Room 143

Chapter 8

Nash

“Wanna explain to me what happened this morning?" Austin asks while I've got my entire upper body in the engine compartment of a truck. His question is just this side of a not being a demand. I figure he's doing it like this so that I can't run or come out swinging. Either way it's a loss for me, and a win for him.

“What do you mean?"

Closed-off is the way I've been since Katie passed away, and it makes no sense to play this any differently than I have the past few years. I don't want him in my business, don't want any of them to know what I've gotten myself into.

He scoffs. “Don't play stupid with me, I was the one here with you when she showed up. The way you dragged her into the office? It's obvious the two of you know each other."

“We don't know each other." I lower my voice. “We shared a weekend together and that's all."

“Wait." His eyes bug. “That's the girl? What the f*ck is she doing here."

Irritated, I lever myself out of the engine compartment, just catching myself from running my dirty fingers through my hair. “Look, for once in your life, try not to meddle in my business. This is personal. If it wasn't for y'all this wouldn't have happened."

He doesn't look like he wants to agree with me, but he steps back, holding his hands up. “If you say so."

“I do, and you all made it that way when you handed me the key to the hotel room. Just let it go. She and I have talked about it, and we're fine working together." I do my best to keep our private conversations, private. For some reason that means something to me.

“As long as you're okay."

“I'm fine."

“You say that now, but even I know how you walked in here this morning. Keep on being fine brother, but don't forget that smile you had earlier."

He walks away, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I'm not fine. I'm so jumbled up right now, I don't know which way is down. Confusion at how I'm supposed to react to her messes with my brain. I was never supposed to see her again, would never have to figure out how to fight the attraction I have for her.

She was never supposed to be a part of my life. But here we are, and she's in it for the foreseeable future. I don't know how I'm supposed to feel, or what I'm supposed to think. All I know is this is f*cked up. Wiping my hands on a cloth, I glance up as someone pulls into the lot.

Caroline

Luckily for me, Nash isn't the one in charge of my training. An older woman smiles as she comes into the office.

“Hi." She holds her hand out. “I'm Martha, I'm the female Gilbert. I'm the one who talked to you on the phone."

Which means she's more than likely the mother. When we spoke prior to me coming here, we didn't get into specifics like that. “Nice to meet you." I shake her hand, wanting to die because I spent the weekend with her son. There are love bites everywhere on my body underneath my clothing, and her son is the one who gave them to me. “Am I taking over your job?"

“Oh no." She shakes her head. “I can do very little in this office, the only thing I can show you is the computer program. The young lady we had here before got engaged and she's getting married. He's in the military and they'll be shipping out for Virginia Beach." She grins. “Such a big adventure for the two of them."

“Have they been together long?" I make conversation because I don't know what else to do. I'm not one who likes to sit in uncomfortable silence.

“Oh yes, high school sweethearts. Like my Nash and Katie were." She looks through the window, out over the bay area.

Nash is looking out over the parking lot, wiping his hands on a dirty cloth.

“He's not been the same since she died," Martha comments, her voice lowering an octave. A ribbon of sadness flows through the words. “All of us were affected after she was gone, but none more than Nash."

“He was married to her?"

I don't want to give away what I know, then I'd be stuck explaining how I came upon the knowledge.

“Got married right out of high school, they were so happy." Her tone is wistful, probably imagining the days she would spend with her grandchild. “They'd wanted a baby for years, and she was pregnant. If she'd been hit a few weeks later the baby probably would have survived." Her voice is now a whisper. “But we were forced to bury them together – just like how they lived."

I'm fighting not to cry. Not only for the broken man I spent the weekend with, but for the family who never got to be. The man who thought he'd be a husband and father for many more years, the woman who was minding her own business, and the innocent baby that never got to be. It's tragic. All around it's tragic and such a waste. I can't even put myself in his shoes, I can't imagine what would happen to me if I'd lose everything in the span of a few seconds and someone else's bad decision.

Martha's eyes shine with a sheen of moisture. “It's been a rough few years, and now my husband and I are ready to retire. He gave over the day-to-day operations to Nash years ago, but he's signing over the shop to the boys in the next few days. Nash will be the boss, like he's always been. My husband and I, we have no plans, but that's kinda the big plan," she giggles. “This family knows better than most that tomorrow isn't promised. We're going to enjoy life, even if I had to hire you to do it."

A laugh bubbles up from my throat. “I'm more than happy to help your family."

She looks me up and down. “Something tells me, Caroline, that you're going to do more to help this family than anything else has in years. You've got an easy smile; we need more of that around here."

My cheeks heat, not used to the praise from anyone, much less someone considered a superior. Back in Atlanta, we were expected to work. There were hardly ever good jobs. It was simply what we were expected to do. Martha and I sit down, getting to business. As she explains the inventory and invoicing system to me, I realize it's one we tested at my previous job.

“You probably know more about it than I do," she scoffs. “Ordering parts is a breeze with the new online system our parts distributor implemented, and the only other thing you have to do is payroll. Which is here." She clicks into another screen. “Sometimes if it's a rush job, we'll pick up parts in town, but it all depends on what's going on around here."

She shows me how to put my own name and info in since this is my first day, then has me download the clock-ins of the guys from this morning, showing me how to reconcile and compute payroll. “Of course I'll be here on Friday when everyone gets paid, and my cell is right there." She points to a number taped to the desk. “I'll always be around if you have questions. I just don't want to be here anymore." She looks around the office. “Too many memories."

All of a sudden, something strikes me in the chest. “Did Katie do this job?"

“No, she never worked here. The two of them," she grins softly. “They couldn't work together. They tried once or twice when she filled in for me, but they weren't the type to be near each other every minute of every day. The memories I have, are the ones of Nash when he'd come in here, barely a shell of himself. I want them gone, I want to make new ones," she explains. “I want to see him smile like he used to, and I think with you around here. He might."

I can't help it, I feel like I'm taking the place of a ghost, but I guess that's true of everything in life. Someone always moves into a position vacated by someone else. My eyes travel the wall, stopping on a picture of Nash and what must be Katie. “Is that her?" I point to the picture.

“That was their engagement picture."

She's the complete and total opposite of me, and for that I'm thankful. It would be too weird if I looked like her. She may not be physically here anymore, but I can feel her, all over this place; this family hasn't moved on yet. I'm getting the feeling they honestly may not be able to. I'm a believer though, in things happening for a reason. There's a reason I came to Harper Valley, that I took Taylor's job for her, and then ended up at this job.

I'm not sure of what that reason may be, but I'm excited to find out. Life is an adventure that should be lived, not shrouded in the darkness of a light extinguished too quickly.

I've searched for my calling and maybe, just maybe, I've found it.