‘Well, firstly, I love how you read to me,’ she sighs in her tender Texan drawl. ‘You sound like the Queen of England. I’ll never tire of the sound of your voice, Hollie. But honestly, I preferred that last cowboy one we read. I liked that… what was his name again?’
‘Coyote Maverick,’ I laugh with a roll of my eyes, referring to the main character of the last romance novel we read twice in a row, who didn’t seem to own a shirt, the amount of time he spent strutting around with his rippling muscles on show.
‘Plus, this one didn’t have nearly enough spicy times,’ she whispers and I giggle.
‘Thiswasa little cheesy,’ I say, holding up the book to her. ‘The ending was just a little too perfect, don’t you think?’
‘You don’t like a happy ending?’
‘This is book love, not love IRL.’
She tilts her head and looks like she didn’t hear me. ‘IRL? What’s that again?’
‘In real life,’ I repeat, only louder this time.
She waves her hand dismissively. ‘Well, you young people. You need to get off them whatcha-call-ems, dating apps. Go out to a bar and let a man come over and talk to you. My Robert… I still remember the first time I saw him. I mean, it was at church, but that was how we did things back then. He came right on over to talk to me, eyes twinklin’ and, oh honey, I never looked back.’
A silence settles over the room. I glance over at the windowsill, at the picture of Mrs Huxley and her husband, who died ten years ago, taken on their wedding day, when Mrs Huxley was twenty-three years old, the same age I am now. I’ve heard so much about him that a strange kind of sadness cloaks my insides. ‘Can I get you anything else, Mrs Huxley?’ I ask, getting out of my chair and smoothing down my pink candy striper volunteer’s uniform.
‘No, no, honey, I’m good, thank you. Think I’ll turn in.’
I’m helping her get settled in the bed when, without warning, blue lights fill the room. A single siren blasts out.
‘Oh, lord, what is going on now?’ Mrs Huxley says. ‘Don’t they know the residents are trying to get some shuteye around here?’
I peek out of the drapes. In the darkness, there are a couple of police patrol cars parked outside Sunset Pines. ‘I’m sure it’s nothing,’ I say, letting go of the drapes and filling Mrs Huxley’s water glass from the jug. ‘Don’t worry yourself. I’ll go see what’s going on.’
When I leave Mrs Huxley, I walk back down the corridor, placing the romance novel back on a shelf for returning to the library. My body aches. I’ve been here since the early morning. Outside the building, I hear a helicopter swooping overhead. In the reception area, one police officer is talking to Tawny, the manager of Sunset Pines Nursing Home. The other officer is showing a group of other nurses a picture on a phone.
One of the nurses beckons me over. ‘Hollie, you ain’t seen this kid anywhere around here, have you?’
The officer holds up the phone for me to see. I squint at the photo of an adolescent boy with slightly dishevelled hair, then shake my head. ‘No, never. Should I have done?’
‘He’s a suspect in a car theft, ma’am,’ the officer says to me stoically. ‘Evaded arrest tonight not far from here and is now on the run.’
‘What’s his name?’ I ask.
‘Noah Brady. If you see him, please, call it in.’
Instinctively, I prickle at the name. Hearing ‘Noah’ brings back a squall of memories, but I nod my head, just like the other nurses who go about their duties. Through the windows of the main seating area, I can see other officers outside the windows, searching the flower beds, their flashlights flitting across the walls. They will ruin what’s left of the poor excuse for a yard that we have here. I turn my attention to Tawny, who is looking stressed.
‘Last thing I goddamn need,’ she mutters under her breath as the officers file out of the building. ‘The residents will be complaining about this for weeks.’
‘What will they complain about?’ I ask.
‘You know. Flashlights shining through their windows. That chopper overhead. I’ve got enough goin’ on. Lashawna’s sick, I’m two nurses down…’
I’m only a candy striper but I like to pitch in where I can. ‘Give me something to do,’ I say cheerfully.
‘Are you sure? Ain’t it time you were headed on home?’
I give a shrug. ‘I don’t mind.’
Tawny looks at me guiltily. ‘I got a ton of trash bags waiting out back…’
‘Consider it done,’ I say.
‘You’re an angel!’ she shouts after me as I wander off toward the kitchen.