The Bridge Between

by Lindsey Brackett

  Jeanna rubbed her knuckles as if applying a soothing salve. “I know, honey. I’ve been there.”

  “But you have Lenny now and your kids are still here.”

  “So is yours.”

  She grabbed a paper towel to dab her cheeks. Gracious, she’d cried enough the last few weeks to fill that big soup pot on the commercial stove several times over. “He doesn’t need me.”

  “Oh, Gracie …” That nickname never bothered her coming from Jeanna, who always spoke in affection. “Everyone needs you, but I think it’s high time you let yourself be on the receiving end.” Jeanna patted her back and deftly shut the box lid on the biscuits. “Now go run these over to David’s and come on back. I need a taste-tester for tonight’s special.” Jeanna winked. “You just never know who’s coming through those doors.”

  ~~~

  The spring season was still early and the restaurant all but emptied by eight o’clock. But come summer, the place buzzed until eleven. Jeanna told Ben, as Grace and she wiped counters, time to start hiring the seasonal staff. Grace smiled at the words.

  Seasonal staff. Sometimes those were the ones who learned the ways of all the seasons this place held, so they stayed.

  Like her.

  Jeanna handed her a simple glass of water, fresh and cold with lemon and mint. “Go on out to the porch and sit awhile. The break’ll do you good.”

  The spring rains had moved on, and the stars found their brightness again. Not crisp like all winter, but soft and twinkly like the lights in Charlotte’s garden for the party.

  Grace lifted her arms and stretched, elongating her back’s tension. Between the dinner rush and the delight of the salmon special, she’d barely given a thought to the Halloway family. Guilt crept in with a whiff of the pluff mud coming off the creek. Low tide now.

  All the sediment settling.

  “Well, hey there.” Liam Whiting pulled a chair beside hers. “Mind if I join you?”

  Shoulders relaxed, she eased back in her chair. “Plenty of room.”

  Liam tipped his head back as well. “Look at that sky.”

  “I know. Warm weather’s coming.”

  “I’ll have to work harder at fishing. They’ll all go to the bottom, looking for the cooler temps.”

  “What a hard life you lead,” she teased.

  He smiled back and she noticed, for the first time, how his eyes crinkled with age—and wisdom. Dr. Whiting might wear the youthful air of a hip college professor—all worn jeans and tweed blazers—but his eyes betrayed him. Loneliness plagued him too.

  “You talked to Louisa today?” The question lost its innocence when he said Lou’s name, a breath of a sigh on the soft syllables.

  “No, but Cora Anne called. Said the surgeon came by and was pleased with how he looked. Might let him come home early as tomorrow.”

  “That’s good then.” He swung his beer by the bottle’s neck, arm hanging down, still pretending.

  Grace offered what she could, even though she knew the words would chaff. “I’ve known Louisa a long time. She can be slow to make up her mind, but when she does, there’s usually no going back.”

  He waited. She figured he wanted to hear the words—permission to let this hope dissipate. “She loves David. Always has. Even my husband saw it when she couldn’t.”

  “Tell me about him.”

  “David?”

  “No.” Liam drained the bottle. “Patrick. He’s a legend. Tell me why.”

  She laughed. “He’s no legend. Just a man who loved his place in this world, once he found it.”

  “Not Charleston.”

  “Not his mother’s Charleston.”

  “Ah.” Pushing fingers through hair grown long over his collar and sprinkled liberally with salty gray, Liam sighed. “How’d you meet him?”

  “Waiting tables at the Dockside. Summer after he and Lou broke up. When he was still nursing those wounds, I was his rebound. And then,” she splayed her hands across her knees and let the moonlight glint off the ring she’d never removed. “I was his wife.”

  “Must’ve been more than a rebound then.”

  “Sometimes we go looking for what we think we want.” She lifted her face to the stars, thinking of Pat’s impish grin. “When what we need is sitting right beside us all along.”

  Chapter 54

  “Figured you’d need this.” The morning after Cole’s surgery, David appeared right as the clock registered seven. He handed her a large cup of coffee.

