Hard Love (Wild Hearts, Contemporary Romance Book 3)

by Nancy Adams

  She squeezed his shoulder again, and smiled back. “Well, like I said, it’s not something we have to do right this minute. I do think we should plan on going to get all the rest of the things out of it, and put them in storage closer to where we are here. Naturally, everything that your parents owned now belongs to you two. There's a lot of it that you won't ever need, of course, but some of it may have sentimental value. When Julie and I went, all we did was get your clothes and personal things from your bedrooms, and some clothing for Linda. We didn't know what else around the house might be yours, or what you might want to have with you, here.”

  Robbie thought about it. “Well, maybe we can plan a trip there sometime soon. I'd like to look around the house, see what else I might need, maybe grab a few things to help me remember my dad. I'd want to get all our photo albums, and all our home videotapes. I don't think I'll ever forget dad, but Anna is so little—dad was always crazy about making home videos, and now I'm glad. At least I can make sure she knows who he was.” Robbie felt something on his face, and reached up to wipe tears away. He hadn't even realized that he was crying. “I think I'm gonna go make those phone calls,” he said.

  Aunt Kay patted his shoulder and nodded, as he turned the wheelchair around and headed into his room. His bedroom door didn't slide, but there was plenty of room for him to turn the wheelchair around so that he could push it closed. That made it easy for him to go into his room and be alone, and he sat there for a moment just enjoying the solitude.

  He rolled over to the nightstand beside his bed, and picked up the telephone that was sitting there. It was a cordless phone, and he thought that was cool. He stared at it for a moment, then dialed Janine's phone number. Her mother answered, and seemed genuinely happy that Robbie was safe and alive. She told him that they'd heard about the accident, and about his father and mother, and of course, about his own injuries. He had to correct the misconception about his mother, because it seemed that the rumor said that she had died, also. He could hear the genuine shock in her voice when he explained that his mother was not dead, at least not physically, but would forever be a little girl in her own mind, with no memory of ever being a mother or wife.

  Apparently, that was enough for her. She quickly called Janine to the phone, whispering that it was Robbie calling. There was a delay, and Robbie was certain that Janine was being cautioned not to mention his parents.

  “Robbie? Oh Robbie, how are you?”

  “Well, I finally got to my aunt's house today,” he said. “I guess you heard about the wreck? About me being in a wheelchair, now?”

  “Yeah,” she said. “Yeah, it was kind of all over the news. Listen, I'm—I'm really sorry about what happened to your mom and dad.”

  “Yeah, thanks,” Robbie said. “I just kinda went through that with your mom, so she'll tell you all that stuff. I just wanted to let you know that—well, it looks like I'm going to be living here in Maxwell from now on. My aunt has taken us in, and I don't have any other family, so it doesn't look like I'll be coming back to Cincinnati. I just wanted to tell you that I'll miss you. You've been the greatest girlfriend a guy could have.”

  “Yeah, I kinda figured you wouldn't be coming back. It's okay, I understand.”

  Robbie wasn't sure what he'd been expecting, but the sound of relief in her voice hadn't been it. He had called his girlfriend to tell her that he wouldn't be able to come back to her. Shouldn't she be, like, upset or something? Shouldn't there be tears, maybe some sobbing? Why did she sound like she was glad he said it first?

  Suddenly, he just didn't want to talk to her anymore. He had the strangest feeling that it hadn't been him she liked all that time, it had been the star quarterback. Now that he couldn't play football anymore, it was like Janine was simply done with him.

  “Yeah, well, I just wanted to tell you. Sorry about all this,” he said. “You, uh, you take it easy. Tell everyone I said hi, okay? I gotta go. Bye.” He hung up the phone before she could say anything else, and then sat there as tears of grief began to flow down his face. This time, the grief wasn't for his dad for his mom; this time, the grief was for himself, and for the life he had known that was now over. The Robbie Christopher that he had been for the last 13 years had died in that accident, right along with his father. He wasn't the same person today that he had been that morning when they had gotten in the car to come to visit Aunt Kay. This Robbie Christopher was someone entirely different.

