I Run to You (20 page)

Setting in the worn out consultation room,
Coy had looked around at the place and wondered if the old building
was even up to code? He did not like changing doctors, but Doc
Taylor had aged. The strokes altered him too. While sitting there,
Doc having left the door open while he called the rehab place and
set up his appointment, Coy had heard Brook come in.

She had a conversation with Mrs. Taylor at
the reception desk. He heard the woman apologizing, explaining, and
then saying, “You can probably get on over there at the medical
center.”

Brook said, “I’ll think about it. I’ll keep
my license up, but don’t feel bad about the position. I honestly
don’t need the money. It’s just something I enjoyed doing. I’ve got
a part time at the Tavern, and other things going on.”

“I feel better knowing that, honey. I’m
awfully sorry.”

“Please don’t be.” He heard Brook laugh.
“There are a dozen people in town needing jobs to feed their
families, pay their bills. I’m a good self-starter. Maybe I’ll end
up doing something to create a few jobs rather than competing with
people who need them worse.”

“Well, now. That is just the thing, isn’t it?
Your mother married Mitch Coburn, didn’t she?”

“Yes.”

“That girl, Renee. She has made quite a
success of her little business. Maybe you could combine your
interests. I was a nurse years ago. But my mother ascribed to
holistic medicines, and even James credits combined
therapies—relaxation, meditation, everything that promotes
healing.”

“I’ll certainly keep an open mind, and I’m
sure everything will work out.”

They talked more, but Doc shuffled back in,
handing Coy a slip with the appointment date on it. He gave a few
last instructions about his knee and left. Before he did, Coy noted
the man’s tall leanness, the thicker glasses, pasty sagging skin,
and stiffer movements. Everyone was sympathetic towards the doc
being so dedicated. His wife, being so concerned.

Heading out, Coy had to stop by the desk to
pay his co-pay. He did that quickly and was only a few steps from
Brook, who was headed to her car.

He figured she’d recognized his truck, ignore
him, but he stepped out into a gravel lot, stole a look at her,
skimming over her hair and nice make up before she pushed her
glasses down. She had on an oatmeal hued dress and sandals.

Keys out, he got in his truck, started it.
She started her car.

He looked over when she looked over, but was
unable to see her eyes through the square tinted lenses.

Coy wondered what she was thinking for the
moments they did that. He knew what he was thinking, praying,
begging. He was doomed to keep guessing about Brook. Because she
was not likely to ever speak to him if she could help it.

Eventually she backed out. He did too. His
truck behind her car—until she pulled off toward her house, and he
headed on to Copper Creek.

He was having a normal day with Levi, the boy
in one room while he was working on the laptop.

“Grandma Ruby’s on the phone.”

Coy turned to Levi, taking the phone he held
out.

“Say yes,” his son called out, dashing back
into the den.

Smiling, Coy answered, “Hey?”

“Are you playing at the Tavern this
weekend?”

“Yeah, planned to.”

“Well. I’m taking the kids to a matinee on
Saturday, the park afterwards, and usual stuff. I thought I’d pick
up Levi Friday, after school, get him back to you on Sunday
afternoon?”

“Sounds fine.”

“Good. I think Jude said he and Mitch are
playing somewhere with Lee and Deege and the rest?”

“Yeah, they were scheduled for the Tavern.
But were asked to do a set at the fiddler’s convention. It’ll help
them network, and pass the word about the Mill, and hopefully get
people interested.”

“It’s coming along. Jason got the wiring
done, I heard?”

“Yep. With good weather, it could open in
June.”

“Great. Madeline and I, some of the others
have been working on the logo. When you get time, come give us your
input.”

“I’m sure y’all will do fine,” he assured.
“I’m just going to sell the venue and drum up acts for the
shows.”

After a moment she said, “Are you okay, after
the talk and all?”

“Yeah. Just answering as he asks.”

“Tough.”

“Sure as hell don’t think of this stuff when
you’re eighteen,” he murmured.

“No.” She waited a beat. “You’ve done well,
Coy.”

“Coming from you, that means a lot.”

“I’m sorry. It is different, you know. Your
loyalties lie with your friends.”

“I totally understood—after I got my head
straight . . . Thanks too. For what you have done with Levi. He’s
crazy about you and Dad.”

