Page 58 of Dangerous December
“Definitely not.” Frank beamed. “Reva came to visit first thing this morning. She brought me new hearing aid batteries and she read me my greeting cards.”
“I thought you’d read them all. You were telling me about some of the messages.”
Frank’s eyes twinkled. “It sure doesn’t hurt to hear them again.”
“So, at least there was a small silver lining in all of this.”
Until yesterday, Frank had been in a lot of pain, and in a fog from his pain meds. Today, he looked better, and he’d even been able to flirt a little with the woman he admired.
“Your secret is safe with me.” Dev looked out the window and saw the sheriff wedging his belly behind the wheel of his patrol car. “I wonder if Sheriff Long will follow through with an investigation.”
Frank rolled his head against the pillow. “We’ve had better sheriffs over the years. But so far, this one hasn’t absconded with county funds or used his budget to finance a trip to Vegas, so he’s better than most.”
He gave Dev a calculating look. “The town could still do better. He’ll be up for re-election next year. You could let me run your store, and look into giving him a run for his money.”
“Me?” Dev snorted.
“With your military service, why not? Might just be the breath of fresh air we need around here.”
Staying in Agate Creek had never been on his list of possibilities, yet now, he had the beginnings of a new retail venture, and there might even be other opportunities to explore.
Dev rolled his shoulders, tensing the muscles, testing his shoulder mobility. Pain lanced down his arm like a lightning bolt, sharp enough to make him draw in a quick breath.
It would heal in time, enough for whatever the civilian world held for him. The future no longer looked as grim as it had back at the VA, when his life had changed in the thirty seconds it took for that fresh-faced doctor to give him the bad news.
He thought of Beth and felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe the future wouldn’t be so bad after all.
Beth smiled at the residents of Sloane House who were seated at the dining room table and took an empty seat next to Dev. “Sorry we were slow to schedule our monthly meeting with you all.”
“After what happened to Frank, none of us even thought of it,” Reva said. “In our spare time, we try to visit him as often as we can.”
“It’s great that you do,” Dev said. “He appreciates everyone’s visits very much. The hours must drag, lying in a hospital bed day after day.”
Carl nodded. “Any word on when they’ll spring him?”
“His doctors are saying that he might be released soon, but he’ll be housebound for some time. He’ll need visits from a homehealth aide and physical therapists for a month or two...maybe more.”
Elana bit her lower lip. “He will need a first-floor room. I can give him the one Cody and I share. We might be leaving in December or January, so we could take his small room upstairs.”
“That soon?” Beth exchanged a startled look with Dev. Elana was so wary about the least shadows—how could she manage alone? “Don’t rush things if you don’t have to. When we were discussing your future plans earlier, didn’t you say you were figuring on late spring?”
“With my jobs at the bookstore and the motel, I will soon be ready to be on my own.” She looked down at an envelope on the tablecloth in front of her. “After Christmas, I will start looking for a small place that will work for Cody and me.”
Beth frowned. No matter how she and Elana had juggled the numbers recently, a move into a private apartment was almost impossible, unless...
“Did you hear something from the college?”
Elana’s lower lip trembled as she smiled and held the envelope aloft. “I have been accepted into the college, yes. Spring term.”
Applause broke out around the table.
“That’s wonderful,” Reva exclaimed as she rounded the table to give the younger woman a hug.
“I’m so proud of you, Elana,” Dev said. “Did you hear anything about your financial aid package?”
“Not yet. But I called. The secretary said I should get a letter very soon and that everything will be fine. I qualified for several grants, because I am an older person coming back to school. And,” she added with a shy smile, “because there is a special scholarship for first generation Latinas. It is given by a lady dentist in town.”
“Good news,” Carl said, a smile softening his usual gruff tone.