  It suddenly dawned on Robbie that there was something good about having your whole life come to an end. It meant that you could start over, that you had a chance to begin anew. He didn't know yet who new Robbie would be, but the one thing he was certain of was that he would be a man who would leave the world a little better for his having been in it. He would leave a mark, one that said that Robbie Christopher had done all he could to make the world a better place for those around him.

  He heard Julie call out that the pizzas were ready, so he rolled into the bathroom and splashed water on his face, washing away any trace of tears. Okay, so he didn't have a girlfriend. Julie was five years older than him; he knew her flirting wasn't really real, but at least now he could tease and flirt back with a clear conscience.

  Poor girl didn't have a clue what was coming.

  4

  “Robbie! Robbie! Robbie!” Linda said, bouncing up and down on her chair. “Robbie! Come watch!”

  Robbie wheeled into the living room, where Anna and Linda were sitting on the floor watching television. They were watching a SpongeBob cartoon, one that had SpongeBob going nuts because Patrick had a box and wouldn't let SpongeBob see what was in it. Robbie sat for a few minutes and watched with them. He’d just gotten out of bed, awakened by the sound of the TV.

  Life was certainly different, lately. Robbie had been at his Aunt Kay's house for a couple of months, and was fairly accustomed to the fact that his mother now thought of herself as a little girl. If he tried, he could remember when she was herself, and all the times that she had scolded him for the way he acted, or encouraged him as he grew. Now it was Robbie who had to keep an eye on her, to make sure she didn't misbehave or get into something she shouldn't.

  He wasn't sure whether Anna remembered much about their previous life. She rarely mentioned anything about it, and seemed quite content to have her mother as a playmate. Of course, that might be understandable; children often wish for more time and attention from parents, so while Anna was small this way, having Linda playing with her on her own level probably seemed a fulfillment of that wish. In any case, Anna seemed relatively content.

  On the other hand, she did mention their father from time to time. “I wish we could go visit daddy in Heaven,” she would say, and Robbie would smile and nod. He wasn't sure what else he might do, or what to say to comfort her, but that seemed to be enough. She would give him a hug or pat his cheek, and then go back to playing or watching TV.

  “SpongeBob is funny,” Linda said, “he's so funny.”

  “Yep,” Robbie said. “SpongeBob is pretty funny. Where's Julie at?”

  “She's washing our clothes,” Anna said, without taking her attention from the TV screen. “She said she'll make breakfast when she gets done.”

  Robbie turned his chair around and wheeled out through the kitchen to the utility room. Sure enough, Julie was there folding clothes as she took them out of the dryer. She looked up and smiled as he wheeled into the room.

  “Hey, Hot Rod,” she said. “What are you up to?”

  Robbie grinned. “Just wondered where you were, gorgeous. Anna said you were back here, so I came looking for you. You're up awfully early.”

  “Ha! That's what you think! I'm usually up a lot earlier than this. I slept in a little bit this morning, till I heard the girls moving around. Once those two are up, I have to be. Otherwise, Lord knows what kind of mess I'll have to clean up.”

  Robbie laughed. “Oh, I can imagine. Remember, I have to watch them sometimes when you run to the store with Aunt Kay. Seems l
ike all I have to do is look away for a second, and they're into something. I know exactly what you're saying.” He glanced around behind them to make sure no one was in the kitchen, listening. When he was sure they were alone, he looked back at Julie. “So I was thinking,” he said, “if you wanted to, we could go out and do something tomorrow night.” The next day was Wednesday, Julie's day off. They had talked a few times about going out together, not really on a date, but just to have some fun. Robbie felt like it was time, and was hoping she might agree.

  Julie looked up from her folding and smiled at him. “Sure,” she said. “Got something particular in mind?”

  Robbie shrugged, and felt his face grow warm. “Well, I dunno,” he said. “I was kind of looking at the movies that are playing around here. There's a couple that I'd like to see, but I thought we could maybe see if there's one we both like. Gone in 60 Seconds is playing, Nicholas Cage…”

  Julie grinned. “Oh, I love Nicholas Cage! That sounds great. So, are you the kind of guy who takes a girl out to eat before the movie? There's this new restaurant that just opened up across town, and I've been dying to give it a try.” She winked at him.

