Wrecked (Clayton Falls) (14 page)

Emily just smiled and got into the driver’s side. I hated that she was always the one who had to drive us everywhere. It’s hard to make a girl think you can take care of her when you can’t even pick her up. There was nothing I could do about it, so I’d have to find other ways to make up for it—even if I had to get creative.

“Where am I going?” She pulled out of the driveway.

“Turn here.” I led her through the directions to my parents’ house. It wasn’t too far away, and Noah seemed perfectly content playing with his toys in the backseat.

Emily parked in their driveway and looked up at the house. “Wow, pretty.”

I’d never really thought about it, but their house was nice. With a huge, wraparound porch on both levels, it kind of stood out. It was bigger than most of my friends’ houses, and when you add in the pool house I’d spent a few years living in, it was pretty cool. “Thanks.”

Mom had the door opened before I knocked. “Come in, come in.”

Emily had gotten to Noah before me because his seat was on her side, but he had reached out for me as we walked up the front steps. I was holding him when Mom opened the door. She got a kick out of it. She didn’t say it, but I could see it in her smile.

Emily held out her hand to Mom. “Hi, Mary. It’s nice to see you again.”

“It’s wonderful to see you too. And this must be Noah.”

Emily smiled. “That’s him.”

“He’s precious.” Mom patted his head.

“Thank you.”

“I pulled out some of the boys’ old toys.” Mom led the way into the den. She wasn’t kidding. There were all sorts of trucks, cars, and plastic dinosaurs on the carpet.

“You kept all of these?” I set Noah down. He went right over to a yellow dump truck.

“I knew we’d need them for grandchildren someday.”

“You must be excited that Molly’s pregnant.” Emily smiled. From what I gathered, she and Molly had hit it off. They’d even been talking on the phone a little. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it—but I knew it was probably a good thing.

“Very. It’s still months away, but we can hardly wait.”

“I bet. Are you hoping for a girl?”

Mom smiled. “It would be a nice change, but little boys are wonderful too.” She nodded toward Noah. “Jake mentioned that Noah spent the summer with his grandparents.”

Mom took a seat on the couch and gestured for Emily to sit next to her. I sat on a chair closer to Noah. He’d moved on from the truck and was currently pulling leaves off a plant.

Emily moved to stop him, but I took care of it. I tried to distract him with a T-Rex. It didn’t work until I added in the sound effects. He got a kick out of that and ended up balled up on the floor laughing.

Emily looked at me, and I just shrugged. “What? I’m kind of an expert on dinosaurs.”

She smiled and turned back to my mom. “Yes. I think he really liked it. It was nice that they got to spend more time with him, and I got to work some extra hours. But it was hard.”

“I’m sure.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mom turn to Emily. “It’s never easy to be away from your children.”

They started talking about kids, and I tuned them out. Watching Noah took all my attention. He’d been pretty timid at my place, but the kid wouldn’t stop now. He got up and ran into the kitchen. “I’ve got him,” I called, assuming Emily would want to follow him.

I stopped him just as he started to climb into a chair. “I’ve got you.” I picked him up and he leaned back. I figured out he wanted to be held upside down and swung. He made this high-pitched squeal so I assumed I was doing it right.

I heard my dad laugh and righted Noah.

“Is this Noah?” Dad asked. I guess Mom had told him his name.

“Yeah. He’s a handful.”

“A cute one though.” Dad ruffled his hair.

“Is he okay, Jake?” Emily called.

“He’s fine.” I put Noah down and he immediately raced back into the den. Dad and I followed.

Emily stood up when we entered. “Hi, Mark.”

“Hello, Emily. It’s nice to see you again.”

“Same to you.” She shook his hand, but she had her eyes on Noah as he once again went after the plant. I decided to just move the plant onto the book case. Noah pouted for a second but then went back to the trucks.

“You have a cute little guy.” Dad watched Noah with amusement.

“Thank you.” Emily beamed at Noah.

“So when are you two heading out?” Dad turned to me.

“Oh…anytime I guess.”

“Why don’t you go? I promise he’s in good hands.” Mom smiled.

“Are you sure?” Emily asked. “I really don’t want you to feel put out. He can be a lot of work.”

“Of course. It will be fun. We’re used to energetic little boys.”

