Chapter 14

Skye

I couldn’t have had a more perfect day if I’d tried. This is definitely a breeze compared to what I was doing at the cafe. Coffee making just isn’t my forte.

Geraldine runs some errands in town and I get a little more acquainted where everything is situated. Not that the quaint little town is hard to navigate, but I’ve never had a need to go to the post office — or the school — and places like that when I’ve visited Gran and Gramps.

We dropped Trinity off, and I met her teachers.

“Trinity seems like a great kid,” I say, as we’re en-route to the grocery store to grab a few things from her list of things to do. I recall in the job description he emailed me detailed a few points about running errands and a few light house duties with meal prep for Trinity as needed.

I don’t have any problem with any of it, I’m happy to help out.

“She really is a sweetie,” Geraldine agrees. “You won’t have too many issues. Trust me, she’s a good kid. Gabriel has done an excellent job this far. His family has helped out a lot, it wasn’t easy.”

“Gran told me about his past,” I say. “What a terrible thing to have happened.”

“And for the mother to never be in contact all these years?” she tuts. “It’s unfathomable.”

“It sure is. Do you and Hank have kids?” I ask.

“Yes, a son, Peter, and a daughter, Phoebe. They both live in Nashville. My daughter gave birth last year, so we have a gorgeous little granddaughter, too.”

“That’s so sweet Geraldine, what’s your granddaughter’s name?”

“Evelyn, she’s just an angel.”

“It’s good timing then. With taking a step back into retirement, hopefully you’ll get to spend some more time with your granddaughter.”

“That’s the plan.” Geraldine beams and she parks her car outside the grocery store.

It does feel a little strange shopping for Gabriel, but I guess he’s a busy guy and can’t always get to these things himself. I also get the impression Geraldine probably does more for him than what she needs to. “What about you? Any kids or anyone special?”

“Sadly, no to both. I don’t have any children, or a boyfriend. But I’d love to settle down with the right guy. I’ve always wanted to have kids.”

“Well then, that’s what you must put out into the universe,” she says. “You have to visualize how you want things to be. That’s what I hear anyway every time I tune into one of those self-help videos on YouTube.”

I smile. I can’t imagine Geraldine watching YouTube videos, but there’s no judgment here.

“Kind of like visualizing your future before it’s happened?” I ask.

“Exactly like that! I said the same to my daughter when she was down on her luck and couldn’t find a nice man. I told her to write down all the characteristics she was looking for in a partner and all the things she wanted. Then you have to look at your list each day and feel as though it’s already yours. Visualize that perfect person.”

“Interesting. Sounds like it worked for her?”

“It did. Four months later, she met a great guy, Chase. And they’ve been happy for over two years now, and welcomed their little darling last year.”

“That’s so sweet, Geraldine. Does Hank love being a Grandpa?”

“Ha! He adores it.” She claps her hands together. “We want to make the trip more often now that we’re retiring; after our vacation, anyway. And Phoebe and Chase will come visit more now we haven’t got work in the way. I’m excited to see Evelyn on a more frequent basis. They grow up so fast.”

“That must be a good feeling.”

“It is. I just wanted to get Gabriel sorted out first. I didn’t want to leave him stranded. He’s been very good to me over the years. I used to teach at Stoney Creek Elementary School back in my heyday. But I cut back a few years ago and started doing nanny jobs and after-school care.”

“It’s the best.” I was telling her about my studies when we were dropping Trinity off, and my change from nursing into teaching.

“From what I can already tell — and I have an affinity for these things, Skye—I think you can achieve anything you set your mind to.”

I smile. “Thank you, that’s so sweet. I guess it helps Gabriel out for another month or two until I head back to North Carolina.”

“That’s if you decide to return.” She gives me a wink.

I have thought about being closer to my grandparents, especially since they’re not getting any younger. It’s still not that far from my parents. I don’t know if Mom and Dad will move back to Stoney when Dad retires. We’ve never really spoken about it. But now Travis is here, and he’s made it clear he’s going to be putting down some roots and eventually buy some property. Maybe they would consider it too.