  “Yeah, that would be cool. We could go out for dinner, and then a movie. That'd be fun,” he said, and then the nervous giggle he'd been holding back finally managed to escape. “Almost like a—like a date, right?”

  Julie put the last folded items into the stack on the table, then reached into the washer and started pulling out clothes that she tossed back into the dryer. She looked sideways at him as she worked, and startled him when she blew him a kiss. “Well, since I don't have a boyfriend and you don't have a girlfriend, then I guess that makes it a date, don't you think? Just don't get any wild ideas, I'm not the kind of girl kisses on the first date, you know.” She winked again.

  Robbie's eyes bugged out. “Oh, oh no,” he said rapidly. “I'd—I'd never think anything like that, I wouldn't. I mean, I know you're not that kind of girl, you're too nice, and I—I just wouldn't think like that.”

  Julie squinted her eyes at him, but she was still grinning. “Look, I may only be 18, but I know boys. Don't be embarrassed, it's flattering that you like me, and I think you're a great guy. Who knows, a few years from now, if you're still into older women, we might get serious. For now, though, we can have some good times and be friends, right?”

  Robbie couldn't help turning red, knowing that she'd seen right through him. He should have expected it, because he knew she wasn't stupid. Oh, well, he thought, at least she wants to go. He knew he'd have a great time with her, and that it would lead to some wonderful fantasies.

  Julie finished tossing clothes into the dryer, and picked up the stack to go out and put away. Robbie wheeled out of the doorway so that she could get through, and they moved on into the house. He went to check on Linda and Anna while Julie slipped into Linda's room to put her clothes away, first.

  “Everything okay in here?” he asked.

  “We're fine,” Anna said.

  His Aunt Kay came into the room just then, and smiled at all three of them. “Hey, there,” she said, “how's everyone?”

  “We're all doing okay,” Robbie said. “I think we all slept in a little bit this morning.”

  Aunt Kay nodded. “I know I did,” she said. “I think the last few weeks finally just caught up with me, and I needed a little extra sleep.” She looked into his eyes, and her own eyes softened. “I think things are beginning to settle down, though, don't you? I think everything is starting to feel like normal, like a new normal, I mean.”

  Robbie nodded his head in agreement. “Yeah, I'm starting to get used to living here. I know Anna seems to be all settled in, too, and I was more worried about her than about myself. How about you, Aunt Kay? This has been a pretty major change for your life, too, how are you holding up?”

  Her eyes went wide. She seemed amused at his question, and smiled as she answered. “Me? Oh, trust me, I've been through a lot of ups and downs in my life. I know how to take things in stride, and deal with them. And I've been lucky, with Julie being available to help, and you're such a big help, yourself. Yes, I count myself pretty lucky.”

  Julie stuck her head into the room. “Hey, I'm making pancakes for breakfast. That okay with everyone?”

  Robbie glanced at her and grinned, and Aunt Kay misunderstood. “Looks like pancakes are high on Robbie's list, today,” she said. “He's grinning like a fox that just had a chicken dinner.”

  Julie smiled. “Oh, I think he just woke up in a good mood this morning. He's been smiling a lot. Okay, I'm going to get them started. Robbie, you wanna help me?”

  “Sure,” Robbie said, and began wheeling himself toward the kitchen. “What can I do?”

  “Ha ha, you get to stir the pancake mix. This new kind I'm using, you have to keep stirring it until you actually pour it onto the griddle. You've got good strong arms, you can handle it better than I can.”

  Aunt Kay watched them go, then sat down in her recliner to watch cartoons with the girls. SpongeBob was over, and the Powerpuff Girls was coming on. As silly as these cartoons were, it was actually possible for an adult to enjoy them, especially when you were watching them through the eyes of children.

  The only problem she ever had, in fact, was when Linda would decide that she was small enough to sit in Kay's lap, just like Anna. Luckily, the recliner was a big one, so that by scrunching to one side, she could make room for her sister to cuddle in beside her. A stranger would have thought there was something weird going on, but it was surprising to Kay just how comforting it could be to have them piled on top of her like this.

