by S. J. West
I didn’t know what to say and I didn’t feel like he expected me to say anything. I laid my head back on his shoulder and let his warmth ease my aching muscles, including my heart.
Chapter 7
My doctor came in later that morning and gave me a clean bill of health. She asked me to call her if I felt the least bit faint or noticed any other complications. Relieved I wouldn’t have to stay in the hospital any longer than I had to, I took a quick shower and got dressed in the clothes Tara and Will brought for me from their trip to the apartment.
Utha Mae insisted we still come for dinner that evening and invited Will to come too. Well, ‘invited’ is a nice way of saying what she really did.
“Will Allen Kilpatrick,” she said to him in her ‘your gonna do what I say whether you want to or not’ voice. A tone she had used with us kids quite often growing up. “I better see you at my table no later than four-thirty.”
We all watched as Will shuffled his feet obviously ill at ease with being talked to like he was four-years-old again and finally agreed to be there, like he had any choice in the matter.
When I was ready to leave my room, Brand and Will both reached for my overnight bag at the same time.
“I’ll get it,” Brand said tugging roughly on the strap of the bag held equally secure in Will’s hand.
“I brought it to her. I’ll take it back,” Will responded with a strong tug of his own.
“You two need to just get out of the way,” Tara said snatching the bag out of both their hands. “Lilly’s been through enough without the two of you tryin’ to out do one another. If y’all can’t behave any better, I won’t let either of y’all near her.”
Two men fighting over my bag, interesting.
One wild eyed best friend snatching it away from them both while putting them in their place, PRICELESS.
In compliance with hospital rules, a nurse had to escort me out of the hospital in a wheelchair. I was glad to see Tara had already parked her car underneath the awning. I could just imagine Brand and Will making a race for their cars trying to be the first one to me causing chaos in a hospital parking lot. They both told Tara to make sure she drove safely. Tara just rolled her eyes and cranked her engine.
“I swear, if those two fools don’t calm down, the question of which one you want won’t matter. They’ll both be dead.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at Tara. Her exasperation had caused her sassiness to go into overdrive. I pitied Will and Brand for a brief moment.
Will. What was up with his behavior? Were Tara and Brand right? Did he harbor romantic feelings for me? And if he did, how did I really feel about that?
I had such a long history with Will and had a crush on him since I was of age to know girls liked boys. He’d always been my hero when I needed one. He was someone I used to confide things to, a best friend.
But then there was Brand. Even after just knowing him a week, I couldn’t help but get goose bumps just thinking about him. He was model gorgeous and so considerate of those around him. He was giving me time to figure out my feelings for Will, but did I really want him to? Sometimes a girl just likes to be swept off her feet. My problem was which one of the men in my life did I want to be my Prince Charming?
Brand and Will followed us to our apartment. Tara hopped out of the car and came to my door to help me out. The guys were coming up to us when she put her hand out palm forward like a stop sign.
“You boys need to give her some room to breathe. She needs rest more than she needs you two trying to one up each other on every little thing. Why don’t y’all come back around three-thirty, and we’ll all go to Grandma’s together for dinner?”
“But,” Will began but never finished because Tara held her hand up again.
“No but’s Will Allen. Ya’ll …come…back… later,” Tara spoke her words slowly as if she were talking to dim witted children. “And don’t even think about trying to come any earlier. I ain’t openin’ that door until three-thirty.”
“I’ll be back,” Brand said daring Tara’s glare as he gave me a kiss on the cheek.
“Me too,” Will gave me a quick peck on the forehead.
I was thankful for Tara’s guard dog mentality. I was still tired even though I had slept most of the night. The doctor said the tiredness was mostly due to my system being shocked by the accident.
As soon as I lay down on my bed, I went to sleep. I didn’t wake up until Tara came in at two-thirty. She knew me well enough to know I would want time to take a shower and get ready before we left for Utha Mae’s. When I looked at my naked body in the full length mirror in our bathroom, I winced at the brutalized reflection staring back at me. Blue and purple bruises marked me all along my arms, chest, abdomen, and thighs. It was no wonder I felt sore. Thankfully the airbag had saved me from having any bruises on my face. With a little camouflaging, no one would be able to tell I had been in an accident.
I chose a loose fitting sleeveless summer dress and thin white sweater to wear to Utha Mae’s. The thinness of the material was enough to not push against my bruises and the sweater helped hide the ones on my arms.
Will and Brand arrived outside my door at exactly three-thirty.
Apparently Brand had felt like doing some cooking of his own that afternoon. He brought a fresh chocolate bourbon pecan pie and a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies for Utha Mae.
Brand was the first to start off the car wars. Everyone wanted to drive. But, of course, Tara won and we all piled into her little Toyota Camry. Brand and Will sat in the back and I sat up front with Tara.
The drive to Utha Mae’s was mostly in silence until I remembered a question I kept forgetting to ask.
“Where’s my car?”
“It’s at my house,” Brand informed me from the backseat. “After the police got through with it, I had Carl tow it back there.”
“How does it look? Can it be fixed?”