  “Thanks.” There was a cheese Danish in a paper bag, too. Lou lifted the corner of her mouth in a half-smile. He hadn’t forgotten.

  “May I?” He gestured to her makeshift bed and she scooted over to make room. “How’d he do last night?”

  “All right. They kept the pain meds in him, right on schedule.”

  His shoulder pressed against hers. There were shadows beneath his eyes and he’d skipped the razor that morning. The stubble coming in on his cheek and chin made him roguish, despite its silvery color. He tipped back his head and closed his eyes, as if to catch a few more moments of rest. “Cora Anne has the boys. Taking them to school. Then she said something about the florist.”

  Lou gasped. “Is that today?”

  “I don’t know.” David kept his eyes closed, and his voice slurred.

  He was really falling asleep? She scooted off the couch and retrieved the calendar from her purse. Yes, meeting with the florist at ten that morning. She’d never make it. The tears came sudden—too quickly for her to stop them. Shoulders rounding she dropped back to the couch, trying to quiet the sobs she didn’t understand.

  David slid his arm around her waist and pulled her to him. She doubled over in his lap, felt him slip the coffee from her trembling fingers, as the frustration and fear and fatigue wracked her body. He kneaded his fingers beneath her hair, saying nothing, letting her muffle her cries so she wouldn’t wake Cole. When the wave finally subsided, she lay limp, stretched across David, more intimate than they’d been in years, even in the ones leading up to the divorce.

  She finally spoke the words plaguing her all the time. “I can’t be everything for everyone.”

  “You’re not supposed to be.”

  “I promised her I’d go to all the meetings, be involved.”

  “She understands you need to be here.”

  Lou sat up, pushing damp strands of hair from her face. “She didn’t before.”

  “She was a kid, then. Now she’s an adult.” David took her hand, squeezed it in his. “Lou … I can help. With everything.”

  She wanted to believe him. “I’m a mess.” She slid her hand free, straightened her shirt.

  David smoothed a hand over her hair. “Not to me.”

  His words curled around her like a warm blanket and she wanted to sink into them—into him—and believe they could simply step back in time and undo a long tangled history of regrets.

  But maybe, instead, she could try going forward without dragging along the past. “What if I go to the florist and you stay here?”

  His hand moved to cup her chin. “You’re going to trust me?”

  She moistened her lips. “I’m going to try.” This time she embraced the way her grounding shifted, and she moved with it.

  A gentle whisper of her lips against his. A banked ember flickering back to life. He tasted of coffee and spearmint, of the past and the future. And he leaned into her, hands cradling her face. The moment, slow and quiet.

  A knock sounded. They broke apart. Trembles cascaded down Lou’s body.

  Dr. Woods stuck his head in the door. “Good morning. Let’s see how he’s doing.”

  Lou stood, pushing her hair behind her ears. “Just a minute, please.” She ducked into the tiny bathroom and splashed water on her face. They hadn’t kissed like that—

  She couldn’t remember the last time kissing him had felt like coming home. Like everything in the world was right and true and good and easy. Lou gripped the edge of the sink. Nothing wa
s that way anymore. She needed to remember reality, not be caught in a net of emotions.

  When she returned, David bent over Cole’s bed, easing him awake. Dr. Woods prodded Cole’s fingertips. “Circulation looks good. How are you feeling?”

  “Horrible.” Cole moaned. “The food here is terrible and this bed is the worst.”

  Dr. Woods chuckled. “All right then, I’d say we’re ready to go home.” He nodded at Lou and David. “I’ll send the nurse in with discharge instructions and orders. You’ll want to go ahead and get those prescriptions filled, and we’ll set up an appointment for next week. Main thing is rest, let the body heal itself.” He patted Cole’s other shoulder. “Always does, you know, given enough time.”

  “How long until I can play?”

  Dr. Woods looked between Lou and David, who pressed a fist to his mouth and turned away. The doctor sighed. “Cole, it will be awhile. That’s the best I can tell you.”

