Love Mercy Part 29

Love was pouring hot chocolate in two mugs when Rett walked back into the kitchen wearing a plain white T-s.h.i.+rt and Love's striped pajama bottoms. "I have a question," she said, sitting down at the kitchen table.

"Shoot," Love said, then made a face. "Whoa, I'll never say that again without it meaning something entirely different now."

"Does your arm hurt bad?"

"No, thank the Lord for Vicodin." Love put a handful of miniature marshmallows in their cocoa. "Was that your question?"

Rett shook her head. "It's about Grandpa August. What's going to happen to him now?"

Love inhaled deeply while spreading peanut b.u.t.ter over two pieces of toast. "We have to talk to his doctor tomorrow. August is obviously having some serious mental and memory problems, so he and Polly probably shouldn't be out there at the ranch alone." She turned and set the plates down on the table. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see." She sat down across from Rett. "I wish I could see into the future and tell you more, but I just can't."

They were sitting at the kitchen table silently eating and drinking, lost in their individual thoughts, when from her bedroom, Rett's cell phone rang. She ran for it, checking the screen before she answered.

"Man," she said, walking back into the kitchen, staring at the screen, her face a mixture of emotions. The ring tone continued its tinkly song.

"Who is it?" Love asked, suspecting it was Dale.

She grimaced. "Mom." She watched the screen until the music stopped playing.

Love joined her in staring at the cell phone. Why would Karla be calling at one a.m.? Wait, it wasn't one a.m. there. It was four a.m. Or was it only a two-hour difference in Knoxville? She glanced at Rett's face, which only showed annoyance. Her granddaughter hadn't lived long enough to automatically think what Love did: that phone calls coming in at odd hours rarely carried good news. Rett set the phone down on the table.

"Aren't you going to call her back?" Love asked, trying not to show her anxiety. She wasn't sure if she could stand one more piece of bad news.

Rett shrugged and picked at a hangnail.

"You should," Love said firmly, hating how much it sounded like nagging. Though she didn't want to do anything to harm this fragile relations.h.i.+p they'd started, the responsible adult in her knew Rett shouldn't ignore Karla's call. "It might be something important." She rephrased that. "It probably is something important."

Rett sighed and didn't look at Love but continued to pick at her nail. "You forget that it's Karla we're talking about. Me and the sisters call her Mama Diva. She makes everything that happens sound like a Lifetime movie."

"Well, all y'all's lives do sound a lot like a Lifetime movie," Love pointed out.

She raised her head and gave Love a half smile. "All y'all? You're too much, Grandma."

Love laughed, thinking about Cy. "Your grandpa always said my accent got real strong when I was under stress."

"Yeah, this night sure was that." Rett sighed again and picked up the phone. "Okay, I'll call Mom, but I'm telling you, it's probably a big fat nothing."

"I'm finis.h.i.+ng my toast. Then I'm going to bed. I feel like a wrung-out old washrag."

"Nice visual," she said, crinkling her nose as she walked into the living room.

Love pushed the swinging kitchen door slightly open and blatantly eavesdropped on Rett and Karla's conversation. She could only hear Rett's side, which consisted of many "uh-huhs" and "yeahs" and "that sucks." Something had happened, but Rett's responses didn't reveal a clue about what it was. Did it have to do with the baby? Or Dale?

"I don't know what to tell you, Mom," Rett said. "I'm sorry." She was quiet a moment, listening. "I don't know! Let me think about it. I'm tired. A lot's happened here with Grandpa August. He's in the hospital. It's a long story, but he's got, like, Alzheimer's or something. They think he'll be okay, but I want to stay here. I said I'd think about it. I'll call you tomorrow. Yeah, whatever. Love you too."

From the slit in the door, Love watched Rett punch the cell phone off and toss it on the sofa. Ace stirred at her feet, lifted his head, then laid it back down, unconcerned about the latest human problems. His worry was resolved. His pack-Rett and Love-had been gone but now were back. He could sleep peacefully. Rett bent over and touched her head to her knees. Her soft sobs caused Love to push open the door and approach her.

