Chapter 30

Thirty

Everett

I t’s a dreary day, the rain pattering against the window as I sit beside my mom’s hospital bed. My eyes burn from exhaustion. I’m hoping I’m able to get a decent night’s sleep tonight, now that I know she’s going to be okay.

My father couldn’t have been more vague when he called me Saturday night, and then by the time I got packed and was sitting at the airport, he wasn’t responding to my messages, so I had no clue what I was walking in on when I touched down in Seattle. Most of yesterday was spent waiting for my mom to get out of surgery, and then waiting some more for her to come out of anesthesia.

She’s sleeping right now, and my dad left early this morning to go to the office. Apparently, not even his wife in the hospital is enough for him to take a personal day. I’m trying to not let it get to me, but I’ve been agitated and on edge all day. Looking at the clock on the wall, I decide to step out and call Gemma. She’s been checking in, and I just haven’t had the time to give her a full update.

Out in the hall, there’s a small waiting room at the end that’s mostly empty. Taking a seat on one of the chairs that overlooks the city, I pull out my phone and hit call on her contact. With the time difference, it’s almost seven there.

Thankfully, it only rings a couple of times before her sweet voice comes through the speaker.

“Hey, you,” she says softly, making my heart beat a little faster.

“Hey,” I breathe out, feeling my shoulders relax.

“How are you holding up?”

“I’m all right. Exhausted, but good.”

“And your mom?”

I like how I can tell she genuinely wants to know; she isn’t asking just to be nice.

“She’s good,” I reply, scrubbing a hand down my face. “She’s sleeping right now, but she was awake earlier today and doing well.”

“Did you ever find out what happened?”

“Yeah, once she finally woke up after surgery.” I release a heavy sigh. My dad wasn’t at home when it happened, so he had no clue, which was more than a little frustrating. “I guess she was leaving the house for her evening walk, but the concrete steps leading down to the road were slick because it had just rained. She lost her footing and fell down the six or seven steps there are. She bruised her tailbone pretty badly, and broke her wrist trying to catch herself.”

“Shit,” Gemma breathes out. “I’m so glad she didn’t hit her head or get more seriously injured. ”

“I know, she’s lucky. She’ll have some gnarly bruising for a while, but she should be able to go home tomorrow. The doctors just wanted to be able to keep an eye on her for a full twenty-four hours after the surgery.”

“What a relief. Do you have family there with you?”

“Not at the moment,” I explain. “My mom’s sister lives in Portland; she’ll be here in the morning, and my dad is at work.”

The line is quiet for a moment. “He’s at work?” Gemma parrots.

“Yeah, has been since this morning. Apparently, there were pressing matters.”

“Well, I guess people handle their stress in all different ways,” she offers. “How has it been being around him?”

“Fine. No different than any other time we’ve been in the same place. I wish he’d put work aside for once and be here for his wife, but he is who he is.”

I find myself, not for the first time, wishing Gemma were here. Getting to hold her in my arms, breathe in her scent, even just see her, would probably do wonders at easing this tension inside of me. I’m coiled tight, and I have been since I got the call from my dad. It’s not lost on me that the conversation we had that night went completely unresolved. For valid reasons, of course. But it’s still frustrating to not know where she stands.

Not that right now is the right time to pick it back up again.

“I’m sorry he’s not there,” she says. “I can’t imagine how aggravating that must be for you. But I’m glad that you were able to fly up there and be with her. I’m sure that means a lot to her. ”

Chuckling at remembering my mom’s surprised expression yesterday when she woke up and saw me sitting beside her bed. “Yeah, she’s happy to have me here.”

“Do you know how long you can stay?”

“I’m staying the week,” I tell her. “The district was able to find a sub for this week pretty easily, but it seemed like anything more than that would be a challenge. And staying the week should be more than enough. Aside from being sore and having her wrist in a brace for a while, she should be able to move around on her own okay. Plus, her sister will be here for a few weeks too.”

There’s a muffled voice in the background, and a smile tugs on my lips knowing it’s probably Sutton. Fuck, I miss them. It’s only been two days, and I’m already itching to be near them.

“Yeah, it’s Everett,” Gemma says before she giggles. “Sutton says hi, and he hopes your mom feels better.”

My chest warms. “Tell him I said hi, too, and thank you.”

She recites it back to him, and I hear him ask if he can talk to me. “Hold, please,” she murmurs.

“Everett!”

“Hey, buddy. How’s it going?”

“Guess what?”

“What?”

“Uncle Ethan took me and Beau to the same batting cages you took me to tonight!”

