Love Me ~ Like That (12 page)

“Yes sir, December eighth, right?” Bailey asks.

He nods and goes off in a daze. I move over and motion for her to take my seat. She gives a nod of thanks and sits. She reaches for Mr. Jackson’s hand. Bailey has a huge heart for him and she loves this man with everything she has inside of her. He looks a little bewildered.

“The first time I saw her, I told my brother I was going to marry her. Jack laughed and said I was crazy. That I didn’t even know her name.” He exhales and lifts his shoulders then looks at the floor. “I hadn’t even spoken to her yet.”

Bailey switches hands and rubs his back. I bet she has heard this story a million times, but she still lovingly acts as if she’s hearing it for the first time. I bet she loves listening to it almost as much as he loves telling it.

“My brothers and I had a band and we were playing at a party. I played the mandolin. Jack, he played the fiddle, and Otis… I can’t remember what he played.” He shakes his head. “I didn’t get to go and play at parties much. They made me stay home with our disabled brother most of the time. They were always mean to him.”

He is in deep thought now, his memory crystal clear.

“Anyway, I had brought another girl to the dance. I walked her home and hurried back. That’s when I met Addie. She was the most beautiful girl I’d ever laid my eyes on. Dark hair and gray eyes. Do you know what she told her sister about me at that dance?”

Now he has the biggest smile across his face, and she shakes her head.

“She said she was going to take me away from that girl.” He chuckles.

I love hearing Mr. Jackson reminiscing like this, and Bailey is so good with him. She hangs on every word like this is the first time she’s ever heard this story, asking him the appropriate questions.

“She is still beautiful, and I think you look a lot like her, Bailey.”

She wraps her arms around him and kisses him on his cheek.

“Do you really think so? I hope I look as good as she does when I get to be her age. But you know what? I’ve got your eyes, Papa.” She pats his shoulder.

Now I can see why Mrs. Jackson was going on and on about her that night. There is something special about this girl. She’s not only beautiful, but she knows how to make you feel like you’re the only person in the room. She is very loving and sensitive to how he is feeling. You can never be ugly when you have a good heart like that.

“No, you don’t.” He grins at her, his eyes twinkling, but only for a second, “I’ve got my own eyes.” He winks at her.

He is such a character that sometimes you forget a disease is running through his body, stealing every other moment from him.

Suddenly, he looks around. “Bailey, have you met Cash? He drove me up here. I need to pay him, but I don’t have my wallet.”

I’m amazed at how quickly he can change. He peeks around her looking for me.

“Cash, this is my granddaughter Bailey. Bailey, give Cash some money and I will pay you back.”

She turns and I meet her vivid green eyes, but I speak to Mr. Jackson. “Mr. Jackson, please sir, you don’t owe me anything. It’s the neighborly thing to do for each other.” I give her the smile that normally has panties melting, and hold out my hand then wink. “It’s nice to meet you, Bailey.”

“Bailey, are you going to shake his hand?” Mr. Jackson asks her.

“I need to give you a hug. Thank you so much for taking care of Papa and Granny for me.” She leans over and puts her arms as far around me as she can. She gives me a full body squeeze. I feel her breasts push into me which makes “Johnny” stand to get some attention. I want to know what she would look like in the bed of my truck, on a dirt road, under the stars, with only those boots on. God Cash, get your dick under control. This is not the time or place for these kinds of thoughts.

The doors open to the operating room and a doctor comes out, “The Jackson family.”

Bailey stands then turns to help Mr. Jackson, but I am already helping him up.

“Hello, I’m Doctor Thomas, I’ve been the one working with Mrs. Jackson. She is a very lucky woman,” the doctor says. “She got here quickly and we were able to repair the damage done by the attack by doing Cardiac Cauterization. The longer a heart attack goes on, the more damage it does to the heart. We put in a couple of stents and are avoiding doing Open Heart Surgery.”

Mr. Jackson is shaking his head and doesn’t look like he understands anything. I feel his grief radiating off him, and my empathy for him is overflowing at the moment.