"Rett," Love said, startling her.

She looked up, her eyes swollen red with tears. "My life sucks."

Love put a hand to her mouth. "Is it the baby? Patsy?"

Rett gave her head a quick shake. "The baby's fine. Patsy's fine. It's Mom. Roy's filing for divorce, and she's all freaked out. He doesn't even want to talk to her. She wants me to come home right now." Rett wiped the back of her hand over her cheek. "Patsy's barfing all the time, and Faith has the flu. Roy wants to marry his big-haired secretary."

"Ouch," Love said. "Not even original."

She rolled her eyes. "He sells office supplies. He's lame."

Though everything selfish in her protested, Love just gave those feelings to G.o.d and said, "I'll buy you a plane ticket to Knoxville if you want to go back."

Rett bent over again, touching her head to her knees. "I don't want to go home," she mumbled.

Love didn't want her to either, but the mother part of her empathized with her former daughter-in-law. When things started falling apart, you wanted your family surrounding you. Though Love didn't want to let her granddaughter out of her sight, Rett needed to go home. At least for a little while.

Love sat down next to Rett on the sofa and rested a tentative hand on her back. Her skin was warm; her bones felt as delicate as a cat's. "I know it's hard, but it sounds like Karla depends on you. That's a real compliment, you know. You don't have to stay long, but she could probably use your help right now."

Rett slowly sat up, her eyes damp and red-rimmed. "I'm sorry for what she's going through, but she has tons of friends. She doesn't need me. She just wants me there to run interference between her and Patsy."

Love waited a few seconds before answering. "Well, you understand the situation better than I do. But I'll help you get back there if that's what you want to do." She smiled, trying to relieve some of the tension in Rett's troubled face. "And if you want to come back to Morro Bay, you won't have to hitch rides from truckers. I'll buy your ticket, though you'll have to settle for coach."

Rett couldn't help smiling through her tears. "It was kind of cool, you know. The truckers were totally awesome."

Love gave an exaggerated fake shutter. "Certainly something to write songs about."

"I'll call her back," Rett said, standing up. "It won't take long. Could you put my hot chocolate in the microwave? It's probably cold."

"Sure," Love said, taking the hint that she wanted privacy.

Love didn't eavesdrop this time, though she wanted to. Rett came through the swinging kitchen door five minutes later. Her eyes were dry and her mouth set, though Love couldn't tell if it was from anger or determination. It hit Love with a jolt how much she wanted her granddaughter to stay. She had this sinking, illogical feeling that if Rett went back to Tennessee, Love would never see her again.

"I put more marshmallows in your cocoa," Love said, turning away so Rett wouldn't see her stricken expression.

"Thanks," she said. Love could hear her pull out the kitchen chair and sit down. "No worries, Grandma. I told Mom I had important family business to take care of here, but that I'd come home as soon as I could. Definitely after Christmas."

Love's heart tap-danced with joy, despite feeling guilty about Karla missing Christmas with her daughter. She turned back to face Rett. She was using a spoon to scoop up a melted mess of marshmallows.

"If that's what you want to do," Love managed to say with an even voice.

"Like I said, Mama's got a thousand girlfriends to help her." Rett looked up at Love, a bit of sticky white marshmallow stuck to her upper lip. "What do you think we'll do for Christmas?"

To be honest, Love hadn't thought about it. "I usually go out to the ranch. Polly loves to cook dinner and, well, that's where I've spent Christmas since I moved to Morro Bay."

She sipped her cocoa. "Do you think they'll still want to have Christmas this year?"

Love leaned back against the tile counter. "I'm sure they will, but I doubt that Polly will have the energy to make Christmas dinner."

"We should do it then. I mean, it might be their last one at the ranch."

