Page 14 of Beautiful Dreamer

“And I won third place in the talent show, so I chalk that up to awin.”

They exchanged what could only be categorized as a small butimportant smile. The occasion didn’t allow for much more. “Anyway, it’s verynice of you to come by.” Devyn ran a hand through what had to be disheveledhair, but this woman wasn’t here for her anyway, so why should she care?

Elizabeth stared at her. “Are you trying to toss me out?”

“Of course not,” Devyn said.

“I’m here to relieve you for a bit. You need to take a littlebreak. Eat something. Rest. Shower. I thought I’d come up and sit with Jill.”

“No, that’s not—”

But Elizabeth was still talking. “I know it’s technically againstthe rules. Family only, but I talked to Jimbo at the nurses’ station, and hesaid they’d turn a blind eye since you seem to be on your own.”

“Jimbo?”

Elizabeth gestured behind her. “Charge nurse. We’re on the samebowling team. Oh.” She glanced at the basket she’d set next to her chair andthrust it forward, walking it to Devyn. “I almost forgot. This is for you. Ibrought it with me just in case you were still here, and you are.”

“Oh, you didn’t have to go out of your—”

Still no pause. “There are some baby wipes, and hair ties, andsnacks both savory and sweet, and a couple of crossword puzzle books, and aCosmo.” She shrugged.“I had to guess about theCosmo,but you seem, in many ways,” she paused, “well, glamorous. Other than that,just about everything you’d need to survive time with a loved one in a hospital.”

“Wow.” Devyn glanced through the basket, surprised by all thelittle details Elizabeth had thought of. “You’ve done this before. Is there ahospital committee? There is, isn’t there?”

Elizabeth’s eyes went wide. “No, but there should be. That’s a greatidea. I should write that down.” She gestured to Jill. “Do you mind if I sitwith her and—”

“No. Go ahead.” Elizabeth took a seat in the chair next to Jill’sbed and left Devyn to her own thoughts.

Spending time with Elizabeth reminded her that she really didn’tknow much about Jill’s world in Dreamer’s Bay. That hurt, but it was all onher. She had a way of getting caught up in the hurricane of downtownPhiladelphia and her adrenaline-laced job. She would ask Jill more about herday-to-day life, who her friends were, what she did on a Tuesday night. In thepast, most of their phone calls and texts were quick check-ins, or worse, callsfrom Jill that she never got around to returning. She deeply regretted thatnow. In fact, the thought brought on near-physical pain. Fuck. She’d almostlost her sister, for God’s sake, and she wouldn’t take her for granted again.

The writing on the wall was clear. This was her second chance.

Across the room, she heard Elizabeth begin to speak quietly to hersister. “Oh no, Jilly.” Elizabeth sighed. “This isn’t fair at all. I’m so sorrythis happened to you, but I want to say this. Don’t you worry about a thing. Doyou hear me? You’re going to get better and be back to your old self in notime. We’re all going to rally together and make sure of it.” Elizabeth noddedenthusiastically. “Everyone is thinking about you and pulling for you.Understand? Your sister is here, too, and she made sure we found you. You wouldhave been so proud of her.” Devyn bowed her head at the words. Elizabeth madeher feel a little less alone in all of this. That was for sure. “All the folksin town send their love, which is why the nurses’ station looks like anout-of-control flower shop on mushrooms right now. Not that you’ve ever donemushrooms. I honestly don’t know if you have, but I feel like you understandwhat I mean.”

Devyn’s phone began to vibrate. A glance told her it was Jared,the agent with an offer for her. In this moment, she didn’t care, and slid itback into her pocket.

That was certainly new.

The tender moment at Jill’s bedside squeezed her heart, which wasalso new. In addition, it made her slightly nervous, reminding her that she wasan outsider in the quiet moment, just like she was an outsider in this town. Atleast nowadays. It didn’t feel like hers anymore, but then it never really had.She reflected on the teenager she’d been the last time she’d spent any realtime in the Bay: lost, confused, stifled, but refusing to let on. She was noneof those things now, but she wasstilla visitor. She shifted uncomfortably. “I’m going to grab another cupof coffee from the shop in the lobby. I’m practically mainlining the stuff. CanI get you anything? Cookie? Candy bar? A new committee?”

Elizabeth smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, andthat was when it struck Devyn that she’d really blossomed since high school.Not that she’d been unattractive, but now? Yeah, very pretty. “I’m okay. Thankyou, though. I’ll sit with Jill while you’re away. We’ll chill together. MaybeI’ll even perform a magic trick or two,” she said proudly.

“I appreciate that. And pull as many rabbits out of a hat as youcan. We could use a little magic.” With a final nod, Devyn left the roomfeeling overwhelmed and not at all like herself. These were the moments in herlife, the difficult ones, when she turned to Jill for comfort and advice. Jillwas her soft place to land and always knew exactly what to do. It was up to hernow to figure all that out on her own. And she would. Somehow.

* * *

“So, here’s the deal,” Devyn said, as she juggled the phone andthe car door handle at the same time. She squeezed herself out of theridiculous Spark and passed it a glare just because she thrived on theiradversarial relationship. “I got my client down to ten point five million, buthe’s not going a cent lower. This is a steal for skyline views and we both knowit. Best and final, Greg.”

He hesitated. “C’mon, Dev. You know that’s not enough of a drop.Your client needs to be reasonable or lose a killer offer. My guy is preparedto walk. The property is not worth a dime more than ten. Hell, that view ispartially obstructed.”

“Get your client up.” Devyn was going to close this deal if itkilled her. Even if she had to do it from thousands of miles away. The propertyhad been on the market for three months now and was starting to get stale. Thiswas her shot. Though her personal life had fallen apart around her, she had tokeep her professional world propped up as much as possible in the midst. Shewasn’t going to back down.

“If you’ll consider a sixty-day close, you have a deal,” he said.

“Done,” she said with a smile, knowing her client had already consented.“Let the paperwork commence.”

Devyn hadn’t left the hospital for thirty-six hours, becoming numbto the harsh fluorescent lighting, sterile smell, round-the-clock chatter fromthe nurses’ station, and awful coffee no human should ever actually consume.But having been advised that Jill would likely wake soon from sedation, shewanted to steal what time she could to freshen up and grab a quick bite soshe’d be ready and able to assist in any way needed. She let herself in for thesecond time to what she still saw as their family home from years ago, despitethe transformations. When their mother died, she’d let her portion of the housego so Jill could move in. It only made sense given she had no interest inliving in town herself and definitely didn’t need the money from a potentialsale. Since that time, it was clear that Jill had practically remodeled theentire interior, updating the fixtures, the kitchen counters, and cabinetry.Not bad at all, she thought, as she moved through the house, still not quiteused to being inside again. In broker mode, she quickly calculated the likelyresale potential, knowing full well Jill would never in a million yearsconsider selling. While she had a handful of good memories from the place, shewasn’t the type to get mired down in sentiment the same way.

She hopped in the shower and lost herself beneath the stream ofhot water, allowing it to cascade over her skin for an extra five minutes ofheaven before forcing herself to towel off, get ready for the day ahead, andrejoin the world. She fed Jill’s five fish and headed back out to her rentaljust as her phone vibrated in her pocket. A local number she didn’t haveprogrammed in her phone. She slid onto the call, nervous something had gonewrong at the hospital. Not the case.

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