ChapterFive
Bryson spent the next hour or so installing the bathroom vanity and hooking up the water, but his thoughts kept straying to the woman next door.
His last memory of Hadley was as a starry-eyed senior in cap and gown.They hadn’t run in the same crowd, but they had shared a few classes over the years.He remembered her essays and poems and the way she’d looked at life.
But that bright-eyed girl was long gone and he couldn’t help but wonder why.
Hadley now carried a wariness and a sadness he couldn’t place but recognized, one born of more trials and pain than someone like her usually experienced.
But how bad could things be as a surgeon’s wife?Her car and clothes indicated a life lived well above the average income.
His gaze landed on the coffee mug she’d sent him home with, and he decided to make a second attempt at discovering her plans for the house.His question about whether she planned to keep it had been interrupted by her mother’s arrival.
Bryson stood and quickly dusted himself off before grabbing the cup and rinsing it.That done, he headed out of the house and through the hedges, not stopping until he stood outside her screen door.“Hadley?It’s me, Bryson.”
“Coming.”
Hadley appeared on the other side of the door, and he frowned when he noticed her red-rimmed eyes.“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.It’s… It’s dusty in here.”
She pushed open the screen door, and he took the opportunity to step inside, even though she’d probably just wanted him to hand her the mug.“I came to drop this off.Thanks for the—”
A sharp gasp was followed by the sound of a loud crash and the shattering of dishes.He and Hadley turned toward the kitchen in time to see an older woman’s horrified expression as bits of China and cookies and liquid slid across the floor.
“Oh!”
Bryson and Hadley hurried toward the woman as she dropped down and gasped again because she cut her hand picking up one of the many shards.
“Help Mary Elizabeth while I get a towel,” Hadley said, rushing into the kitchen.
Bryson bent and prodded the older woman to stand before gently leading her out of the mess.He followed Hadley’s path to the kitchen and pulled out a chair, urging the woman to sit.
Hadley returned with a clean cloth and wrapped the woman’s hand, and Bryson supported the woman’s forearm, holding it up to try to stem the bleeding.
“I’m so sorry,” the woman said, upset thick in her voice.“Oh, what a mess I made.”
“Don’t worry a thing about it.It’s fine,” Hadley said, her tone reassuring.
“No, I should’ve been more careful.”
“Accidents happen,” he said to the woman.
Chin and lips quivering, the older woman stared up at him, more than a little wide-eyed.
“I’ll go get the first-aid kit.Keep pressure on it,” Hadley said to him on her way out of the room.
Awkward silence filled the air and he felt the need to say something.“My, uh, mother used to say tea was coffee’s overrated friend.”
Instead of a laugh or look or whatever he’d expected, the woman’s eyes filled with tears, and her shoulders quaked with a silent sob.“Hey, now, was my joke that bad?”
The woman sniffled and shook her head, tears slipping down her gently lined cheeks.
“Found it,” Hadley called as she reentered the room.“Oh, Mary Elizabeth, please, don’t cry.Truly, it’s fine.”
The blood hadn’t quite stopped but the cut didn’t look deep.Hadley asked the woman about blood thinners and nodded when the woman admitted to taking an aspirin a day per her doctor’s orders.
“That would explain it.We’ll wait a few minutes for it to stop and get you cleaned up and bandaged.It should be fine.”