Love stared at Rett, realizing that what she said might very well be true. "You're absolutely right. After we visit them at the hospital tomorrow and see what the tests show, we'll start planning the dinner. We don't have much time."

Rett smiled. "We can do it. I totally work best under pressure. And I bet Mel will want to help."

Love smiled back at her. "Yes, I bet she will." She finally gave in to the yawn that had been d.o.g.g.i.ng her for the last half hour. "But right now, I have to get some sleep. That pain pill is knocking me on my b.u.t.t."

"I'll clean up," Rett said, pus.h.i.+ng back her chair.

Love hesitated, feeling like she was abandoning her.

"Go to bed, Grandma. If I'm going to work at the b.u.t.tercream as a waitress, I guess I'd better get some practice. Don't want to look like a slacker."

"What?" Love said. That was news to her.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. Magnolia offered me a job, and I accepted. I was supposed to start tomorrow, but I'm guessing after last night she'll cut me some slack and let me start the day after."

"I imagine so," Love said, wondering what other surprises waited for her down the road.

THIRTY-TWO.

Rett The next day, Rett's mother called her nine more times. By the ninth call at four p.m., Rett was ready to throw her cell phone in the toilet.

"Mom, I told you, for the kazillionth time, I don't know exactly when I'll be coming home. I told you about Great-grandpa August getting hurt. I want to make sure that everything's okay. Besides, I have a job now." Quit wasting my minutes, she wanted to add.

"A job?" Karla whined. "What about us? We're your real family. Love and them, they're just your extended family. You're barely related."

Rett chewed her bottom lip, glancing over at the kitchen where Love was talking on her landline. She was glad her grandma hadn't heard Mom's words. She wanted to do the right thing for everyone, but right now she felt like a rubber band being pulled ten different ways. Still, her mother's att.i.tude was annoying. "They're my family just as much as you, Patsy and Faith," she said, knowing her words would totally p.i.s.s her mom off.

"I can't believe you said that!" Karla cried. "It's a knife to my heart, Loretta Lynn Johnson. A big ole carving knife to my heart."

"Oh, get a life," she muttered.

"What did you say?"

Rett felt like stomping her feet like a kid having a temper tantrum. "I said I have my own life. Look, let me get back to you."

"When?" her mother demanded. "We have to make plans."

"Soon. Today. I promise." She crossed her fingers, though it was childish. She knew G.o.d totally didn't recognize crossed fingers.

She turned off her cell completely. She was not going to talk to her mom again until she'd decided what to do.

They had spent most of the day at the hospital waiting with Polly while August had tests. Then, after August was checked out, they ate dinner at some steak place called McClintock's in San Celina. Then they took August and Polly home. Jade, one of Magnolia's daughters, was staying with them tonight with the excuse that her kids wanted to feed the chickens and pet the horses. Love and Magnolia were trying to figure out how to help August and Polly stay at the ranch and still be safe. That's who Love was talking to on the phone: Magnolia.

Ace came over and nosed her leg, a blue tennis ball in his mouth. "Okay," she said, picking up the ball. "I can throw this while I think."

She knew that as she threw the ball across the backyard gra.s.s, her grandma was watching her from the kitchen window. Rett wanted to do the right thing, make everyone happy, but she also wanted to be happy. "I wish I was an orphan," she muttered, knowing her statement wasn't true even as she said it. She liked having family, and she had to admit that she missed Patsy and Faith. She even kinda missed her mom. She definitely missed the feel of her own bed and the smell of her stuff. A part of her felt sad about her first Christmas away from her family. She kept tossing the ball, and Ace kept bringing it back, though occasionally he'd pause, his huge batlike ears c.o.c.ked and listening. Then he'd run to the side fence and bark at someone who dared to walk in front of his house. She felt so torn. She'd miss Ace too. And her grandma Love and August and Polly, the b.u.t.tercream, this town. Shoot, she'd kinda even miss Mel. They were sorta friends now, she thought. Or something, anyway.