“Yeah? How’d that go?”

He laughs nervously. “I was a little scared again at first, like I was with you, but after I got over that, I hit almost every ball!”

A smile splits my face. “That’s what I’m talking about! Good job, buddy. I’m so proud of you.”

“I hit more balls than Beau did too,” he adds, and I can’t help but laugh.

“That’s amazing, Sutton.”

“Will you take me when you get back?” He pauses before adding, “You’ll be back, right?”

The question makes my throat tight. “Of course, I’ll be back, and I cannot wait to go back to the batting cages with you so you can show me your skills.”

We say our goodbyes, and Sutton passes the phone back to his mom. “You just made his whole day,” she says with a laugh.

“Talking to you two made my whole day,” I admit easily.

“I’m here if you need to vent or get your mind off stuff later. I hope you know that.” The sincerity in her tone makes my throat tight.

“Thank you, Gemma. Truly.” I pause, smiling, as I remember something I wanted to tell her. “Oh, guess what I did on the flight here.”

“Uh, slept?” she offers with a small laugh.

Chuckling, I say, “No. I wish I could sleep on planes. I read this new book I had recently picked up at a bookstore you may know of… A Book to Remember.

“Oh, god,” Gemma groans, but I can hear the smile in her tone as well. “It was one of mine, wasn’t it?”

“What a good guess,” I tease. “As a matter of fact, yes, it was a Gemma Astor novel.”

“Which one did you get?”

“Free Heart . ”

“Aw, Daisy and Wyatt. They’re so special.” There’s love in her voice, like she’s talking about Sutton or one of her sisters. It makes me smile. “What part are you at?”

“I finished the stable scene.” My body heats remembering it. “God, that was hot.”

Gemma laughs, and it’s like music to my ears.

“You’re a little sneaky, aren’t you?” she drawls, and in my mind, I can picture her perfectly. The way she’d be trying to bite back a grin, the glimmer in her eyes, and the way I’d want to pull her into me as I told her how proud of her I am.

But since I’m on the other side of the country, over the phone will have to do.

“It’s an amazing book, Gem,” I tell her honestly. “You’re an incredible writer and should be proud of yourself. I know I am.”

She groans again, and I picture her covering her face with her hand. The pink that would stain her cheeks.

“I’m serious,” I go on. “I’m impressed, and can’t wait to get back to it tonight.”

“Well, thank you,” she says softly. There’s a beat of silence, but it’s not awkward. It’s… comfortable. Finally, she murmurs, “I’ll let you get back to your mom, but don’t hesitate to reach out again. I mean it.”

Hanging up, it feels like some of the weight on my shoulders has dissipated. Like hearing her voice, getting to talk to Sutton about baseball, they helped me feel even a little bit better. As I head back to my mom’s room, my heart stalls and annoyance flares as I run into my dad before I can get back inside.

“Where were you coming from?” he asks as he catches sight of me.

“Just making a call,” I reply, voice clipped. “Good day at the office?”

I can’t even hide the frustration in my tone, and he clocks it, rolling his eyes. “Don’t even start with me, Everett. I’ve had a long day, and I don’t need your shit.”

The vein in my neck throbs, and I grind down on my molars. “You should’ve taken the day off to be here with your wife. Would it kill you to take some time off for your family?”

His eyes narrow into thin slits as they take me in, sharp jaw flexing. “I’m aware you don’t understand the importance of showing up for your obligations, Everett, since you’ve spent your entire life going against those said obligations, but don’t you dare come here and rag on me for shit you know nothing about.”

“I have plenty of obligations,” I spit out. “They’re just not the ones you wanted from me, and I’m done making apologies for that. If you would care to ask at all, you would know that I’m very happy with my life in Blossom Beach. I love my job and my students, and I’ve even met somebody who makes me very happy. Do you care at all about your only child’s happiness, Dad? Or do you only care about the fact that I didn’t follow in your precious footsteps?”

“I don’t have time to do this childish arguing with you, Everett. Save it for somebody who cares.”

And with that, he leaves me standing there, the wind knocked out of me as he waltzes into my mother’s room. It stings, hearing him admit he doesn’t care. I’ve always known it, but he’s never said as much. It’s going to be a long week, but I guess if there’s one silver lining in the whole situation, it’s that my father will be working every single day this week, so at least for most of the time I’m here, I won’t have to see or deal with him.

I haven’t been back in Seattle for long, but it hits me how much it doesn’t feel like home anymore. When I think about home, Blossom Beach comes to mind, and I’m not exactly sure when the switch happened, but I can’t wait to get back.