Then Ruby tapped him on the shoulder and turned him around to face the mirror.
“Okay, Hunt, what do you think? I’m calling it quits unless you want more taken off the length,” Ruby said.
Hunt eyed the cut and gave her a thumbs-up.
“Nailed it,” he said. “What do I owe you?”
Ruby grinned. “We’ll settle up front, and I’ll get you those potluck tickets, too.”
Vesta and Vera were folding towels but looked up long enough to giggle and tell him goodbye.
Hunt nodded and smiled. “Ladies,” he said, and grabbed his jacket on the way up front to pay for the haircut and tickets, and then he was gone.
Hunt checked his phone to make sure he hadn’t missed a call or text from the painters, and then swung by the Crown to pick up some groceries for Ava. It would give him a chance to see Junior in action, and a little brotherly pat on the back for a job well done was always a good thing.
He pulled into the parking lot at the Crown and as he did, he saw Elliot Graham walking toward his car and jumped out to catch him before he drove off.
Elliot was putting groceries in the trunk of his car when he heard footsteps behind him and turned around.
“Hello, Hunt. It’s good to see you again,” Elliot said.
Hunt eyed the old man in disbelief. He hadn’t aged a bit since he’d seen him last. Still a little on the thin side. Still had that thick shock of white hair and eyes with a hint of sparkle. And to Hunt, he still looked a little bit like a fairy king.
“It’s good to see you, too,” Hunt said. “I wanted to thank you for delivering that message to us from Mom. It has changed all of our lives for the better.”
Elliot shrugged. “As I told Birdie, I did nothing but deliver a message, but I was happy to do it, and I am gratified to know of the impact it has had on all of you.”
“Thanks again,” Hunt said.
Elliot smiled. “You’re most welcome.” Then he paused. His eyes got a faraway look in them as he tilted his head sideways, then he blinked and looked back at Hunt. “She’ll die and be reborn, so don’t quit.”
Hunt forgot to breathe, then took a step forward.
“What do you mean? Who dies? Reborn how? Quit on what?”
Elliot shrugged. “It’s just what they told me to say. They said you’ll remember it when the time comes, and you’ll know what to do.”
Then he smiled, patted Hunt’s arm, and got in his car and drove away.
Hunt was too shocked to move and too afraid to acknowledge the scenarios running through his head. Then he saw Junior come hurrying out of the Crown to the cart stall, shook off the feeling of dread, and jogged across the parking lot as Junior began pushing a row of carts back inside.
“Hey, Hunt!” Junior said when his brother appeared beside him.
“Hi, Junior. Looks like you’re doing a good job here.”
Junior grinned. “You should know. You did this job all the way through high school, right?”
“Yes, I did. Keep up the good work. I’ve got to pick up a few things for Ava, and then go check on the painters.”
Junior nodded, then pushed the carts back into place inside before pulling one off for Hunt.
“Here you go, and tell Ava I said hi.”
“Thanks. I will,” Hunt said, then took the shopping cart and headed to the dairy case at the far side of the store.
While he was shopping, he felt a tap on his back and turned to see Ava’s mother with a big smile on her face.
“Hi, darlin’,” she said.
“Hi, Karen. What’s for supper?” he asked.
Karen giggled. “Anything you want. What time you want to come over?”
Hunt grinned and shook his head. “I was just teasing with you. I have no idea what time I’ll be free this evening. I have painters at the house, and my day won’t be over until they go home. I did, however, move into my future wife’s house last night because we sold the bed I’d been sleeping in at Mom’s.”
Karen laughed. “That’s a weak excuse to take my daughter to bed.”
Hunt smiled. “At least I waited until she grew up. I honestly never knew any of this was going on when she was a kid.”
Karen shook her head. “Larry and I thought it was funny…at first. We had no idea it was serious to her. And then the older she became, the more you mattered in her world. When you left, and then everyone shut down and wouldn’t talk about you anymore, she grieved as if you’d died. We thought she would finally get over you, but she has proved us all wrong. The best part is finally getting you in the family.”
Hunt was so touched, he hugged her. “Thank you, but I’m the lucky one. Tell Larry hi for me, and you guys will have to come over and see the house after it’s finished.”
“Can’t wait,” she said. “Love to the both of you.”
“Thanks,” Hunt said, and finished shopping with a smile on his face. It was amazing what being loved could do to a man.
He took the groceries back to Ava’s and put them up, then went to check on the painters.
Satisfied that all was well, he sent Ava a text, told her he loved her, and he’d see her after work. He was headed downtown to gas up the truck when he began hearing the ambulance sirens and realized they were leaving town in the opposite direction. He said a prayer for whoever was in need and kept driving.
* * *
Skipping lunch was a common occurrence in Ava’s occupation, especially in a small hospital like the one in Blessings, and especially working the ER. Emergencies didn’t have a schedule, and sick people in the beds upstairs didn’t have a routine. So the job and the patients always came before a nurse’s hunger pangs.
Ava had a candy bar she’d been eating for over two hours, taking a bite now and then when the free moments presented themselves. But she was thinking about what she would make for supper tonight and hoping Hunt got the hamburger meat she’d put on the grocery list because she wanted spaghetti and meat sauce.
She was entering some data into the computer on the patient they’d just dismissed and trying to finish the rest of her candy when they heard an ambulance coming in.
“Uh-oh,” Rhonda Bailey said. “You better chew and swallow that fast. They’re back from the wreck site at the two-mile bridge north of Blessings.”
Ava quickly hit Save on her work and grabbed some wet wipes to clean her hands. She took a quick drink from her water bottle and then stood. Last they’d heard, there were multiple injuries, so everyone was ready and waiting when they began wheeling in the first of three victims.