Page 10 of A Very Merry Matchup
I’m better than when I landed on Yesenia’s doorstepyesterday. No more aches. No more chills. Even the sneezes have gotten better. But I’m still several hours short of wiping away my sleep-deprived brain fog. Soon as my current caffeine buzz wears off, my head’ll be ready to hit another pillow. Hopefully a little more rest will convince my voice to return too. Right now I sound like I’m impersonating Louis Armstrong whispering inside a quiet library.
The song on the radio continues playing and I smile despite the fatigue. My grandma loved this song. And I feel like the lyrics are playing out in front of me.
Garland is wrapped around the street poles. Window shops are dressed up with cheery Christmas displays. Everything looks so quaint, especially with the falling snow. In a lot of ways it reminds me of my grandma’s little town in Nebraska.
“I wouldn’t mind settling down in a place like this,” I say to Hamish. “Think there’s any available teachers in town?”
Hamish whines and spins in a circle on the passenger seat.
“You need another run, don’t you?”
I pull over in front of the public library to call Lucy. “Hey,” I whisper-croak into the phone when it goes to her voicemail. “I’m in Nolly Grove. Is Beau’s yard fenced in? If not, I either need to take Hamish for a walk or find a place he can run off some energy. He’s got two personalities, andtrust me, you don’t want to meet the personality that’s full of energy. Call me.”
Since I’m not convinced that she’ll call me, I dial Beau’s mom.
“Hi, sweetie,” she answers before the end of the first ring.
“Hi, Mrs.—”
“Oh, you sound terrible.”
“I’m okay. Really. My voice sounds worse than I feel.”
“Hope so. I was just about to call Beau. Are you guys almost here? The snow’s really starting to come down now.”
“We’re in town. Hamish and me.”
“You and Beau didn’t drive together?”
Why would Beau and I drive together? I’d ask, but my voice is croaking worse than a dying bullfrog and I have more important questions to ask. “Do you have a fenced-in backyard? Hamish is going to need to run around, so if you don’t, is there a dog park I can take him to before I come over?”
“Oh, honey. You don’t want to be out in this weather. Yes, we’ve got a nice big fenced-in backyard. Hamish will be fine. I’m surprised Beau didn’t already tell you. You just get yourself to the house, so we can get you feeling all the way better. Can’t wait to see you.”
Less than five minutes later we’re parked in front of Beau’s parents’ house. Even the neighborhood brings back memories of visiting my grandma’s house years ago.
By the time I have Hamish leashed and outside of the car, Beau’s mom is already coming down the porch steps and pointing out every potential ice patch on the sidewalk. “Careful! Rob salted but it still gets slick. Mind the porch steps, especially at the top. Oh, Ivy-honey! I’m so excited you’re here! Need help? Well, hi there, Hamish. Aren’t you just a big fluffy cutie?”
Hamish is tugging so hard on the leash to get to her I nearly fall over. “Is it okay to leave the car parked here on the street?”
“Oh, your voice. You sound dreadful. Don’t worry about the car. Rob can move it for you later. Here, honey,” she says, reaching for Hamish’s leash. “I’ll take him around back. You go on inside. I wasn’t sure what time you guys would get here, so I’ve got some soup warming on the stove for later. I need to pop back over to the church for a bit to help Rob. Not sure when we’ll be back, but you just go on inside and get settled. We’ve got you in the last room at the end of the hallway. We call it the green room, because it’s green and we’re clever like that.”
I do what she says without any argument. Partly because my voice is shot, but mostly because nobody’s clucked and cooed over me like this since Grandma was alive.
The vegetable soup smells delicious, and Hamish has ablast playing in the snow. By the time I get him dried off enough to come back inside, he’s worn out and so am I.
I’m ready for another snooze.
Photos of Beau, his parents, and what I’m assuming are more members of his family hang along the staircase wall that leads me upstairs. “Just think,” I whisper-croak to Hamish. “Pretty soon Lucy will be hanging on this wall too. Am I the best matchmaker ever or what?”
And on that happy thought, Hamish and I find the green room, settle onto the bed, and let oblivion take us once again.
CHAPTER SIX
Iowa must be beautiful this time of year. All that snow.
Beau
Mom wasn’t kidding about those big snowflakes in the forecast. While Mr. Crosby croons about glistening treetops on the radio, I pull into a Casey’s to fill up on gas before my car hits the big E.
