“No, no. Fair is fair.” Green signs overhead indicate we’re close to our exit so he pulls into the slow lane behind a dump truck and sighs. “It was as good a place as any. My two older brothers inherited the dairy farm. After my enlistment was up, I worked for them and got a degree. I graduated, got a job, and remained. It’s not complicated.”
“And you haven’t married, why?”
Laughing, he scratches his beard. “It’s not for lack of trying. The marines taught me to reach for the best and the women I’ve dated? Well, they’re nice enough. Some are funny and some are smart, but they don’t fit into this picture I got in my head.”
I’m dying to ask if I make the cut, but after yelling at him, perhaps my timing is off.
“I like you Danni. Why not live here for a while and see where this goes?” His eyes stay focused on the road, giving me opportunity to think.
I’m tempted, but he already broke my heart, once. If I stay any longer, it’ll take years to undo the damage. “I’ll think about it.”
The conversation turns lighter and while not chatty, Cole answers my questions about his brothers, being a marine, and what it’s like to live in Middlebury as a grown-ass adult.
A few miles before the Vermont border, my phone rings and it’s my sister. “Where are you?”
“Near Fort Ann, why?”
“Gram’s gone missing.”
Chapter 15
Cole
Electronics to her ear, Danielle pales. “What do you mean, lost? …Okay, yeah. Did you tell the sheriff? Uh huh… He’s here with me. Right. We’ll be home in about an hour.”
Hanging up, she turns her face toward me. “My gram wandered off.”
“We’ll find her.” Checking my rearview mirror, I turn into a lumberyard and call my office.
“Hey, Bree. Can you go to my house, get Toby, and tell Al to have him search the woods near Battery field? Last time June went missing, I found her there.”
“She’s done this before?” Danni’s mouth drops open and I nod, surprised no one told her.
“She’s going to need fulltime supervision, soon.”
“How? My sister and mom both work. They can’t be home all day and they can’t afford full time help.” Her voice cracks and those pretty lips purse.
Leaning over, I kiss the tip of her nose. “You’ll figure it out.”
There’s nothing more I can do or say until we get home. Lost in our private thoughts, I drive in silence until south of Middlebury, when both of our phones ring at the same time.
Putting my phone on speaker, I hold my breath, and pray for good news. “Go ahead, Al.”
“Toby found her.” He shouts over the helicopter blades, flop-flopping overhead. “She was wandering around in her robe and slippers, suffering from exposure, but not too bad. We’ll have to have a talk with the family when you get back. By the way, how did it go in Florida?”
“Long story. I’ll fill you in after I get home. Can you give my pal a treat for me? They’re in my cupboard, under the sink.”
“Absolutely, to the second, and you better believe it to the first.”
“Yes sir.” I hang up and a few minutes later, Danielle does the same.
She heaves a long sigh and bites her lower lip. “My mom says Gram’s a little shaken up. The doctors are going to do some tests and send her home. I swear, no one ever told me.”
I can’t imagine what she’s going through and offer what little comfort I can with a hand to her knee.
In a way, her family situation is a godsend. If she stays, it will give us the opportunity to explore this thing between us. I keep thinking on how we bared our souls before we put on our oxygen masks. We thought those might be our last words. Are we ever going to discuss that heartfelt moment or let it pass?
At the hospital, I show my badge at the front desk and let Danni explain she’s family. Once we have permissions, we take the elevator and follow the yellow lines to her grandmother’s room
