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When we arrive at the rehab center that’s about twenty minutes from Ivy Ridge, Andrew heads inside, leaving me in my car. We drove my car so Gramps wouldn’t have to try and climb up into Andrew’s truck. A few minutes later, Andrew pushes Gramps in his wheelchair out the set of automatic double doors.
Gramps has a scowl on his face, but he looks good. There’s a small divot on the top of his head where they removed the piece of his skull. Thankfully, he’s slowly starting to gain back the weight he lost while in the hospital. He’s part of a rigorous physical therapy program, and it seems to be working.
He’ll go back to the hospital in a few weeks for an outpatient procedure to replace the piece of skull, and then from there, it’s back to the rehab facility. He’s already ready to go back to his small apartment, but it’s going to take some time for him to be strong enough to do so.
It’s still hard on Andrew, seeing his grandpa like this, but he’s adjusting to it as well.
I get out of the car when they get closer, leaving my door open for Gramps to sit in the passenger seat. “Hey, Gramps,” I say. I lean forward, giving him a quick hug.
He gives me a shaky armed squeeze in return, his gruff voice in my ear. “Hi there Cindy. How’s life?”
“Life’s good, Gramps.” Andrew and I assist him into the car. It’s not too difficult, though he is still moving pretty slow.
Andrew starts folding his wheelchair to put in the trunk, but he stops, leaning down to kiss me softly.
“What was that for?” I ask.
He shrugs. “‘Cause I love you.”
I can’t help but smile. “I love you too.”
As always, the Cunningham's and Bell’s driveways are both packed full of cars.They left a spot open for us, so we could get Gramps in and out easier. Andrew and I get him out and up to the front door, and it flies open before we can even think about knocking.
Lennie stands in front of the door, her long brown hair in a pony on top of her head. She’s breathing heavily, as if she sprinted to get to the door. In a pair of jean shorts and a Disney Princess tee, she looks cute as a button.
“Gwamps!” she yells. He doesn’t even have time to say anything when she’s climbing in his lap, throwing her arms around his neck in a big hug.
“Hey, sunshine,” Gramps says, squeezing her tightly. She starts babbling nonsense, talking so fast none of us can quite understand her. Marley comes to the door next.
“Lennie, let’s let Gramps get in the door, huh?” She gently pulls her off Gramps, and Andrew adjusts the wheelchair to make it over the lip of the door. We kick off our shoes, and head into the dining room, wheeling Gramps with us. Marley sets Lennie down, so she’s walking beside the wheelchair, talking. Gramps listens intently, nodding and humming in all the right places.
The dining room smells of cinnamon, a small glimpse of what might be for brunch today. Nikki’s in the kitchen, her canary yellow apron dusted with flour. “Hey guys, the rolls will be ready in five minutes,” she calls.
“You better have bacon, Nicole,” Gramps says.
“What kind of daughter-in-law would I be if I didn’t have bacon for you?” Nikki teases. She sidesteps the kitchen counter, holding her flour covered hands up. She leans down, kissing him on the cheek. “Good to have you back.”
“Good to be back,” he replies, his voice thick with emotion.
We settle him in at the table, then Andrew, Marley and I go off in search of the rest of the siblings. Beau, Jason and Thomas are settled around the patio table on the back deck. Beau is the first to speak. “Josie, I’m not pressuring you, but do you have a timeline on when you might open up a storefront?”
I shrug. “To be honest, I haven’t thought of it all that much. It’s probably going to be another year though. If I have a storefront, I’d have to hire at least one or two full time employees, and that’s not in my budget quite yet. Why do you ask?”
Beau nods thoughtfully along with my words. He pushes some hair off his face, displaying the array of tattoos on his forearm. “Nothing concrete, but I think there’s a really awesome listing coming on the market soon, and it could be perfect for you.”
I try my hardest not to get too excited, but the thought of having my own location, not just the garage of my house, makes my heart pound. I could have employees running the front, while I’m in the back, making arrangements, having client meetings for events, and a dedicated office. It’s tempting, but I’m not there yet. I only left the diner and became a full time florist a month ago, so this feels like a pretty steep jump.
“Did I mention it’s next door to Mar’s new studio?” Beau adds, and that’s it. I’m about ready to hand him my checkbook, and sell a kidney to make this happen. Marley catches my eye, a wide grin on her face as she too, thinks of the possibilities.
Andrew chuckles. “I think you might have gotten her there, Beau.”
“You kinda did. Do you have any photos?” I ask.
Beau grabs his phone from the table. He opens it, swiping a few times before landing on a website, filled with photos of the location. He morphs into realtor mode, telling me all the specs and information I need to know. As I swipe through pictures of the beautiful brick building, ideas start to bud in the back of my mind. I shove the phone back at Beau.
“It’s perfect, but… I can’t do it, not yet. And there’s no way a property like that will stay on the market for long.” I mentally try to think it over, but there’s no way. I can’t afford a mortgage, a property payment, and continue to pay Kenzy, whom I desperately need. My excitement deflates, and Marley gives me a sad shrug.
“I get it,” Marley says. “Who knows, maybe there’s a chance it stays on the market, and we can be neighbors.”