Eventually Love came out holding a cup of cocoa. That made Rett smile. She was already figuring her grandma out. She always brought you something to drink when she wanted to talk serious. It was kind of cool, learning things like that. Grandma Love with her short, reddish hair that always seemed to have a piece sticking up and her long-legged, full-of-purpose stride that made her look like she was hiking in the Alps, kind of like that lady in The Sound of Music. Love was already starting to feel familiar to Rett. She wished they could have known each other while Rett was growing up. How cool would that have been, spending her summers in California? Maybe she'd have learned how to ride a horse. Then again, maybe she still could.

"Hey, thought you might be getting chilly out here," Love said, walking over to her. "Made some hot cocoa."

"Awesome," Rett said, taking the mug and sitting down on one of the blue high-backed wooden lawn chairs They looked like the kind she'd seen in a catalog once that advertised stuff for cabins. Adirondack, her grandma had called them.

Love sat down in the chair next to her and tossed a sausage dog treat to Ace. "Well, your friend, Zane, is really doing us a favor. He's agreed to live at the ranch in the attic bedroom for the time being. It works out good for him, because he can live there rent-free, and Polly will adore cooking for him. He wants to work on his songwriting and still work part-time at his mama and great-aunt's vet clinic. I think I'll see if he wants to earn a little extra money by helping August out with ranch ch.o.r.es."

Rett nodded. "He's a nice guy."

Love smiled, raised one eyebrow. "Kind of cute too."

"Chill, Grandma. I'm on the rebound, okay?"

"I'm just saying," Love said, holding up one hand.

"You totally ripped that saying off some lame sitcom, didn't you?" Rett said, laughing.

"Hey, I read," Love said. "We'll all be taking turns going out there every day. Polly called this morning and said that the doctor called in some new kind of medicine for dementia. Starts with an N-can't remember it exactly. Says it doesn't cure it, but will possibly keep him stable for a while. It's not for sure, but it's something to try."

"Wow, that's so cool, you know. How everyone pulls together."

"That's what family and friends do," Love said. "So, when do you start at the b.u.t.tercream?"

"Tomorrow. I'm kinda nervous. All I've ever done for money is sing."

Love sat down in the chair next to Rett. Ace picked up the ball and dropped it at her feet. "You'll catch on quick. And people will be nice. This is a pretty small town, and you come from one of the old-time families. Don't forget, you're Tommy Johnson's daughter and Cyrus Johnson's granddaughter. Not to mention your great-grandpa August, your great-grandma Polly and your great-great-grandpa and grandma Joseph and Mattie. They were the original owners of the Johnson ranch. You've deep, long roots here, Sweet Pea." She threw the ball, sending Ace bounding.

Rett shook her head. "Wow. That is, like, so . . . wow."

Love smiled and looked out at the ocean, the same ocean Rett's ancestors had watched for the last hundred years. Rett followed her gaze. The water was a deep, dark blue, the color of her favorite pair of blue jeans that she'd forgotten to bring with her.

"I sure wish you'd met your grandpa," her grandma said, her face sad. "I mean, you did meet him, but you were only four. You probably don't remember."

Rett didn't answer, not wanting to tell her grandma that what she remembered about her dad and her grandpa was sort of mingled, almost like they were one person. She was afraid that would make her sad. But they'd disappeared from Rett's life at around the same time. It had always bothered her when she thought about it too much, the fact that she couldn't separate the memories of her dad and her grandpa.

Then, like one of her songs, something came to her. "Juicy Fruit," she said, turning to look at her grandma.

Her grandma's lips turned up in a smile. "That was Cy's favorite gum!"

"He snuck me a piece. Mom caught him. She yelled at him."

"She told him you always swallowed it so she wouldn't let you chew it. She was afraid you'd choke," Love said, nodding, sitting forward in the lawn chair. A slight breeze picked up a piece of her hair, causing a cowlick. "I agreed with her. Cy should have known better."