  “You’re saying I may not be able to play ball again?” Cole’s words lisped like when he’d been four and needed speech therapy. It was the L’s that got him, turning ball into bawl. Lou wanted to bawl herself as her son’s eyes swam with tears. David might have been right.

  “We’re just going to take it slow.” She sat beside him, away from the configuration holding his arm in place, willing David to pull himself together.

  He turned back, nudged her aside. She relinquished her place, knowing he was who Cole needed. “We’ll see, son. Let that bone heal on up, rest, do the physical therapy. Never know what’s going to happen.” He laid his hand on Cole’s chest, and it rose and fell with their son’s heaving breaths.

  “But Daddy,” rarely did their boys slip back into that endearment, “I’m a pitcher.” His voice pitched too, on that word. Dr. Woods slipped out. David bent over Cole, holding him as he wept. Lou wrapped arms around them both.

  She no longer wanted to tell Cole it was just a game. That there would be other opportunities. David’s bad knee—the one he had stretched out as they sat together—told another story. One accident and he’d become a coach instead of a player, changing the whole trajectory of his life.

  Sending him careening straight into her.

  Pulling back from the embrace, she rested her hands on his shoulders as he comforted their boy. Hoping he could feel in her touch the same understanding she’d felt only a few moments ago when he grazed her lips.

  And despite the way his mouth still molded to hers, the way her body seemed made to fit his, she knew. The might-have-been lingered in his every day.

  Just not with the same bitterness she’d let steep in her.

  Chapter 55

  “Hey, someone order a pizza?” Tennessee waltzed through the door, box in hand, Cora Anne behind him holding a spring mix of flowers David couldn’t even pretend to name.

  “I hope those flowers are for Mom and the pizza’s for me.” Cole tried straightening up in the bed but fell back wincing. David reached behind and tugged him up.

  “Do you think I’d waste tulips on you?” Cora Anne dropped a kiss on his forehead that he promptly wiped off.

  “Please tell me there’s olives and sausage.”

  “Pepperoni and banana peppers too.” Tennessee set the pizza on the side table and swung it under Cole’s nose. “Happy now?”

  He inhaled like it was his last meal. “If I didn’t already have two brothers you’d be my favorite.”

  Tennessee laughed and leaned against the wall between the machines. “Guess I better up my game. Brought the pizza for us men so your sister can get your mom out of here for a while.”

  Lou had her nose in the bouquet, breathing deep, and David knew she was ready to eradicate the hospital smell—and all its memories—from her mind. He hugged his daughter to his side. “A rescue, huh? She’s probably got a good hour before they’ll let him go home.”

  “Probably more the way this place works.” Lou set the flowers on the windowsill. “How was the planning?” She hadn’t made it after all, but David had been right. Cora Anne understood.

  “Easy peasy. I kept my mouth shut and let Hannah and Aunt Caro do all the talking.”

  Lou’s worry crease came back. “Are you getting what you want?”

  “Absolutely. We had some parameters.” Cora Anne giggled and Tennessee’s baritone chuckle joined in, their voices a medley of joy David never imagined he’d hear. No wonder he was crazy enough to think he and Lou could try again, after seeing what time had given his daughter.

  “Come on, Mama.” She took her mother’s hand. “Get your purse. We’ll go around the corner to that little place Hannah likes and I’ll tell you all about it.” Cora Anne blew a flirty kiss to her fiancée and David glanced away when Tennessee’s cheeks reddened. His daughter was the only person who ruffled that man’s feathers.

  “Gross,” said Cole. “Can I have my pizza now?”

  Tennessee passed out slices on paper towels. “I’ll get us some drinks from the machine. What do y’all want?”

  “Mountain Dew?” Cole raised hopeful eyebrows at David.

  “Don’t tell your mother.” He stood. “I’ll come with you. See what my options are.”

  “How’s he really doing?” Tennessee asked soon as they were out the door.

  David sighed. “We’ll have to wait and see how the arm heals.”