“I don’t think so, Lilly,” Brand said regretting to have to break the news to me. “Did you have insurance on it?”
“Yeah, I have full coverage. Hopefully they’ll give me enough to buy a new one.”
If Cora had taught me nothing else, it was to have full insurance coverage on as many things as you could afford. That’s why I wasn’t worried about the hospital bill I was sure to receive. No matter what job my mom had, she always made sure we had health insurance. Buying the full coverage insurance on a ten year old car would have probably seemed like a waste to most people, but for me it was just the natural thing to do.
After an uncomfortable, almost one hour drive, we finally arrived at Utha Mae’s.
Utha Mae bought a new double wide trailer just after the tornadoes that completely destroyed my Mom’s trailer. Part of Utha Mae’s trailer had been damaged by flying debris so she qualified for a small, low interest loan FEMA offered people who needed it.
The trailer had olive green vinyl siding with taupe trim and shutters, a brown shingled roof and white lattice skirt to hide the space between the bottom of the trailer and the ground. Utha Mae and Cora came to the door to welcome us when we arrived.
“Right on time,” Utha Mae said giving us all a kiss on the cheek as we entered.
The interior of the trailer had your basic set up. As you walked into the trailer you were in between the kitchen and living room area. The living room had a gas fireplace in the far corner and was decorated with furniture (sofa, loveseat, recliner, coffee table and end tables) in differing shades of brown. The kitchen had a cheery feel to it with its pine stained wood and stainless steel stove, wall oven, refrigerator/freezer, microwave and dishwasher. On the other side of the kitchen was Utha Mae’s table which had already been set with dishes, glasses and silverware. The table was just big enough to sit all six of us; though, I noticed two chairs that belonged to my mother’s dining room set around the table.
My mother’s attire was a pleasant surprise. Unlike the wild outfit she had worn to the hospital, she was now dres
sed in a plain denim skirt and simple white tank top. I wondered what had caused her to tone herself down so much.
Utha Mae was pleasantly surprised with Brand’s gift of pie and cookies. I actually think I saw here blush again. It amazed me how Brand’s allure transcended the age barrier so easily.
Everyone helped bring the food to the table, except for me. I was told by Utha Mae to sit at the head of the table and let them do all the heavy lifting. As usual, Utha Mae had cooked way too much food, which included some of my favorites: smothered pork chops, fried cabbage and bacon, chicken and dumplings, butter beans with ham hocks, deviled eggs and fried okra cornbread. It also included one not so favorite dish of mine but one of Tara’s favorite: beef tongue and caramelized onions. I thought Tara was going to go into an epileptic fit when she saw that.
Brand and Will ended up sitting on either side of me. I was thankful Utha Mae had the foresight to make my plate. I could just envision the guys inadvertently starting a food fight trying to be the one who helped me fill my plate.
Utha Mae was the one who did most of the talking over dinner. Since she finally had Will at her table she asked questions about what he’d been up to the last couple of years. There was one question I had been dieing to know the answer to that Utha Mae just naturally asked.
“Whatever happened with you and that Jessi McCormick girl?”
“She went to college up in New York State,” Will said picking at his cabbage waiting for Utha Mae’s follow up question.
“You two seemed awfully close. Why’d you break up?”
“Well, partly the distance issue.”
“What’s the other part?” Tara asked jumping on the chance to ask Will a question of her own.
“I don’t think her new girlfriend would have appreciated her keeping in touch with me.”
“You mean to tell me you turned Jessi McCormick gay?” Tara asked in astonishment.
“You don’t turn someone gay, Tara,” Will said exasperated. “She’s always been that way.”
“What do you mean ‘always’? If ya knew she was battin’ for our team, why’d ya go out with her?”
“That’s enough, Tara,” Utha Mae looked at her granddaughter with eyes warning her to drop the subject.
Tara pressed her lips together, itching to ask Will more questions. No one else in the world could put Tara in her place like Utha Mae. I wasn’t sure what we would do without her.
“Brand,” Utha Mae turned her attention to him.
I could visibly see Will relax. He knew his questioning session was over. It was Brand’s turn.
“Tell us a little about yourself, hon.”
“What would you like to know, Mrs. Jenkins?” Brand’s face was completely open. I was sure he had been expecting this. I silently wondered if the pie and cookies hadn’t been his way of softening Utha Mae up a bit.
“Have you lived in Lakewood long?”
Brand went on to tell Utha Mae and my mother about living all over the world, that his parent’s were no longer living, and that he had just bought a place on Lake Serenity in order to go to school at Southeastern.
“Not a lot else to tell,” he finished.
“Have you found a church yet?” Utha Mae inquired.
“I don’t usually attend church,” Brand admitted.
“I see,” Utha Mae said with a smile of acceptance. “Do you mind if I ask whether or not you believe in God?”
I think everyone at the table was staring at Brand waiting for his answer. It was one that Tara had neglected to ask during her own interrogation of Brand. Even though Utha Mae had more tact than her granddaughter, she was certainly testing Brand in her own way.
“I can truthfully say that you will never meet anyone who believes in Him more than I do, Mrs. Jenkins.”