“I love him to pieces. And I’m even kind of
partial to you.”

Grinning crookedly, he went outside and
leaned his elbows on the deck rail, looking down at the water.
“That’s good to know.”

“Are you going to take that job offer,
announcing the local football and basketball games?”

“Probably.” He supplied, “I’ve not had time
to think of anything. I’m hoping the new place in Brownsville will
sign that medical release.”

“Don’t rush that. You’re lucky you can
walk.”

“Jeez you sound like a Mom.”

She laughed. “I am. Anyway, who are you
dating?”

“Where’d that come from?”

“Comes from—Brook may always be your past and
not your present.”

Coy watched a ripple as insects tapped on the
water. “I’ve dated.”

“Hmmm. Is that a Jason kind of dating,
or—”

“It is what it is, Ruby. I had a conversation
with Levi. It made me realize I can’t just bring anyone into our
lives.”

“You have grown up.”

“Getting there, anyway.”

“Okay, so I’m done prying, I can tell you’re
in a brood.”

Mentally Coy shook his head. “I’ll drop off
some clothing and stuff for Levi Friday morning.”

“K. Till then.”

He clicked off and went inside.

“Did you say yes?” Levi whirled from the
TV.

“Yes.”

“Great!” Levi pumped his fist in the air.

Coy said, “One more hour then homework, then
bed.”

“All right.” Too happy about the weekend
coming up, Coy was spared the usual bedtime debate. Which was
cool.

Chapter 10

“Are we avoiding each other?”

Brook juggled the phone as she loaded the
washer. “I don’t know. Are we?”

“Come by the restaurant after work Wednesday.
You can follow me to my house.”

“Love to.”

A smile was Rafe’s his voice; “It’s in a
mess.”

“I don’t care.”

“Okay then. Wednesday.”

She clicked off, relieved that he had called.
Regardless of anything else, she did not want silence and avoidance
between them.

Finished putting in the load, she muttered as
the phone rang again. “Hello?”

“Hey Bitch. You’d better watch your
back!”

Dial tone followed that.

Brook took about three seconds guessing who’d
put the guy up to it.

When it rang several more times, she
unplugged the phones and called Madeline. “Tell everyone to call my
cell to reach me, I’m unplugging the house phone.”

“What happened?”

Brook told her.

“Dammit.”

“It’s childish shit, Mom. Don’t worry about
it.”

“She’s crazy.”

“I can’t prove it’s her, and according to
Sunny, any sort of harassment she instigates has to be proven. Or
get violent.”

“I don’t know what she wants.” Madeleine said
worriedly, “What’s in that head of hers.”

“I don’t know, either.” Brook dragged the
basket of towels over to the sofa and folded after putting the
phone on speaker. “But I can’t be obsessing about it,”

“I know. Just please, be careful.”

“I will.”

They hung up. Brook finished her laundry and
took a sandwich and soda out to the deck.

Renee rang her cell. “What’s the crazy bitch
done now?”

“Putting someone up to call.”

Renee grunted. “Good move, unplugging the
phones. She’ll think of something else.”

“Probably. But I can’t worry about it.”

“No. I’m going to start watching your back
too though. Hey, speaking of that. See if you can get the girls at
the Tavern this weekend. I’m off at nine. We need to do some
bonding.”

“All right.” Brook laughed. “Actually I’d
planned on hanging out with Jordan anyway. Who’s playing?”

“Coburns. They play two weekends a
month.”

“Coy?”

“Think so. The older group is booked.
Madeline’s going to work that night with Ashley and Nick, because
they’ll be a full house.”

When Brook hesitated Renee said, “You’re all
grown up remember?”

“Yeah. It’s all-good. I’ll talk to Jordan. Do
you know where she lives? You get in touch with the others.”

“Will do. Jordan—she’s staying at one of the
run down motels, over at Goose Hill. Probably making payments on
that Harley with all her pay. How’s things with you and
Rafael?”

“Still complicated.” Brook had told her most
of what happened over the phone. “But we’re talking.”

“Good.”

After a moment Brook said, “Can I make some
wild guess about something—and you can tell me to piss off, if you
want?”

“All right?” Renee laughed.

“It’s you, isn’t it?”

