Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 24199 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 121(@200wpm)___ 97(@250wpm)___ 81(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24199 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 121(@200wpm)___ 97(@250wpm)___ 81(@300wpm)
I’ve weaned him off the meds, but the poor guy is having a tough time of it. His nose constantly runs, and he doesn’t sleep for very long. Every time I look at him, he frowns at me. I’m pretty sure he blames me for how miserable he’s feeling.
The only time he seems to relax is when I’m walking around and talking to him, so I spent the day hiking my mountain. Eventually, I walked around town and showed him the sights. He’ll grow up here with me, so he should know what his home looks like.
Ollie starts to fuss because I’ve gone quiet.
“The thing about it is when the world stops making sense, you go back to the last place it did. For me, that place has always been the library.” I put my hand on his back. “But you won’t have to worry about that. You won’t have to hide in the library from the bullies like I did.”
No, my little Ollie will never be some boarding school kid who’s teased because he has seizures. He will be safe and protected. He’ll have a father in his corner that he can count on.
Ollie starts to whine again, and I rock forward. I’m learning that motion soothes his little body, and I’ll do anything to keep him happy. “I don’t want you to take this the wrong way because I’m glad you’re here. I think…you’ve always been meant to be mine. But you definitely weren’t in the plan. I’m not sure what to make of the plan anymore.”
Up until this past week, I planned to ask out Ivy and make her fall madly in love with me. Then I’d put a ring on her finger and give her all the babies she could ever want. I’m not so sure how she’ll feel about me now. Ollie and I are a package deal. I’m not like my sister. I won’t ever turn my back on the boy.
As I’m thinking about Ivy, I hear a squeal, and a little blonde girl in the children’s section rushes toward Ivy. My breath catches in my throat when I see my woman. It’s been a week, but it feels like it’s been six months since I’ve seen her dazzling smile.
Ace and Grizz met up with me today when I showed Ollie around the gym. Grizz told me that Ivy was fired from her job at the dessert shop. She’s now unemployed, which is another problem I need to solve. I’m not sure how to do that. If I had my way, I’d marry Ivy on the spot and take care of her for the rest of our lives. I’m not sure that my stubborn, independent woman would go for that.
Ivy drops to her knees to talk with a little girl and doesn’t even mind it when a boy shoves a dinosaur book at her. She’s patient and kind with both of them. I know that she reads to the kids every week at the library, but I didn’t know what day.
From our place on the little wooden train, Ivy can’t see me or Ollie. It gives me the chance to observe her, and I relish the opportunity. I’ve never seen her in action with one of the story hours.
She settles with the children on a collection of beanbag chairs and flips open a book about a fire-breathing dragon. The little boy sits in her lap, and she smiles at him, ruffling his hair. Several more kids crowd around her, drawn to her soothing voice.
She takes her time with the story, making it come alive. She acts out the parts, giving voices to all of the characters and inviting the children to ask questions and participate. It’s less of a story hour and more like a theater production. By the time she’s done, I know one thing for certain: there’s no one sweeter in all of Courage County. No one that I would trust with Ollie the way I trust her. An idea forms in my head and the more I think about it, the more I know it’s the perfect solution.
Ivy
Reading books to the kids at the library is the highlight of my week. After the week I’ve had, it was exactly what I needed. Being around kids reminds me that there’s still good in the world.
There are still a million reasons to smile even if I did get fired. Mr. Wilson and his wife want to move away to spend more time with their grandkids. They’re closing Sinful Desserts though they did give me two weeks’ severance pay.
The problem is it’s been hard to find a job given the time of year. Most folks are focused on their ranches and harvesting the crops right now.
I have a little bit in savings. I can make it for a month, but not for much longer than that. I don’t know where I’ll go if I have to leave this little town. I’ve never had a permanent home, other than the hospitals are frequented during treatment when I was a kid. It’s hard to get adopted when you’re considered medically fragile.