“She will need someone with her twenty-four hours a day for the next month, have to follow a heart healthy diet and start to get a little exercise. She doesn’t need too much exercise though; a little walking will be enough as long as it’s not during the heat of the day.” Doctor Thomas, looking down at the chart in his hands, finishes by telling us, “We are moving her up to ICU, at least overnight. You guys should go get some rest. You’ll have a long few days ahead of you.” He places the chart under his arm to shake Mr. Jackson’s hand. “Let me know if you have any questions, Mr. Jackson.”

“How long will she be in the hospital?” Bailey asks then bites on her nails.

“It depends on how well she recovers and how determined she is to get better. The more she can get up and walk and do her breathing treatments, the faster she will recover. It is really up to her, but normally it’s anywhere from three to eight days. With her age, it will probably be closer to eight days.”

“Thank you, Doctor Thomas. We all appreciate everything you have done for her.” Bailey says. She heads over to Lizzie, “Can you take me home so we can pack some things for her? I think I’ll come back up here and sleep in the waiting room.”

“Sorry, Bailey, I have a test tomorrow and I haven’t even started to study.” Lizzie glances at me. “I’m taking some classes at the community college this summer.” She focuses on Bailey again. “You do’nt need to come back up here and spend the night. You need your rest because the next few days Granny will need you more. Besides, there isn’t anything you can do, and you won’t be able to see her until visiting hours tomorrow, Bay.”

Everyone has said their goodbyes and is leaving. Kathy is taking Mr. Jackson home with her. I hear her tell Kate, who I find out is Lizzie’s mom, that she has a few days of emergency medicine for him at her house so they won’t be going out to the Jacksons’ house. I think Lizzie is up to something because of the way Bailey is looking at her.

“Maybe Cash can give you a ride home,” Lizzie says as we walk out to the parking lot.

Lizzie is my new favorite person. She and I are going to get along just fine.

“No problem, I’m going that way. You know living right across the street and all.”

Bailey is looking at me, and Lizzie has a smirk on her face.

“I could even come back up here and stay with you if you would like.” I want to be there in case she needs someone. I don’t want her to have to go through this alone. She may need someone to talk to, or a shoulder to lay her head on. She wouldn’t have to be alone.

“Oh, I know you would take real good care of her, Cash.” Lizzie says.

“I guess I’ll be needing a ride since everyone is deserting me.” She looks up at me through her lashes, but her eyes are so sad.

What is she doing to me? Even when she is in so much pain, she is still beautiful. I wish I could do something to take that hurt away, to make her smile. I know that is a useless wish right now. I guess just being here and being supportive will have to do. “It would be my pleasure, ma’am.”

I run my hand through my hair noticing it has started to rain. “If you wait here, I’ll pull around so you don’t have to get wet.” I know how to be a gentleman, unlike that prick she’s seeing. Once she sees how much of a prick he is, as I predict will happen, and her Granny is better, I’ll be here to be the devil to her angel because she is as hot as hell.

“That’s okay, I won’t melt.” She gives me a little smile.

I’m so glad I could take away some of her sorrow, if only for a moment. I reach out for her hand and we take off running. My black Tundra Crew Cab is only parked three rows back.

I open the door for her. She is reaching for the sidebar to help herself up since the truck is elevated, but I put my hands on her hips and lift her into the truck. She turns to look in my eyes with tenderness. My hand accidentally slides down her leg a fraction and she shivers.

“Thanks, Cash, you are so sweet.” She swallows and sounds a little shaky.

I hope she doesn’t think that I’m doing all of this to get with her or something. Right now, I know she needs a friend and I want to be that friend. I can’t believe her boyfriend isn’t here for her. She clearly is upset and on the verge of tears. How could she not be? If the truth be told, I want to spend more time with her and get to know her, too. She draws me in, like a moth to a flame.

Why have I suddenly lost my ability to communicate? “Johnny” sure isn’t having any problem. I’m glad my Wranglers are tight and don’t give him a whole hella lot of room to make an introduction. The moment she stepped off the elevator in that white dress and boots, she had my attention. I need to calm myself down though because the last thing she needs right now is me making a move on her.

Her stomach lets out a loud growl, and I can’t help but laugh at how something that small can make that big of a noise. “Hungry? Why don’t we go and get you something to eat? Kathy said you were at dinner when Lizzie went to get you. Did you get the chance to eat?”