“Okay. I have diapers and wipes in this bag.” She showed Mom where everything was. “And please call if you need me. Be good, sweetheart.” She gave Noah a huge hug.

“We’ll be fine. And don’t rush back. We’ll think you don’t trust us if you do.” Dad smiled. I could tell he liked Emily.

“So what’s the plan?” she asked as I led her out to her car.

I leaned over her, pushing her against the car gently. “I show you what you’ve been missing.”

“That’s a good plan.”

“I hoped you’d think so.”

***

We went to dinner at a pizza place in the square. It wasn’t anything fancy, but when I asked Emily what she was in the mood for, that’s what she wanted. We ordered a large sausage and pepper pizza to share.

“This is nice.” She looked around at the simple restaurant. “It’s got a cozy feel.”

“If you want cozy, we’ll have to go to Marney’s after this for coffee.”

“Marney’s?”

“It’s a little coffee shop a few stores down from here. It’s owned by this sweet old lady named Gail. You’ll love it.”

“Okay, sounds great.”

Before my accident, I would have suggested we go to the local bar, Gill’s, for a drink. It was still strange trying to get used to the idea that I didn’t drink anymore. I knew no one would stop me if I did, but I was still having a hard time wrapping my head around the reality that I almost died. I wasn’t stupid. I knew I had trouble with alcohol sometimes. I’d been a heavy drinker since high school, and it only got worse after I turned twenty-one and could get it legally.

“Did you have a part-time job in high school?” She pulled me out of my thoughts.

“I worked for my dad during off seasons. What brought up that question?”

She smiled. “My brother worked at a pizza place kind of like this.”

“Oh yeah? Did he like it?”

“Not really, but it was a college hang-out and he made good tips especially his senior year when he looked older than he was.”

I laughed. “Charming the college girls out of their money, huh?”

“Exactly. He played football too. You remind me a little of him.”

“Yeah? Is that a good or bad thing?”

“Good.” She took a bite of her pizza. “This is exactly what I was in the mood for.”

“I’m glad.”

“Would you mind calling your mom? I don’t want to seem like the paranoid parent, but I’d love to check on Noah.”

I smiled. “I’m sure he’s fine, but I’ll call.”

I paid, and we walked outside. I called my parents, and they assured me they were having a great time. The squeals in the background confirmed it. Satisfied that Noah was in good hands, Emily walked with me over to Marney’s café to meet Gail. I had a feeling the two would hit it off. Emily was smiling the moment we walked into the quaint shop. There was just something about that place that everyone loved.

“Hi, Jake.” Gail greeted us from behind the counter. She looked exactly the same as she always did, a sweet old lady with long, silver-gray hair.

“Hey, Gail. You haven’t met my girlfriend, Emily, yet, have you?”

Gail’s eyes lit up as they moved to Emily. “No, I haven’t had the pleasure yet. It’s nice to meet you, Emily.”

“Same to you. You have a lovely place here.” Emily was looking around at all the photos on the wall. I’d have to tell her that Molly had taken them.

“Thank you. Can I get you two anything?”

“Two coffees and,” I turned to Emily, “what kind of pie is your favorite?”

“Anything with fruit.”

“How about peach?” Gail suggested.

“That’s perfect.”

Gail pulled out the peach pie from the display case. “One slice or two?”

Emily answered for us. “One, we can share.”

I’m sure I could have eaten my own slice, but I liked the idea of sharing.

“Jake, why don’t you go find a table.” Gail wasn’t really asking a question. I knew exactly what she was doing.

“Sure.” I grinned and carried our pie over to an empty table. There was only one other couple in the whole place, so it wasn’t hard to find one. I watched Emily break into a smile as she talked to Gail. I hoped Gail was putting in a good word for me.

A few minutes later, they both walked over with our coffees.

Gail patted me on the shoulder. “You’ve got the real deal here, Jake. Don’t let her go.”

I looked over my shoulder at her. “I don’t plan on it.”

After a few weeks, I was finally getting used to working days again. I preferred nights, loving the quieter feel of the hospital, but those shifts weren’t possible with Noah at home. Mel had offered to take Noah one night a week so I could get an extra shift in, but I hated putting her out. She would never accept money from me, and she already did plenty of free babysitting.

