Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 21964 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 110(@200wpm)___ 88(@250wpm)___ 73(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 21964 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 110(@200wpm)___ 88(@250wpm)___ 73(@300wpm)
And with that, she walked out of the gate and he saw the little spring in her step. Every part of his sensible brain was telling him he shouldn’t turn up. Lucy was off limits. She was too young, and she deserved someone her own age, at least that was what he kept trying to tell himself.
Another part of his brain didn’t like the idea of her being with anyone but him. He couldn’t stand the thought of another man even looking in her direction. There was no way he was going to be able to cope with anyone else dating her.
They’d been doing this little dance for well over a year now. There was no one else good enough for Lucy. He was the only one capable of taking care of her.
****
“And what did he say?”
“Marge, will you stop?” Lucy asked.
“What? I’m the one who encouraged you to stop waiting outside of the gate. What does a lady have to do to get an update?”
Marge was one of her favorite people in the world. For the last six years that she had been working in the local care home, taking care of patients, or clients, during the end of their lives. There were a lot of different people who lived in the care home. Most of them wanted to go about their own lives. Lucy cleaned for them, kept them company, and in all honesty, was just a friend to all. She had applied for the job a week after losing her parents. It had been a trying time for her.
Many of the patients had unfortunately passed since she arrived. Marge and Harry were two that were still alive. Harry was currently sleeping, though. He had a thick book pressed against his chest, and he looked completely out of it. As for Marge, Lucy had thrown a blanket over her lap, as the cold was starting to get to her, although it was the height of summer.
“We’re going out for drinks tonight,” Lucy said. “There, is that what you wanted to know?”
“Drinks? This is amazing news. Will you have time to go home and change? Update your makeup? Curl your hair?”
Lucy laughed. “Will you stop?”
“Nope, I am not stopping until I know you’re happily married with a baby on the way.”
“A baby?” Harry asked, yawning.
“Don’t be nosy, you,” Marge said.
“Me, nosy. You’re the one who’s butting into the kid’s life. If I was twenty years younger, Lucy, I’d take care of you.”
She couldn’t help but blush. Harry had always been a sweet man. He had told her on many occasions that if a man can’t treat her right, then it was no good keeping him around. There might have also been a couple of choice words along the way about what a real man is all about.
She loved both of these people. They made her feel like she was part of their family. Although Marge and Harry’s kids barely visited. They didn’t even make time for a phone call. Lucy made sure to take care of them.
“I know you would, Harry.”
“But, you’re not twenty years younger, Harry, and besides, you’d need to be closer to forty years younger to have a chance. Now, come on, we all know that mechanic fella is a pretty good guy. He fixed our bus up really good and didn’t charge us a fortune for it.”
Harry grumbled, then went back to reading his book. Marge did not look entertained.
But what Lucy also saw was that her friend looked tired. “I think it is time for you to rest.”
Marge didn’t argue with her. She unclicked the lock from the wheelchair and started to take her toward her bedroom. Once she had Marge settled, she did a quick spot of cleaning, then began to do additional work. She moved from room to room, picking up the laundry, stopping to chat with each resident, and then carrying on.
Her job was to work, but to also be friendly, to keep everyone happy. When she arrived here at eighteen, she didn’t have the first clue what to do, and Marge had taken her under her wing and helped her out.
The woman that had the job before her and been there over ten years, but left after someone had passed, and it became too much to bear. Lucy got it. She had lost a lot of people, but she kept coming back, because it was important.
“You know Marge is getting tired quickly,” Harry said when she arrived at the main living area and started to clean it up.
“I know.”
“She just wants to see you happy, kid. We all do.” He groaned as he got to his feet. “We all see that you have a good heart, and none of us want to leave without knowing you’re going to be okay.”
He moved toward her, placed a hand on her cheek, gave her a smile, and then he left. They were her family, in their own way. She knew they wanted her to settle down, and she got it.