Satisfied with this answer, Utha Mae nodded her head and quietly said, “Good to know.”
Before dessert was to be served, which included Brand’s pie and cookies and Utha Mae’s famous chocolate cake, I asked to be excused and went to the bathroom. Utha Mae’s main bathroom was large for a trailer. Heck, it would be large for someone’s house. It had a Jacuzzi tub, walk in shower and double sink vanity.
Just as I was washing my hands at the sink, my mother came in. I always hated it when she did that without knocking. I usually locked the door when I went to the bathroom to stop that sort of thing but had completely forgotten to this time.
“Lord have mercy,” she said leaning against the counter beside me as if out of breath. “How did you get so lucky to find a man like that in your first week at school?”
“Just had the same class,” I shrugged, wiping my hands on one of Utha Mae’s crochet trimmed guest towels.
“Well, don’t let him get away like you did Will.”
My heart dropped into my stomach at her crass statement.
“There aren’t a lot of men like that in the world. I can tell you that much.”
“Well, you should know that better than anyone, Mom. You’ve certainly been with enough of them.” I left the bathroom without another word to her.
We got ready to leave soon after.
Before we left, my mother surprised me when she asked if I wanted to take her car until I was able to get a new one of my own.
“Utha Mae said I could use her car to go to work in. She’s not driving it much these days anyway.”
“Sure, that would be helpful, Mom.”
It was uncharacteristically unselfish of my mother to lend me her car, especially when she had just bought it a few months ago. Her boyfriend, at the time, owned a used car lot and gave her a great deal on a five year old red Pontiac Solstice.
“Here Brand,” my mother handed him the keys. “Why don’t you drive Lilly home in it?”
Brand took the keys. “I’ll make sure she gets home safely, Ms. Nightingale.”
I was relieved I wouldn’t have to ride another hour in Tara’s car with Brand and Will forced to sit together in the backseat. Though, I got the distinct impression neither Tara nor Will was pleased they wouldn’t be able to watch over me anymore.
When we got on the road, I finally felt like I could breathe.
“Are you all right?” Brand asked sensing my tension.
“Yeah I’m fine, just tired.”
“Why don’t you sit back and take a nap? I’ll wake you when we get to your apartment.”
I looked over at Brand and marveled at his compassion. Did he actually exist or had my brain completely made him up in some desperate attempt to fill a void in my life? How could anyone who looked like him be so caring at the same time?
“Do you know how incredible you are?” I asked before my brain could edit what I was thinking.
He glanced at me from the corner of his eyes and grinned, evidently please with my question.
“Well, I’m glad you see me like that.”
“Who wouldn’t?” I asked. A small blush of color tinted his cheeks as I made my thoughts known to him. “You’re everything a woman wants in a man.”
“And what is it, in particular, about me that you like?” He took my left hand and drew it up to his mouth, holding it there as if breathing in my scent. I could feel his warm breath wash over my skin before he pressed his soft lips to my flesh.
“Well, I like it when you do that,” I confessed, trying to remember to breathe and think coherently. “I just like how open you are about everything. You never once acted like you resented Tara or Utha Mae for asking you so many personal questions. I like that you always treat the people around you with respect and kindness. I like that you can cook and take care of yourself. I like knowing family is important to you. There aren’t a lot of people who would be happy to have their cousin following them around. What is there not to like about you, Brand? You’re almost perfect.” I faltered on the last word. Of course, he noticed.
“But something worries you about me,” he said as a matter of fact, not a question. “What are you afraid of?”
“No
one can be as perfect as you,” I confessed. “I guess I’m afraid I’ll find out what your imperfection is and not like it.”
“You’re right,” he said. “No one can be as perfect as you see me. I hope when you find my flaws you won’t be too disappointed.”
“Maybe you should tell me what your flaws are now and then we can have them out in the open.”
Brand chuckled. “No, you’ll have to find them on your own. I’m not about to give you a reason to think I’m anything but perfection.”
“Well at least tell me something about yourself I don’t know already,” I prodded. “Something from your past.”
Brand contemplated my request for a moment. “Well, a long time ago I had a best friend. We did everything together. A lot like the relationship you and Tara have. Then, one day I had to completely turn my back to him.”
“Why?”
“His father was trying to take over my father’s company. A lot of people got hurt and my father told me I could never see him again. I had to cut him completely out of my life.” I saw a look of sadness pass over Brand’s face as he told me this small piece of his past.
“Were you very young when this happened?”
“Younger than I am now,” he said without a hint of sarcasm. “It was one of the worst times of my life.”
“I’m so sorry.” I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t imagine what I would have done if Cora had ever forbidden me to see or talk with Tara when I was younger. What would my life be like without her in my world everyday?
“Could we stop somewhere before I take you back to your apartment?” he asked me, squeezing my hand a little tighter. “I really don’t want to let you go just yet.”
“Ok.”
We drove all the way down the highway into the center of town. Like most cities now a day the downtown area was almost vacant except for a couple of bank headquarters and local eateries and custom shops. Brand took us to a small park one of the local churches still maintained.