“I am starving. Do you mind going through a drive-thru so I can pick up something for the road?”

She needs something that will fill her up and stick with her, not some greasy hamburger. I’d bet my last dollar that food will be the last thing on her mind during the next few days. “I’m hungry too.” I say. “I’d love some pancakes.”

You can’t eat pancakes on the road. Maybe she’ll agree. Anyway, who can turn down pancakes? And they are a great alternative to fast food crap.

“Pancakes, this late?” She laughs.

I’m glad I can lift her spirits. She obviously cares deeply for her grandparents. I think if you’re lucky enough to still have your grandparents you should cherish them, and she obviously does. She knew just what to do to soothe Mr. Jackson and showed him a kindness that a lot of people lack.

“Okay, pancakes it is then,” she says with a smile.

She has the best smile and I hope I can make her smile a few more times tonight. I would do almost anything in my power to lessen her worry.

“Good, I know just the place.” Because there is nothing better than a few tunes for background noise, I turn on the radio low.

“I like your choice in music.”

I figured she would. She has country girl written all over her. My mind goes to what she would look like in the bed of my truck with just those boots on, but I try to get my mind on something else as I pull into IHOP’s parking lot. Their service is slow this time of night, which will give us time to talk. I’ve found that sometimes just talking about what’s on your mind makes you feel better. That’s what I want to do. Encourage her to talk about what she is going through. Perhaps, help her understand her feelings. She’s probably a little bit scared too. To take her mind off of everything that is going on until she gets some food in her stomach, I say, “So, you like country music. Let me guess, you like Eric Church, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, and Miranda Lambert... Am I getting close?” There is that smile again. It lights up her whole face.

I park then walk around to open her door and help her down.

“Like that would be hard to guess since I like country music,” she laughs.

After we’re seated in the restaurant, she says, “So tell me about Cash?”

I don’t like to talk about myself, not about my real self. It’s too depressing to give someone those kinds of details when you’re just getting to know them. “There isn’t a lot to know about me. I bought the land over by you guys a while back, I work all the time and take pretty ladies to eat pancakes at midnight.”

“Don’t forget that you help your elderly neighbors.” She looks down and whispers, “You saved my Granny’s life tonight. I don’t know how to thank you.”

She looks up and her eyes are glistening with tears. I love her beautiful eyes. They are one of my weaknesses; but right now they are filled with such sorrow, and their sadness lets me see right into her heart. I’d give anything to be able to take that pain away. “I’m so glad I was there at the right time. Your grandparents are great people.”

“Not to be rude, but can we talk about something other than my grandparents?”

I get it. She isn’t ready to talk about her pain yet so I smile and say, “Sure. Now it’s your turn, tell me about the world according to Bailey.”

“I like that. The World According To Bailey sounds like a good book. For starters, I’m twenty-one, but my birthday is at the end of the summer. How old are you, Cash?”

Our food comes and she digs into her pancakes. I love to see that she wastes no time and isn’t embarrassed to eat in front of me.

“I turned twenty-six last month, but this is your turn, remember.” I want to sit here and talk to her all night.

“You really didn’t tell me much. I’m willing to bet there is more to you. Let’s see, you’re twenty-six, you’re a workaholic, great neighbor, and like to eat pancakes. That’s all there is to know about you?”

I like a woman who is determined and has a playful side. “I’m a Computer Systems Analysis, so that makes me a nerd, I guess. I started working for my company as a junior in high school, paid my way through college and bought the company when I graduated.”

“Oh, you make that sound so exciting.” She fakes a yawn. “I’ve taken all of my basics and I’m a few classes short of taking my C.P.A. exam. See how this works.” She lifts her eyebrows and forms an O shape with her mouth.

Yep, she is teasing, proof positive that just sitting here talking is helping her.

“You tell me something then I tell you something.”

“Is that how this game is played, a little tit for tat?” I smile at her, encouraging her lighthearted nature. Talking with Bailey is easy. She isn’t trying to impress me, and from what I can tell and from what I know about her, she is just being who she is. And I like that she ordered sweet tea. She is southern to the core. Before I know it, we’ve finished eating and I’m on my third cup of coffee.