  Linda had been Aunt Kay's little sister, the same way Anna was to Robbie. The two of them had been close as they were growing up, because their own mother had been taken from them when they were young. She had gotten sick when Aunt Kay was only ten, and Linda was only six. Aunt Kay had become the surrogate mother that raised Linda. Now, all these years later, here she was doing it again.

  What was it Robbie had said? Life is what happens while you are making other plans. That certainly had proven true in this case.

  In the kitchen, Julie had put all the pancake ingredients into a bowl, then handed Robbie a whisk and told him to start stirring. The mix, with the eggs and milk that were added into it, made a batter that wasn't very thick, but it certainly smelled good as it was being stirred. Robbie “accidentally” got a little onto his pinky finger, and had to lick it off a few times. The batter was sweet, and it sort of reminded him of when his mother used to bake cakes. She would often hand him a beater, or the bowl and a spoon. Those had been good times, and he was glad he had the memories.

  Robbie stirred, while Julie got the griddle ready, spraying it down with cooking spray and making sure the temperature was set just right. “Okay,” she said, “ready for the first batch. Gimme the bowl.”

  Robbie handed it to her, and she poured what looked to him like only a small circle of batter onto the griddle, but it quickly spread and he realized that it would make a fairly big pancake. She poured six such circles onto the griddle, then handed the bowl back. “Okay, keep stirring,” she said. “You have to keep stirring it the whole time, but this makes the best pancakes I've ever tasted.”

  “No problem,” Robbie said. “I'm stirring.” She turned and grinned at him, and gave him another wink. Robbie rather liked it when she winked at him, almost like they had some secret they were sharing. Winking, he had read, was actually a form of flirtation; it gave him a little thrill every time she did it.

  Robbie kept stirring, but before long there was a beautiful stack of pancakes sitting on the table. Aunt Kay got Linda and Anna to the table, where their pancakes were already on the plates, cut up and smothered in butter and syrup. Robbie, as he had become accustomed to doing, rolled up and parked his chair next to Julie's, right between her and Anna. Linda sat on her other side, with Aunt Kay between Linda and Anna, so that they made the five points of a star.

  Aunt Kay said
grace, and then everyone dug in. Anna and Linda took turns telling them all about the adventures of SpongeBob and Patrick, and Julie told Aunt Kay that she and Robbie would be going out the following evening.

  “Oh, really?” Aunt Kay asked. “Sounds like fun.”

  “Yeah,” Julie said with a grin. “It's kind of exciting, he's taking me on our first date. Dinner and a movie.”

  Aunt Kay turned to Robbie, with a mock stern look on her face. “Now, young man, I expect you to be a perfect gentleman. And I expect you to have this young lady home at a reasonable hour. Is that clear?”

  Robbie laughed. “No problem, Aunt Kay,” he said. “I'll behave myself, don't worry.”

  “And you'd just better. When Julie came to work for me, I had to promise to keep an eye on her for her dad. He's an old friend of mine, and I'd hate to have to go to him and say that my nephew got out of line with his daughter.”

  Robbie rolled his eyes. “Okay, okay, I get the point,” he said. “Aunt Kay, it's not like a real date, we’re just going out like friends, that's all.”

  “Just friends?” Julie asked. “Oh, Robbie, and I thought you really liked me.” She said it so theatrically, batting her eyes and pretending to weep, that both Robbie and Aunt Kay burst into laughter. Julie grinned then, and reached over to squeeze his hand. “Like I said earlier, in a few years, if you still like me, maybe we'll see where this could go. For now, let's just have fun, shall we?”

  “Sounds like a plan!” Robbie said, nodding. He glanced at Anna, and realized that the little redhead had been watching him and Julie closely. Suddenly, she grinned from ear to ear and pointed at him.

  “Robbie's got a girlfriend, Robbie's got a girlfriend!” Anna began singing, and suddenly Linda pointed at him and joined in. “Robbie's got a girlfriend, Robbie's got a girlfriend…”

  It took a few moments to get them to stop, while Robbie tried to explain that Julie was not his girlfriend. It didn't help matters that Julie was smiling at the girls behind his back, nodding and whispering that she was, too. When they finally settled down, Aunt Kay began talking about making a trip to Cincinnati.