Page 41 of Stronger Than Blood

Chapter thirty-eight

Mick

Ihad no way to say how much better I felt knowing Uncle Eddie’s stash was safely locked in a storage unit in Chattanooga.

I didn’t dislike Mr. Roark, but he made me feel uneasy.

It probably had nothing to do with him, though.

I’d just spent too many years with my mother and the men who constantly came in and out of her life.

I knew I often projected my distrust on most men I met these days because of that.

After we’d visited Granny and had dinner at the home with her, I was wiped out.

I was whiny about not getting to snuggle with Rory, but I knew it was what it was. Our lives were upside down at the moment.

I didn’t see Rory or the others much over the weekend. I had to get to sleep early and then work the early morning shift to prepare all the desserts. I swear, every weekend, the number of orders grew. I wondered how we got that many orders in a small town.

By Monday afternoon, I was more than ready for ‘taking our time’ to instead become ‘move faster,’ and when I texted Rory, I said as much. “What’re you doing tonight?” I asked.

“Um, hanging with Kalinda is the only plan I ever have unless I’m hanging with you.”

I chuckled. “Well, that’s exactly what I have in mind. Why don’t you meet me here in Chattanooga?” I said, and he immediately agreed.

“Okay, let me go check on Granny. I’ll see you in a couple of hours at my apartment?”

“Deal,” he said, and I literally crowed when I hung up.

I was so going to fuck that man’s brains out tonight, or well, maybe I’d have mine… Either way, my plans were to have sex.

When I got to the home, I was confused when I didn’t find Granny in her room. I walked down the hall until I saw her at the far end. She was in her wheelchair, staring out the window.

I was struck by how sad she looked sitting there. Even knowing her time in the home was limited, I could tell the place was sucking the life out of her.

Instead of going to her, I turned right and went to the head nurse’s office. When I knocked, he immediately gestured for me to come in.

“Hi, James, um, I wanted to check on when we could bring Granny home,” I said.

He smiled and began looking at something on his computer. Finally, he glanced up. “Looks like all we’re waiting for is for Home Health to agree to do the palliative care, and she’s ready to go.”

“In that case, I’m going to move her on Wednesday. Is that too soon?”

James clicked a few more buttons before nodding. “I think that’ll work. Do you have the house set up?” he asked.

“No, but I think we can have it ready for her before then.”

“Okay, I’ll let the doctor know, and I’ll even give palliative care a call and see if I can get the order pushed through.”

“Thanks, James, you’re the best.”

He winked at me as I dashed out of the room to where Granny was still sitting. I came up behind her and whispered, “Whatcha lookin' at?”

“Memories, mostly,” she replied, then turned toward me. “Hi, grandson, you’re looking chipper.”

“Aah, well, I got some good news.”

“And what’s that?” she asked.

“I plan to spring you from this joint on Wednesday, but keep it hush-hush. I don’t want the guards to catch wind of your breakout.”

She chuckled, but I could see the relief underneath the humor. “I ain’t gonna say I’m not ready, 'cause I am, but you sure you and that sweet Kalinda are ready for me?”

“Oh, come on, how much trouble do you plan on being?”

“Well, you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, son. I am what I am.”

“You are the best granny a man can have, is what you are.”

She smiled and let me hug her. Her poor body had become weaker since she’d been in the home, and that always alarmed me when she let me hug her. Suddenly, I wondered if getting her out by Wednesday was soon enough.

Just then, an elderly woman, probably a decade younger than Granny, came by. “Ida, you comin' to play or not? I still plan on getting my pennies back!”

“You’ll be givin’ me the rest of what you got,” Granny said, then snorted when the old woman stuck her tongue out at her.

The woman had ignored me as if I hadn’t even been standing there. Just like that my concerns were lifted. Granny Ida hated it here, but she was a shark at poker, and I knew she’d probably cleaned that poor woman’s clock. Probably a few others too.

Thank goodness, she always insisted she only bet with pennies. Otherwise, it could’ve been a real issue.

Granny kissed me and shrugged before excusing herself. “Sorry, grandson, if I’m leaving in two days, I better go finish what I started. I gotta get you a good retirement saved up after all.”

She cackled and was going to roll herself to the game room but let me push her instead.

I lingered a few moments to watch as she and her friends played Texas Hold’em.

I’d never liked poker, but she’d loved it since she used to watch them playing on my old computer I’d left for her after I went to college.

I played with her from time to time, but I knew she preferred to play with people her own age or at least of her generation.

I waved at her after she won her first hand and left when she smiled. That was what I needed, and perfect timing too. I wanted my head, well, heads, to be focused on one person tonight, and that wasn’t Granny. All I wanted to concentrate on tonight was Rory Kennedy.