Page 66 of Somebody to Save
He laughed again, only the second time, it wasn’t nearly as genuine. “Funny how life works like that.” He shot a tight-lipped smile at us both and offered me his bracelet. “Think youcould tie it off for me, Ms. Addie? I don’t think my hands are that nimble anymore.”
“Yes—yes, of course,” I stuttered. Reaching forward, I carefully grabbed either side of the bracelet and tied it off. I ran my fingers over the beads he’d chosen and smiled to myself before I gave it back.
“Thank you so much,” he said and stood on unsteady legs. “Anyway, I appreciate you both humoring an old man.”
“I love hearing your stories, Mr. Rogers,” I said, and he waved me off.
“Yes, sure. Well, the whole reason I even brought it up, besides the fact that I like to think about the past in my old age, is because I can see that you two are…something. And—” I opened my mouth to say what, I didn’t know, but Mr. Rogers gave me a hard look and shook his head. “Oh, don’t try to argue, Ms. Addie. It’s plain as day to anyone, especially if we’re wearing our bifocals, that you are in the midst of new love. And that you’re not exactly the same age,” he added. “Just wanted to share a success story. Sometimes…age is just a number.”
He tapped the table twice and just walked away.
Beckett and I sat there in silence for a few moments, taking in everything Mr. Rogers told us.
“Wow,” Beckett finally said, and I cautiously picked up my paintbrush once again.
“Not what I expected when I sat down,” I said.
“I don’t think anything has ever gone as I expected when I come here,” Beckett agreed. “But I guess that’s part of the fun. Can you help me tie mine off, too?”
He offered me the bracelet he’d been working on, and I quickly tied it together. Then I turned it over in my hands and examined the beads he’d chosen. They were all blue and dark purple, and he’d even used my favorite sparkly star beads.
It was pretty cute, but it was the word he’d spelled out with the beads that made me momentarily forget how to breathe.
Bubbles.
The beads said Bubbles. My heart stuttered, and I ran my thumb over each one to make sure they were really there and I hadn’t imagined it all.
“You…uh…you…”
“Made a bracelet,” Beckett said, taking his bracelet back and carefully tugging it onto his wrist.
“You’re—you’re…” I stuttered again.
“Having trouble with words today, Bubbles?” He smirked and looked down at his wrist, twisting his hand back and forth so the bracelet slipped across his skin. It looked so out of place wrapped around his large wrist, which made my stomach flip all the more.
Licking my lips and clearing my throat, I tried one more time. “You’re going to wear a bracelet with my nickname on it.”
“Yes,” he said plainly, like it wasn’t a huge deal. Like there weren’t a million and one different emotions pounding through me at just the idea that he wanted to wear something with my name on it.
“Okay,” I said.
“Okay.”
And Beckett smiled.
THIRTY-TWO
AN UNWELCOME VISITOR
Addison
“I’m sosorry I’m late!” I shouted into the quiet house.
It was Christmas Eve, and I had promised my grandmothers I’d be over thirty minutes earlier to start prepping our Christmas Day meal. But I’d stayed at Beckett’s and had to run back to my place before I headed to their house. I’d let Beckett pack my bag for the night, and he’d “accidentally” packed the lingerie I’d never worn and no pants.
And I needed pants to see my grandmothers.
I shut the door behind me and whirled only to stop in my tracks. There was a woman I’d never met standing at the end of the entryway. She was a pretty blonde wearing light blue scrubs and a wide smile.