I love this little place. I always have. It always has such a friendly vibe where everyone tries to help each other like a real community. But I have an amazing job opportunity and it’s in the field I love.

“Stranger things have happened.” I smile as we walk into the grocery store.

She only has a small list, and it’s just the basics; bread and milk, paper towels, toothpaste — that kind of thing.

“So Gabriel has been on his own this whole time?” I ask on the walk back to the car after we’ve finished with his grocery shopping. Geraldine says hello to several people on the short trip.

“Yes, sadly, there hasn’t been anyone special over the years. He’s never had a woman over at the house. He threw everything into raising his daughter and his job after what happened with the ex.”

“Thank goodness he had Trinity and work to distract him from all of that.”

“He was in bad shape for a while there. I came along early on in the piece, when Trinity was just a baby. I guess one day she’ll know the lengths he went to ensuring she had everything she needed. He’s amazing, especially when you consider he was a first time father.”

“It takes something special,” I agree. I can’t even imagine how it must have felt for him to lose his wife and be left to figure out what to do with a baby. I have heard people say he can be difficult to deal with, but I can hardly blame him. It’s definitely an unusual situation.

We head back to Gabriel’s place, where she puts the groceries away and gives me a little tour of the house. She even has a little book with important points written in, like Gabriel’s parents’ contact information, which days Trinity goes to school and her other after-school activities. I can tell Geraldine is really going to miss things around here, as much as she’s looking forward to retirement.

“I usually head home for a couple of hours if there aren’t any errands I need to do for Gabe. I’m a bit of a mother hen. He’s very self-sufficient, but I have to admit that I tidy up, and do some laundry for him here and there.

“I certainly don’t mind doing that, as long as I’m not stepping on his toes.”

“I don’t think he’s going to oppose you doing a bit of laundry.” She smiles.

“I certainly wish someone would do some of mine.” I laugh.

Geraldine chuckles and tells me she’s heading home for lunch. “I’ll be picking up Trinity again today just so you can get the feel of school pickup. Let’s say we meet back here at two-thirty?”

“That sounds good.” I smile and we head our separate ways.

Just as Geraldine’s driving off and giving me a wave, I’m about to jump into the VW when Gabe’s car passes Geraldine’s and pulls into the driveway.

“Hey, I brought you guys some lunch,” he hollers out the window.

I close my door, walking over to his driver’s side. “Oh, thank you. That’s very thoughtful. You just missed Geraldine.”

I want to slap my forehead.That was obvious, seeing as he just drove past her.

Gabriel’s holding a paper bag with his suit jacket draped over one arm as he climbs out of his truck.

It sure has warmed up out here from this morning. Chilly mornings and perfect days; I can handle that.

“Verne at the bakery makes the best turkey sandwiches on rye that you’ve ever eaten,” he says.

“Sounds good to me.”

I follow him up the path to the front door as he pulls his keys out. “I do lock my doors, even though there’s not much crime around here,” he tells me. “Old habits die hard.”

I’m about to eat lunch with him? Should I have taken the turkey sandwich and gone back to my place until we collect Trinity?

Too late now…

He unlocks the door and pushes it open, gesturing for me to enter first. “How did the drop off go?” he asks.

“Excellent. Trinity is quite the little trooper. She loves going to school.”

“It was difficult at first. She was so attached to me,” he sighs. “But it didn’t take long for her to adjust and she loves her friends. She had a few separation nerves, but she looks forward to it now.”

“It must have been hard for you before she started school.” I follow him back into the kitchen, where he grabs two plates.

“Yes, it was. I was home a lot more. I took her with me to the office. There were a lot of times that I had no choice. My parents were life savers.”

I smile as he unloads the contents of the paper bag. “Thank you for bringing lunch. That was nice of you.”

“I thought it might be nice on your first day with us. I hope Geraldine isn’t overloading you with too much information. She can be a lot.”

