I would do differently,” Louise said longingly.

  Feeling like she had nothing positive to add to the topic of the town’s pathetic rag, Gabby nodded and smiled at Louise and then excused herself to walk back toward her father’s room.

  “Daddy, since Louise is here would you mind if I borrowed your truck to run a few errands? I need to get a few things from the grocery store and I want to stop by the garage and check on my car.”

  “Of course I wouldn’t mind, but you just got here, aren’t you sick of being in the car?”

  “Kind of, but I just want to go, get what I need and get it over with.”

  “Do you still remember how to drive a stick?”

  “Yeah, I think it’s just like riding a bike. You never really forget how to do it.”

  “Okay, honey. My keys are over here, in my nightstand drawer,” he motioned with his eyes. “As you can imagine, I didn’t plan on driving for a while. Say hello to Jake for me,” he called to her back as she made her way out of the bedroom.

  Gabby mumbled something resembling “sure” and continued toward the table located near the door where she had left her purse.

  “I’m stepping out for a little bit, Louise. I’ll have my cell phone on me, so feel free to call if you or Daddy needs anything. He has my number.”

  Gabby slid her shades over her eyes as she stepped out the front door. It felt like the temperature had already picked up just from the short time she had been inside the house. As she made her way to the truck that was, in her opinion, an eye sore, she couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by the day and it wasn’t over yet. She still had to do some grocery shopping and face Jake again.

  She let out a sigh of displeasure as she pulled the door closed and started the truck. The old pick-up roared to life. Gabby shook her head as the engine rumbled and caused the bench seat to vibrate. Gabby couldn’t remember a time when her dad didn’t own the truck. He had been restoring it, or so he said, since he’d purchased it.

  In fact, the pick-up had been “painted” primer grey for at least a decade. Her father insisted one day he would have a custom paint job on his prized vehicle. It was his dream to paint it candy apple red and reupholster the interior with black leather on the bench seat. As she pulled out of the driveway, she shifted her bottom uncomfortably on the ragged, cracked bench seat.

  Gabby sat at the stop sign located at the end of her father’s street and debated as to whether she should go to the garage or the grocery store first. She decided to put off the inevitable, and turned the truck toward Charlie’s Market.

  As she cruised down the street, Gabby tried to look at her surroundings through the eyes of someone like Jake, someone who hadn’t grown up in Clear Lake, who saw picturesque scenery and quaint old buildings, where Gabby saw bad memories.

  Jake didn’t have to worry about passing by the cemetery where his mother was buried, the hospital where she had spent so many miserable months. Or the worst of all memories, the funeral home where Steven and a tearful Gabby had been on the receiving end of hugs and murmured words of encouragement.

  Gabby coasted into the market’s parking lot and let out a long sigh. She had known it was going to be hard returning to her hometown. She had been back for the holidays since her mother’s passing, but there was something different about it this time. Seeing her father lying in his bed looking utterly helpless had flooded her mind with images of her mother lying in the hospital, and in that very bed, suffering and in pain, all the while there was nothing Gabby could do to ease her hurt. Making sure she was alone in the parking lot, she rested her head on the steering wheel before getting out of the truck.

  Gabby didn’t know how she was going to respond to her father over the next few weeks. She wasn’t used to him depending on her. It had always been vice versa. At least her father’s personality hadn’t been affected by his physical state. During her mother’s illness, her father had been a pillar of strength and had somehow always maintained a positive outlook. Gabby wished she had inherited her father’s strength.

  Feeling as though she had allowed herself to wallow in enough pity for the time being, Gabby opened the door of the pick-up and headed for the store’s entrance. After grabbing a cart and loading up in the produce section, Gabby was indecisively perusing the frozen foods section when a small child ran into
her ankles with a shopping cart. Gabby winced at the pain and was on the verge of uttering a few choice curse words under her breath when the little boy’s mother chastised her son.

  “Jimmy, say you’re sorry,” the mother chided.

  “It’s okay. I’m sure it was a mistake,” Gabby started as she turned to face the pair.

  “Oh my goodness! Gabby, it’s you!”

  At the sound of her voice, Gabby’s mouth formed an ‘o’ of surprise at seeing her best friend all through childhood and throughout high school.

  “Stacey! I haven’t seen you in years! Is he yours?” Gabby asked incredulously as she nodded toward the small boy. Gabby allowed herself to be wrapped in her friend’s embrace. As she pulled away Gabby took in Stacey’s swollen abdomen.

  “Yep, that’s what they tell me anyway,” she said as she ruffled her son’s blond head. “And a little girl on the way,” she said as she patted her belly affectionately. Her expression sobered and her eyes softened.

  “I heard about your dad, I hope he’s doing okay,” she said, and placed a consoling hand on Gabby’s arm.

  Gabby nodded. “As good as can be expected. So, I guess you also heard I’m going to be here a while. The doctors are saying dad should improve a lot by November or December at the latest. Since I’ll be here a while, I called in a favor to Mr. Howard,” Gabby said referencing the head of the Clear Lake high school newspaper, and Gabby’s favorite teacher in high school. “He pulled some strings and I got a job with the Lake Breeze,” she said unhappily.

  “Hey, that’s great! It will be fun having you around again, and you never know, you may just decide to stay,” she said with a sparkle in her eyes.

  “I doubt that, I have a couple of job leads that may turn in to interviews over the summer. So with any luck I can line up a job in Chicago for the time that I’m leaving.”

  “Well, at any rate, you’ll be here for the baby’s birth and her christening. Hey, if you’re not doing anything tomorrow, why don’t you stop by after church and have Sunday dinner with us?”