  “I’m so sorry.” This man who would be his other son clapped him on the shoulder like a brother. “I should’ve checked that tree. Mrs. Annie had been worried about it before. Said it was like a magnet for lightning strikes.”

  “Pretty sure Lou’s daddy hung that swing for Jimmy. Between him, storms, and the triplets, that old tree was bound to give out sometime.” David crossed his arms and studied the machine’s offerings. All Pepsi. Sometimes he really missed Atlanta.

  “How’s she holding up?”

  He punched the button for Cole’s Mountain Dew, wishing he had something besides a vending machine to hit. “She’s Louisa. Tough as nails.”

  “Sharp as nails, too, I imagine.” Tennessee reached around him to feed the machine more quarters. “Like mother like daughter.” He frowned, and for a moment, David saw Patrick—and the steel set of his jaw that day in another hospital waiting room when he’d offered his blessing. “Can I ask you something?”

  He nodded, wary. No one should ask him for relationship advice.

  “You think you and Lou will get back together? I’m only asking because your daughter’s putting all her hopes on it, and if she’s going to get crushed again, I’d like to know.”

  David crossed his arms. “Doesn’t make it your business.”

  Tennessee cocked a brow. This was his business—and Cora Anne’s—and David knew that. He blew out a breath and punched the machine again. This time root beer bore the brunt.

  “I’m doing all I can. Can’t control Lou’s reactions.” He gripped the cold bottle. He could shake it and watch it spew, the way he wanted to release months’ worth of pent up frustration. Maybe then he could breathe past the tightness in his chest every time he thought he’d missed his chance to make things right.

  Tennessee took the bottle from him. “I figure, can’t control anyone but yourself. But if you want to hit something again, I got a few more quarters.”

  How this kid managed to make him grin, even with his fury still flickering, was a mystery. Actually, a gift. David took the offered change. “Thanks.”

  Another bottle of Mountain Dew later and he felt a little calmer. They fell into step headed back to the room. “I’m trying hard as I can, you know.”

  “Nah,” Tennessee chuckled. “My mother always says you can never try too hard to make a woman happy.”

  David stopped mid-stride. Maybe it really was that simple. His phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, squinting at the unknown number. “Hello?”

  The gravelly voice on the other end spoke slowly.

  David held up a finger for Tennessee to wait. “All right then, we’ll take her. Yes
, will pick them both up tomorrow. Check all right?”

  Tennessee crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, watching him. David grinned as he pocketed the cell. “What did you say about making a woman happy? Because I think I just hit the jackpot.”

  “With what?”

  “A little something for her to love. I’ll tell you and Cole together, but you have to keep a secret.” David clapped him on the back as they went into the room. “I seem to remember you’re good at that.”

  But in Cole’s hospital room, he found his son listless, picking at his pizza rather than inhaling it in three bites. David removed the tray and leaned over him. “You all right?”

  Cole shrugged and looked at Tennessee. Thirteen years old and he didn’t want his future brother-in-law to see him cry. David got that.

  So did Tennessee. “Hey, I’m going to go check out the cafeteria. I like to wash my pizza down with ice cream, personally.”

  That drew a slight grin from Cole and a request for Rocky Road. When Tennessee left, he let his head fall back on the pillow, tears leaking from his eyes. “I’m scared, Dad. What if I can’t play again?”

  David flexed his knee. “We’ll figure it out. You’re young and medical breakthroughs happen all the time.”

  The afternoon sun dipped and came flickering through the blinds, pooling on the bed. Cole agitated, flinching when the movement shifted his arm.

  “Hang on.” David twisted the blinds closed and shadows filled the room. A chill trickled down the back of his neck. He went to Cole and stroked back his hair, the skin hot to his touch.

  Punching the nurse’s button, he kept his voice calm. “Cole, listen to me. Do you feel okay?”

  “Just cold …” He mumbled, chin nodding toward his chest.

  This wasn’t happening. They were having pizza and going home and fixing everything. He could make their life good again. He could. David pressed his thumb into the nurse’s call button and held it.

  A moment later Judy, Lou’s favorite, poked her head in the door. “What’s wrong?”