“What’s me?”

“You and Sunny.”

“No.”

“Oh….”

A sigh from Renee, “Okay. It happened— once.
Last year.”

“And?”

“Nothing. Well. Yeah. Everything. I was
working late, cleaning up, Nick had the flu. Sunny tended bar, and
was doing the books. You know how it goes. I had a thing for him.
Most women do. Anyway, it just happened. He freaked out. Pulled
the, I’m old enough to be your father, shit.”

“Damn.”

“Yeah I freaked too though. Aside from having
it bad for him, my only experience was two one-night stands that I
didn’t know were going to be. One, was a guy I met right after I
moved here. Another was at one of the dance clubs. Stupid. But a
good lesson. Anyway, I’d never had sex/love the way Sunny blew my
mind with it. So, I was not very sophisticated about the whole
thing. Which—freaked him out.”

“And now?”

“Now we’re civil— and because I didn’t want
to chase him—this is after I kind of had expectations and shit, the
next day, that didn’t happen. I told him it wasn’t about my age.
That it was because of my being from Copper Creek, a Coburn, and
that I wasn’t one of his society women…”

“That’s understandable.”

“Maybe. Nevertheless, I had feelings and he
didn’t know that. I guess it was supposed to be just one of those
things to a cosmopolitan man like him. I am not stupid. I am proud
of what I do, and of being independent. But I do not have their
backgrounds or their money. I don’t aspire to be one of them.
Sunny’s world, despite the Tavern, has always been much bigger and
more refined than that.”

“Opposites.”

“Exactly.”

I don’t know. He is down to earth really. He
is not what he does, Renee. He’s intelligent, brilliant really, but
I don’t think it’s that.”

“I do.”

Brook sighed, picking at the ends of the
bread. “But you two are friends?”

“We’re whatever people become when they have
no choice but to ignore something like that. It is impossible, in
hindsight. My world, his world. Doesn’t make any sense—and wouldn’t
work.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It gets easier,” Renee murmured. “When I was
just fantasizing about him, I never expected to ever get to be with
him, like that. So, I guess there is that much. Maybe it helps you
grow up, and realize you can be attracted, and all that part is
great. But everything else would never make sense.”

“I guess. Have you dated since?”

“No.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Nothing to. I say all of this yet if he gave
the least sign of wanting me, I would chuck my pride and make love
with him again. See how crazy it is?”

Though she laughed, Brook said, “It’s not
crazy. We can’t help who we love.”

“Did I say love?”

“Renee….”

“Okay. I fess up. It doesn’t matter. My life
is not on hold. Now, I have some stuff to do. You lock your doors
tonight. And for God sakes don’t put anything past that woman.”

“I’ll lock up. See you at the Tavern.”

Renee hung up and Brook sat there, picking at
her food, mulling over what Renee told her. She was not sure why
she guessed it, but it was the first thing that popped in her head
when Sunny had that reaction. Not Ashley, not some nameless woman
in high society.

It just sucked that things hadn’t worked out
for them.

Later, as she went to bed, Brook mentally
muttered, “Work your own shit out before you go dabbling in
everyone else’s.

That was her intention anyway.

~*~

“I love it,” Brook declared, standing in the
drive, surveying Rafael’s house.

“It’s only in the first stages—” He was a
step ahead of her, holding their dinners. “Come in.”

He told her what Sunny had called it at first
sight.

She laughed.

Dragging her gaze away from the lovely
exterior—though paint peeled, and it was in various stages of roof
replacement, Brook caught up with him. The bones of the place were
lovely. Traversing the wide front porch, which was cluttered with
reclaimed lumber, odd stuff like windows and doors scrapped free of
years of paint, she followed him inside.

“Kitchen’s this way, but look around. I'll
get this set out.”

She nodded. “It’s still lovely.”

“Be careful okay?”

“Don’t worry, I will.’ She waved him off, her
eyes going to the high ceiling and down over bare places where wood
panels were being replaced. The front room was an octagon shape,
long windows; scarred wood floors that she did not doubt Rafael
would restore. She wondered at will, looking at four other
downstairs rooms. A lovely back one. The French doors were taped
up, the glass broken out and cardboard over it. Still it would be
one of those cool relaxing summer rooms.