“No, she’s been great,” I say. “We ran a few errands in town. She’s given me the skinny on everything.”

He chuckles. “Shit, I hope not.”

I don’t know why I suddenly feel self-conscious eating in front of him. “Mainly about the town itself.”

“Phew for that.” He passes me a plate with a turkey and lettuce sandwich, and I have to admit it does look good. We take a seat at the kitchen island.

Trinity’s drawing is still sitting there. And true to my word, I placed little Bunnykins in the lounge on top of a cushion, waiting for his owner to return.

“I see Bunnykins is having some quiet time.” He takes a bite of his sandwich and quirks an eyebrow.

“Well, I did promise.”

He laughs quietly. “You seem to have a knack with kids, Skye. It’s impressive.”

“Thank you. I really enjoy it.” I take a small bite.

“I can’t promise I’ll remember to bring you lunch every day, though.”

I laugh. “It’s fine. I would usually bring something, anyway. I was a bit pressed for time this morning. How are things going over at the distillery today?” Small talk seems like a safe subject.

“Business as usual.” He sighs like he has a lot on his plate. “Gray is expanding our imports. We currently ship to Canada and Mexico, but we want to branch out over Europe and Australia. It’s an exciting time for the brand, but it means a lot more for production; that’s Brooklyn’s side of things.”

“It’s great how you all work together. I’m quite sure I couldn’t work with Travis. I love him and all, but I think we’d kill each other in the first five minutes.”

“Trust me, we all have our moments.”

“Have you always wanted to be involved in the business?”

“Yeah, we grew up here on the farm,” he says. “And I guess I saw everything my parents put into it, and my grandparents before them. I liked the fact it stayed within the family. They saw the potential long ago where everyone could benefit. Mom and Dad never forced any of us to be involved. We were free to do our own thing, and Gray did for a while when he was in Nashville. But I guess it just works in a quirky kind of way.”

“It’s a wonderful thing to see.” And I genuinely mean it. I don’t think many families could work together like they do. “Though I’m sure as you expand, it means more responsibility for you.”

“Exactly that,” he says. “And I’m all for it. I just wish I wasn’t juggling so much sometimes.”

“Do you do things outside work?”

“Like hobbies?”

“Yeah, something other than being a dad and a CEO.”

He rubs his chin for a moment, then shrugs and takes another bite. “Not really,” he eventually goes on. “This is my life. Other than catching up with my friends here and there. I’ve been called a workaholic many times. Do you think I should get a hobby?”

I smile, glad that he can be a little playful. He seems so serious most of the time.

“Maybe you should.”

“I could take up painting.” He picks up Trinity’s little drawing and studies it for a moment.

“I like how me and the nonexistent dog got drawn into it right away.”

He chuckles. “I know, right. She has it all mapped out. Oh, and now I remember that thing she said…”

I watch him as I keep eating my lunch. It really is the best sandwich ever — and I thought I was the queen of sandwiches. “Which thing?”

“The pretty eyes comment.”

He doesn’t look at me, but something about that statement gives me butterflies.

“Oh, that.”

“Yes, that, you know kids.”

Is that the explanation?Something about that makes me feel disappointed that he’s downplaying it. “I definitely do.”

There’s a long pause as we silently eat.

“So, you don’t think I have pretty eyes?” I can’t help but ask, glancing up at him after a few moments.

“I didn’t say that, exactly.”

I’m intrigued to know what he did say, though. “I’m sure I can keep up.”

He sighs softly. “I referred to you as ‘Miss Skye’ with pretty eyes. She kept saying sky like ‘the sky is blue’, so I said yes, the sky is blue. But Skye’s eyes are a pretty green. Words to that effect.”

I can’t help the smile that sweeps across my face. “That’s very sweet.”

“There’s that word again.” He chuckles. “I’ve been called many things in my time, but never that.”

“Maybe the women in Stoney Creek are a little out of touch?”

“It’s a possibility,” he chuckles. “But I might just be biased.”