When I first met Mel, I never expected her to be such a huge part of my life. She was the fast talking girl that wanted to be anywhere but in class. For some reason, she decided to befriend the pregnant girl. My mom came down for a few weeks to help when Noah was born, but she couldn’t take too much time off. Tim’s parents only came down to meet their grandson for a few hours before leaving. I pushed myself through those early weeks, telling myself Tim wouldn’t have been any help anyway. A few months later, he was dead. I don’t think I would have survived without Mel. She picked me up off the floor, helped take care of Noah, and reminded me that life went on. I owed her more than I could ever hope to repay.

I’d just settled into a movie with Mel when Jake called on a Thursday night. I was thrilled to be done working for the week, and picked up the second I saw his name flash across the screen. “Hey!”

“Hey yourself. You sound chipper.” He sounded just as happy as I did.

“I’m just glad to be done with work for a few days.”

“Usually you sound exhausted after work.”

“Yeah, but Mel’s here and we’re about to watch a girly movie.”

“Oh, I won’t interrupt the fun for too long then. I don’t have a game tomorrow night, and there’s something cool going on in town. Want to come down with Noah?”

“Sure. What time?”

“I’m running a practice until five. Would you rather come before or after dinner?”

“Maybe after. The sitter told me Noah’s been napping late all week, and then he wakes up really hungry.”

“Okay, that works. Just try to get here before seven.”

I laughed. “I think we can handle that. What’s going on tomorrow night exactly?”

“It’s a surprise. Have fun with Mel. I can’t wait to see you tomorrow.”

“Me either, I’m intrigued. Have a good night.” I placed my phone down on the coffee table.

“Heading to Clayton Falls tomorrow?” Mel asked, adjusting a throw blanket on her lap.

“Yeah. Jake says something’s going on in town, but it’s a surprise.”

“I thought you hated surprises.” She ate a handful of popcorn.

“I do.”

“You’re really into him. Like seriously into him.” She wasn’t asking a question.

“Yeah, I am.” If Mel only knew how hard I’d fallen. I could barely believe it myself.

***

“Are you guys ready for your surprise?” Jake picked Noah up and swung him around. It was fun watching them together. Jake seemed to be getting used to having a kid around, and Noah couldn’t get enough of him.

“Sure. You’ve had us in suspense for an entire day.” I slipped on a sweater and grabbed my bag.

“It’s a good surprise, I promise.” Jake carried Noah out to my car. I noticed he grabbed a few blankets on the way.

“Where am I heading?”

“Down toward the marina but then turn right.”

I followed his instructions until we pulled into a large field that was currently filling up with cars. A giant screen was set up a ways down.

“Is this a drive in?”

“They just reopened it. Tonight’s a special feature for kids.”

“What movie?”

“Finding Nemo.”

“Noah loves that movie.” It really was an awesome surprise.

“Great. Let’s grab some snacks and find a spot down front.”

“Yeah, I doubt Noah could see anything from the car.”

“If you want the real drive-in experience, we’ll have to come back alone.” He winked.

“I may take you up on that.”

“May? I promise I’d make it fun.”

Jake bought a huge tub of popcorn.

“Pop pop pop!” Noah bounced when he saw it. He’d been asking for it since Kelly gave him some at the football game.

“Let’s hope he doesn’t eat the whole container.”

Jake handed a few kernels to Noah. “Don’t worry. I’ll be eating most of it.”

I laughed. “You do that.”

We found a good spot and laid out a couple of blankets. Noah’s eyes lit up when the movie started. “Nemo!” He jumped up, and I had to pull him down into my lap so he wouldn’t annoy the people behind us.

Jake leaned back on his elbows. “I guess he does love this movie.”

“He does, and it’s one we don’t have.”

“Really? I’ll have to remember that.”

Somewhere around half-way through the movie, Noah fell asleep. It was his bedtime, so I decided not to wake him up.

“Do you want to head home?” Jake asked, taking my hand.

“I probably should get him to bed.”

“All right, let’s go.”

I pulled into his driveway. “This was a great surprise. Thanks for inviting us.”

“I’m glad you liked it.” He unbuckled his seatbelt and glanced behind him. Noah was still sound asleep. “I had a great time. I just wish we didn’t have to say good night.”

“I know… me either.”

“Not to push you in any way, but do you think you’d ever be comfortable having me stay over with Noah at home?”