Chapter Thirty-Five
Pepper had never spent much time in a hospital, but if she was blindfolded she’d be able to pick outeau de medical facilityin an instant. It was a scent that put her on edge, made this moment real.
A bad thing had happened. She’d worried about Dad for so long, and the day arrived that she’d been dreading. She hit floor three in the elevator. The doors shut and there was just enough time to squeak out a few frustrated sobs. Dammit. She wasn’t ready for this to have happened yet. And how stupid and selfish was that?
Because there was no convenient time for disaster, and accidents never occur when you’d expect. So much for being prepared so that when the inevitable day came, she could swoop in with her superhero outfit and save the day. What a joke. She wasn’t Superman. Or Batman. Heck, she wasn’t even Robin.
She was a broke daughter with a fancy degree who walked dogs for minimum wage. But she’d figure something out. She’d have to move in with him, of course, but hey, the sugar bush farm was a pretty property. He was her father. She wasn’t going to abandon him.
But what about Rhett? Delfi’s tea leaves were right on the money. She was pulled in so many directions that any second she might be ripped apart like the paper doll she’d once destroyed during a sister squabble with Tuesday.
The elevator stopped and she’d composed herself before the doors opened.
“I’m looking for Josiah Knight,” she said to the nurse at the station.
“Room three two four,” came the reply. “Down the left side hall, second door from the end.”
“Thank you.” She turned to leave.
“He’s such a hoot,” the nurse said. “We all enjoy his company.”
“Yes.” Pepper feigned a smile. Dad must be faking happy and brave. No big surprise there. But he didn’t have to be strong anymore. She’d take over. Each step felt weighted by a hundred pounds. She was ready for the worst. Poor Dad, all alone. God, she hoped he hadn’t been too lone—
“Honey!” Dad propped up in a hospital bed surrounded by a dozen heart-shaped balloons. No Grim Reaper in sight, all sunshine and smiles. “What are you doing here?”
“Hey!” She dashed forward. “Who brought the circus?”
“Me.” A plump, friendly-looking woman answered from a recliner, looking up from her pile of knitting. “Hospitals are such dreary places. I felt like this was an easy way to add pizazz to the room.”
Pepper opened her mouth but nothing came out. Who was this woman sitting here clicking needles like she belonged to the place? “Hi, I’m—”
“Chili Pepper,” Dad broke in. “This is my…Susan.”
“Pepper, it’s so good to meet you!” Susan hurtled out of the chair and launched at Pepper, clasping her to her ample bosom.
“Good. Yes.” Pepper took a muffled breath. “I…sorry…I don’t mean to be rude, but who are you?”
Dad laughed. “Susan and I met a few months ago. She came on our land, birdwatching. She’s the secretary of the Maine Ornithological Society.”
“I was trying to spot a rusty blackbird.” Susan chuckled. “But found Josiah here instead. And you know what they say about a bird in the hand.”
“Susan’s taken me all over the state. Although I got overambitious, which is how I came to hurt my back.”
“You hurt yourself birdwatching?” Pepper fumbled for the doctor stool in the corner.
“Hiking out to a puffin colony,” Susan added solemnly, heading back to the recliner to resume her scarf.
“Hold on.” Pepper held up a hand. “I’m confused. I thought you hurt your back on the farm.”
“The farm? Heck no. In fact, I found out this morning that it sold, and for a pretty penny.”
“Another reason for the balloons.” Susan’s needles kept clacking. “We’re celebrating.”
“You sold the farm?” She choked on a gasp. “No more maple syrup?”
He nodded with a relieved expression. “It was all catching up with me. A nice family from Portland stopped in a few months ago looking for a “tree change” and asked if I’d ever consider leaving. I’d been feeling like a change. They came back with a price that was more than fair, and now your old man is sitting pretty. What a week,” he said, reaching out to take Susan’s hand. “And we’re going to tour the country in Susan’s Airstream. Hitting up all the hotspots.”
“I had it renovated two years ago,” Susan chimed in.
